Pro14 Stats Leaders: Most metres gained, turnovers & more

 Round 1 of the new Pro14 season kicked off this past weekend with some good displays from players who have had precious little time to rest after the conclusion of the 2019-20 instalment. The Irish teams fared particularly well, posting wins across the board.

We take a look at the top performers from the round.

Tackles

1. Sean Reidy (Ulster) – 25

2. Ross Moriarty (Dragons) & Josh Van Der Flier (Leinster) – 22

3. Shane Lewis-Hughes (Cardiff Blues) – 21  

Reidy was on fiery defensive form in Ulster’s 35-24 victory over Benetton, the flanker pulling off an astonishing 25 hits against the Italians.

Carries

1. Sebastian Negri (Benetton) – 18

2. Braam Steyn (Benetton) & Marcell Coetzee (Ulster) – 16

3. Johan Meyer, Mattia Bellini (Zebre) & Marco Zanon (Benetton) – 15

The robust Benetton flanker Negri made a significant contribution on attack for Benetton against Ulster.

Metres gained

1. Huw Jones (Glasgow Warriors) – 120

2. Darcy Graham (Edinburgh) – 96

3. Monty Ioane (Benetton) – 91

Jones keeps improving, averaging nearly 11m metres per carry on the weekend.

Defenders beaten

1. Darcy Graham (Edinburgh) – 8

2. Paolo Garbisi (Benetton), Ashton Hewitt (Dragons) – 6

3. Blade Thomson (Scarlets), Iliesa Ratuva (Benetton), Garry Ringrose (Leinster) – 5

The fleet-footed Edinburgh outside back did not disappoint, exhibiting a fine display of attacking form, passing 8 would-be defenders.    

Turnovers won

1. Seb Davies (Cardiff Blues) – 4

The hard-working Blues forward did great work on the ground for his side during their 16-6 victory over Zebre, a real thorn in the side of the Italians.

Clean breaks

1. John Cooney (Ulster) – 4

The Ulster scrumhalf showed a clean pair of heels of Friday and was instrumental in his team’s victory Benetton.