La Rochelle player ratings: ‘Immense’ Will Skelton ‘eventually overwhelms’ Stormers as big men rescue the champions
Will Skelton in action for La Rochelle in the Champions Cup.
Following a tense 22-21 victory over the Stormers in their Champions Cup clash at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday, here are the player ratings for La Rochelle.
La Rochelle player ratings v Stormers
15 Brice Dulin: Solid under the high ball and had a couple of decent breaks, but was shackled otherwise. 6
14 Jack Nowell: Came in late for Teddy Thomas and was impressive. Consistently made ground and looked for work as the Stormers struggled to contain him. 7
Handling errors
13 Ulupano Seuteni: A mixed day for the Samoan centre, who was one of La Rochelle’s most potent attacking players at times, but it was interspersed with some dreadful errors and needless off-loads. 6
12 Jonathan Danty: Not in the form that saw him become one of the world’s best centres. Some good work at the breakdown but there was a lack of potency in the carry. 6
Springbok Manie Libbok hooks late match-winner as La Rochelle down injury-ravaged Stormers
11 Dillyn Leyds: His best work was done without the ball, winning a crucial turnover before outpacing Suleiman Hartzenberg when the Stormers threatened with a kick through. Was sin-binned late on but simply had to make the turnover attempt with the hosts inches from the line. 6
10 Antoine Hastoy: A bit too hectic at times. Was third choice France fly-half heading into the World Cup and then featured at the global tournament following Romain Ntamack’s injury, but he doesn’t have the class of either him or Matthieu Jalibert. Needs to do more if he is to get back in the Test mix. 5
Key eight-nine partnership
9 Tawera Kerr-Barlow: Classy performance from the scrum-half, who marshalled his forward pack superbly after the break. Took the right options and pinned the South African side back. 8
8 Grégory Alldritt (c): As ever, the France captain was impressive. He worked tirelessly in the first half and grew in influence as the game went on. 8
7 Levani Botia: Was typically predatory at the breakdown, wreaking havoc on the Stormers’ ball. A few too many missed tackles, but his efforts kept them in the contest. 8
6 Judicaël Cancoriet: Struggled during his time on the field and was replaced early in the second period. 5
Big performance from a big man
5 Will Skelton: His yellow card was cynical but after that the gargantuan lock was immense. His sheer power eventually overwhelmed the Stormers. 8
4 Ultan Dillane: Another player to get better as the match went on before he was replaced with just over 10 minutes remaining. 6
3 Uini Atonio: Was on top in the scrum without being truly rewarded until the second half when it became a real weapon for La Rochelle. 7
2 Tolu Latu: Not the impact Ronan O’Gara would have liked and, like Cancoriet, he was removed after 51 minutes. 5
1 Louis Penverne: Excellent from the youngster, who was good in the set-piece and also carried well in the loose. Looks a real talent. 7
Replacements: Helped change the game to keep Champions Cup hopes alive. Quentin Lespiaucq and Paul Boudehent added more power to an already beefy pack, while Yoan Tanga and Joel Sclavi also made an impact. 8
