Player ratings: Saracens vs Clermont Auvergne

May 13, 2017
5733
Ultimate Rugby

Saracens

Mako Vunipola – 7/10

Put under some pressure at scrum time but gave a good account of himself. Carried dynamically and made vital yardage throughout.

Jamie George – 8/10

Carried very effectively throughout. Posted an impressive lineout success rate. Got through a huge amount of work at the breakdown and made his tackles when called upon.

Vincent Koch – 7/10

Very impressive at the set piece. Carried powerfully throughout the game and was a menace at the breakdown securing several vital turnovers for his side.

Maro Itoje – 8/10

Impressive as ever. Incredibly physical at the breakdown causing Clermont a host of problems. He was an absolute rock in defence, consistently hammering the Clermont ball carriers and driving them back over the gain line.

George Kruis – 8/10

Very impressive in the lineout. Put in a big shift defensively and carried extremely well to get over for a vital try in the first half.

Michael Rhodes – 7/10

Impressive in attack, ran some very intelligent lines and showed great footwork. Competed well at the lineout and posed a real poaching threat at the breakdown. Unfortunately knocked the ball on at a couple of vital moments of the game.

Jackson Wray – 7/10

Very solid work rate throughout. Hit countless rucks and posed a threat at the breakdown. Posted a really high tackle count and made some effective carries.

Billy Vunipola – 9/10

Carried very powerfully throughout making significant yardage for his side. Made a couple of crucial tackles and held up Clermont’s big ball carriers up earning vital scrum possession for his side. Deserved winner of the MOTM award.

Richard Wigglesworth – 8/10

Used his wealth of big game experience and high rugby IQ to set his teammates into great attacking spaces. Put in some excellent box kicks and even made some vital tackles when called upon defensively.

Owen Farrell - 8/10

Another very solid performance from the star man. Great game management and organisation of the backline. Missed two kicks early on but quickly corrected himself and went 5/5 from the tee after that.

Chris Wyles – 6/10

Very quiet afternoon for the winger. Did well defensively when called upon but never really got many attacking opportunities with ball in hand.

Brad Barritt – 7/10

A real captain’s performance from the veteran. Never put a foot wrong, made some vital tackles, carried well and won some crucial penalties for his side which relieved pressure and kept the scoreboard ticking over.

Marcelo Bosch – 7/10

Kicked well out of hand at times, made some huge tackles and was a constant presence at the breakdown. Looked dangerous with ball in hand and put players into spaces with some clever passing.

Chris Ashton – 8/10

In what was his last Champions Cup appearance in a Saracens shirt the veteran winger put in an excellent performance. He showed an incredible turn of pace to recover a kick through by Goode to touch down for the games opening try. A great way to sign off on this chapter of his career.

Alex Goode – 9/10

Safe as ever under the high ball. Stood up defensively and made all his tackled. Got an incredible assist for Ashton’s try with an inch perfect chip kick. He also got on the scoresheet himself with victory clinching try,

Schalk Brits – (51’) 7/10

Brits made a really positive impact off the bench. His combination of direct running and blistering pace caused the Clermont defence a host of problems. Hit a huge number of rucks during his 30-minute cameo.

Titi Lamositele – (77’) N/A

Petrus Du Plessis – (77’) N/A

Jim Hamilton – (79’) N/A

Schalk Burger – (61’) 7/10

Continued the impressive work rate of Jackson Wray when called upon. Posed a constant threat at the breakdown and used his extensive wealth of experience to slow the Clermont attack game and suck the life out of their resurgence in the second half.

Ben Spencer – (79’) N/A

Alex Lozowski – (79’) N/A

Duncan Taylor – (53’) 7/10

Continued the impressive work of captain Brad Barritt when called upon off the bench. Put in a solid shift defensively and made some bone crunching tackles at crucial periods of the game.

Clermont Auvergne

Raphael Chaume – 6/10

A mixed bag for the loosehead today. Looked to be under pressure at the scrum from Vincent Koch but won a couple of penalties there nonetheless.

Benjamin Kayser – 6/10

A 5^th European final loss for the hooker will be hard to swallow but he did himself justice out on the field today. Carried well when he got his hands on the ball and had a task on his hands at the breakdown against a strong Saracens pack. He managed to cause them a lot of problems there.

Davit Zirakashvili – 7/10

The Georgian maverick was outstanding today. He never took a step back in the scrum and was immense in the loose. Was only substituted with a minute to go which is unheard of for a tighthead.

Arthur Iturria – 5/10

Quiet day at the office for the second row. Despite playing the whole game he didn’t seem to get involved in his teams attack at all. The lineout functioned well but a lot more is expected at this high level.

Sebastien Vahaamahina – 7/10

It was a pity that he had to be substituted due to injury as he had been one of the standout forwards on the pitch. Won a couple of turnovers on the deck and smashed everybody that was stupid enough to run down his channel.

Damien Chouly – 6/10

Played a captains role, doing the dirty work, allowing his team’s superstars to threaten out wide.

Peceli Yato – 8/10

Wouldn’t have looked out of place on the wing as he showed his rapid pace in attack on a few occasions. Saracens really struggled to contain him as he got his hands free in contact, offloading to players in space. Did superbly to set up Abendanon’s try, sucking in two defenders before giving a sumptuous offload. Also was a huge threat at the breakdown and it was perplexing why he was substituted so early.

Fritz Lee – 8/10

Didn’t put a foot wrong all day as he showed a couple of lovely touches with ball in hand. Tackled superbly and doesn’t look to have a brake when going into contact.

Morgan Parra – 6/10

Missed a couple of kicks and wasn’t his usual self in terms of distribution either. A lot more would be expected from the Clermont general. Did do well to prevent Billy Vunipola from going over in the corner in the second half.

Camille Lopez – 7/10

If it weren’t for that missed kick at the death we couldn’t have faulted his performance. Never gave up when his team was behind, kicking superbly out of hand and having a few runs himself which bamboozled the Sarries defence. A great season for the ten which hopefully doesn’t end on this sad note.

Nick Abendanon – 7/10

Was a threat to Saracens every time he got his hands on the ball. Took his try expertly and defended well on his wing. Could have come in and looked for more ball.

Remi Lamerat – 7/10

A very well taken try for the centre today. He has cemented himself as a key player in this Clermont side. Tackled like a man possessed and accelerated into contact, getting over the gainline time and time again.

Aurelien Rougerie – 8/10

Alas there is no fairy-tale ending for the French legend. His performance today was reminiscent of times of old and it was a pity that his legs couldn’t carry him through for a bit longer as he was the standout player in the Clermont backline. Unlucky not to get in for a try.

David Strettle – 5/10

Extremely quiet all day. Gave away a couple of silly penalties and seemed to be bundled into touch every time he got the ball.

Scott Spedding – 6/10

Another player that had some good and bad moments today. He lost possession a couple of times when under minimal pressure but also put Clermont on the front foot for Abendanon’s try with a scintillating break.

REPLACEMENTS

John Ulugia – (67) N/A
Etienne Falgoux – (53) 6/10

Came in to a battle royal at the scrum and gave a good account of himself.

Aaron Jarvis – (77) N/A
Paul Jedrasiak – (45) 6/10

Replaced one of his side’s standout forwards and emptied the tank in an attempt to seal the victory for his side. Stopped Sarries big ball carriers dead in defence.