Northampton player ratings v Bordeaux: Saints endure ‘tough day’ as Henry Pollock ‘relishes’ role in ‘intense spotlight’
Northampton Saints players talking during the game versus Bordeaux with an inset of Henry Pollock
Following Northampton Saints’ 50-28 defeat to Bordeaux-Begles in the Investec Champions Cup, here is how we scored Phil Dowson’s side.
Northampton Saints player ratings v Bordeaux-Begles
15 George Hendy: Not as impactful as recent performances, but still looked to make things happen in attack. Once again was able to break through tackles and get his side behind the opposition defence, but couldn’t quite have his usual explosion. 6
14 Edoardo Todaro: Could almost copy and paste Hendy’s section here, in full honesty. Managed to make some really nice carries, tallying 66 metres from his 10 carries in the process, but couldn’t get the breakaway he threatened. 6
13 Tommy Freeman: While it was not quite a replica of his barnstormers against Bath and Harlequins, Freeman showcased his skills at 13. Again found himself as his side’s chief strike weapon in attack, notching 72 metres from eight carries as a result, and nabbed himself a try in the process. 7
12 Rory Hutchinson: His yellow card proved fairly costly, with two tries going in while he was off the pitch, but was otherwise fine. Had a few nice flashes on either side of the ball, while posting two turnovers as well. 5
11 Ollie Sleightholme: Was well-managed by the Bordeaux defence for large parts, but became more effective towards the back end of the match. Good to see him post some big minutes after a lengthy spell out. 6
10 Anthony Belleau: Drafted in at the 11th-hour, and while Northampton potentially lacked their usual fluidity, that wasn’t through any fault of his. Made a real dent ball-in-hand, notching 12 carries for 44 metres alongside some nice flashes of creativity. 6
9 Alex Mitchell: Tried to get his side playing at tempo, but wasn’t quite able to have his usual effect on the game. 5
Back-row
8 Henry Pollock: Was always going to be under an intense spotlight, given the fall-out after last year’s final, but that was something he relished. His first try came from an exceptional piece of individual skill, and he bagged a second with a finish any winger would have been proud of. He also showcased his gritty side with some strong efforts in the tight. 7
7 Tom Pearson: A mixed bag from the in-form back-rower. He was confronted by a serious challenge from this Bordeaux back-row and while he posted the second-most tackles out of any Saint (11), he also posted the most missed tackles (5) by his side. 5
6 Callum Chick (c): Quieter than we have come to expect after a run of seriously good form of late, which will annoy him. Cannot fault his effort, though. 5
Tight five
5 JJ van der Mescht: Struggled to bring his usual smash-and-bash to the party, with his Bordeaux counterparts often meeting him in twos and threes. 5
4 Alex Coles: It’s tough to make a dent on a game when your pack is losing the physicality battle, but he tried his best to turn the tide with some strong defence. 6
3 Trevor Davison: Found himself under the cosh in the scrum from the get-go, which is a shame considering the form he has been in of late. Got around the park well enough, though. 5
2 Craig Wright: The set-piece was under real pressure for a lot of his shift, which stole the focus. Stepped up well in defence. 5
1 Danilo Fischetti: A tough day out for the Italian international. Came under fire in the scrum right from the off, eventually being sent to the sin-bin as a result, which later became a permanent replacement. Was much-improved upon his return late in the day, after replacing the injured Emmanuel Iyogun, and got himself on the scoresheet. 4
Replacements: The game was pretty much done and dusted around the 50th-minute, but the bench helped the Saints rectify a lost cause. Sam Graham, Ed Prowse, Elliot Millar Mills, Robbie Smith and Chunya Munga all had a good impact in the tight, backing up the brave efforts of Iyogun following his introduction in the first-half, which in turn helped those remaining starters get a new lease of life. Archie McParland also made himself busy. 6