Northampton player ratings v Leinster: ‘Truly special’ Tommy Freeman fires Saints into Champions Cup final

The Aviva Stadium truly was the perfect venue for what was a scintillating game of European rugby today. Northampton Saints came away 34-37 eventual victors over their hosts Leinster in front of an almost packed out crowd. Here’s how we rated the Northampton players.

Northampton player ratings

15 James Ramm: For a man that’s supposed to stand at the back of the field, he does like to get himself involved. He saw plenty of action from the first minute to the last, providing an attacking flair that more than made up for the missing George Furbank. Defensively he had a lot to contend with, but worked well to quash most of the Leinster attack alongside his wing partners. 8

14 Tommy Freeman: With over a try in every two games, it’s easy to see why Freeman has become such a valued winger for both club and country. A hat-trick today against the great Leinster – something truly special about this boy. Andy Farrell may well look his way on Wednesday. 10

13 Fraser Dingwall: Worked hard in defence against a Leinster side that often threatened to break the line, But alongside centre partner Rory Hutchinson, the two defused most of the attacks through the middle. 7

12 Rory Hutchinson: Tackled hard and topped the charts for turnovers won for his side. He led the Northampton defensive effort with an unmatched intensity. 7.5

11 Tom Litchfield: Difficult to rate such a quiet performance. But maybe that’s just it, perhaps he should have forced his way into the game? It’s a difficult one. He did his job when asked, no issues. 6

10 Fin Smith: The rising star in English rugby displayed yet another complete fly-half performance. He controlled the game throughout as he created plenty of space for the fast men outside. He kicked when he needed to kick. He passed when he needed to pass. He ran when he needed to run. This was a truly mature performance. 9

9 Alex Mitchell: The England first choice nine will be hoping to make the cut on Thursday when Farrell announces his 2025 British and Irish Lions squad. This game, while not one of the best he’s ever played, will have done nothing to have hurt his chances. Guilty of losing a couple of turnovers, the rest of his performance was classy as he efficiently played heads up rugby against one of the most organised clubs in world rugby. 7.5

Leinster v Northampton: 5 takeaways as Saints reach Champions Cup final

The forwards

8 Juarno Augustus: In last year’s semi-final match between these two mammoth sides, Augustus cut a brutally imposing figure. This year was no different. His silhouette appeared even bigger, in fact, causing plenty of errors within the Leinster attack. 8.5

7 Henry Pollock: The future international star and possible Lions bolter had another storming game today. Dominating the mighty Leinster in all aspects, scoring a try and topping the tackle count, the stage was made for this wonderkid. 9

6 Josh Kemeny: Not one of the busier players with ball in hand, but Kemeny still held his own in the breakdown where he would proved to be a menace all afternoon long. 7.5

5 Alex Coles: Guilty of conceding a couple of turnovers and a received a yellow card at the death, but defensively he was as solid as ever, hitting double figures in his overall tackle count. 7

4 Temo Mayanavanua: He went about and did his business. Gave away an unneeded penalty, but will nevertheless be satisfied with his performance. 6

3 Trevor Davison: A couple of huge hits in the first half signalled a big game for the former Falcon, but sadly his impact dwindled as time went on. The aging prop was replaced early into the second half. 6

2 Curtis Langdon: Besides a couple of lineout mishaps and a yellow card for Northampton’s persistent fouling, the 27-year-old cut a very solid figure out on the Aviva Stadium turf, proving to be a defensive menace with 14 tackles. 7.5

1 Emmanuel Iyogun: The young England hopeful has found his feet in the elite level game over the past couple of years, and today’s performance shows just how far he’s come. Putting his body on the line, he tackled everything that moved and helped to secure a solid Northampton scrum. His youth came in handy as he remained on the field until the end. 7

Replacements: Northampton were well in control before the replacements entered the field, and it almost felt that because the intensity was so high, the fresh blood couldn’t keep up. Despite this, they held on to the win. 6

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