Northampton player ratings v Leicester: England regular’s ‘derby to forget’ and sub’s ‘fake hard nonsense’ called out by ref warning over ‘expletives’
Northampton and Leicester players have a row during Saturday's PREM match and, inset, Henry Pollock
Following a 41-17 hammering to Leicester in the Gallagher PREM at Mattioli Woods Welford Road on Saturday, here are the player ratings for the chastened Northampton Saints.
Won’t want to see the replay
15 George Furbank (c): Thought we were losing him after less than 25 seconds due to the painful tackle clatter received from Freddie Steward, but he recovered to give the 21st-minute assist for the Tommy Freeman try. Won’t want to see the replay of falling off the try-scoring Ollie Hassell-Collins five minutes later, and didn’t properly mind the house either for the early second-half Adam Radwan try. However, red-carded head contact from Izaia Perese saved him from a late try concession where he coughed up the ball, but it left him requiring a HIA. 5
14 Tommy Freeman: Showed his defensive experience when correctly judging how the ball would bounce after Hassell-Collins threateningly kicked in behind on 18 minutes and was rewarded three minutes later, finishing off a sweeping move for his 14th PREM try this season and the 51st of his career. It was downhill from there, though, for his team and Freeman was subbed with nine minutes left only to come back after Furbank’s exit to add another consolation try. 6
13 Rory Hutchinson: Midfield was a regular source of strength in getting Northampton to the top of the PREM, but it didn’t function on Saturday as the pressure applied by a thoughtful Leicester approach was too great. It was Hutchinson’s offside penalty that fuelled the period of pressure that culminated in a seventh-minute Leicester try and a card for one of the Saints’ forwards. 5
Too many missed tackles
12 Fraser Dingwall: Normally a player whose channel isn’t a weakness, but the Tigers targeted him and they enjoyed the progress they made against him. Dingwall suffered too many missed tackles and rarely featured in possession to make an impact in a crisis. 4
11 George Hendy: Showcased his threat with the ball when popping up in midfield to fracture the Leicester defence and ignite his team’s opening try move, and he then provided a 71st-minute consolation. However, this was an afternoon when Saints’ defence disappeared, and he wasn’t blameless. For example, he was left clutching at air when Steward began the leg pump for his 69th-minute score. 5
10 Fin Smith: Opened with the firecracker kick in behind that had Furbank galloping into Tigers territory, and the finger of blame for this horrible result can’t be pointed his way. Retained his enthusiasm for attack despite the match becoming an early lost cause and was a bulwark in defence with the large number of tackles he tried to make. 6
9 Alex Mitchell: Definitely not his finest East Midlands derby, as England back-up Jack van Poortvliet was by far the more effective scrum-half, making it an outing to forget for Mitchell. This let-down was encapsulated by the Saints player making two dreadful kicks out on the full on 24 and 38 minutes compared to JVP putting in that sweet kick that set up the 47th minute Radwan score. Trudged to the touchlines not long after. 4
Temporary absence
8 Callum Chick: Was binned for the last of the early offsides in the lead-up to the opening Leicester try from George Martin. His temporary absence didn’t prove costly, but Saints struggled when restored to 15 players and it wasn’t a good look for their pack when he was penalised for a no release on 29 minutes when winger Radwan executed a poach. 5
7 Sam Graham: Was his team’s defensive leader, topping the tackle count before his exit, but that defiance wasn’t rewarded as he was sacrificed on 51 minutes so that Henry Pollock could be introduced. What an initially poor decision that was, given that the sub was more interested in acting the clown instead of playing rugby for some time before giving Hendy the assist for his consolation nine minutes from time. 5
6 Josh Kemeny: Was the right man in the right place when producing a super try-saving tackle in the opening minutes, but his luck was out in the aftermath of another cover tackle nine minutes into the second half. The aftermath resulted in a yellow card that left him frustrated. 5
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5 JJ van der Mescht: Saints produced some patterns to try and work the bosh merchant into the match, but the tactic was in vain as he didn’t make a dent on the revved-up Tigers pack. Exhaled a huge sigh of relief that a try-conceding intercept thrown to Hanro Liebenberg on 29 minutes was called back. Couldn’t hack the pace of the derby, though, and was hooked with the arrears at 29-5 on 50 minutes. 3
20 Chunya Munga: Promoted from the bench in the warm-up to start in place of Tom Lockett, Saints’ malfunctioning set-piece didn’t help his performance, but he does deserve a pat on the back for sticking to his tackles and finishing as his team’s busiest player in that chart. 5
3 Luke Green: Played 57 minutes and while he was in double digits in terms of his tackle count, that can’t be a solace on an afternoon where Tigers bossed both areas of the set-piece. 4
2 Robbie Smith: Another who was all bark and zero bite – and was whipped off at half time. Sparked the unnecessary third-minute dust-up with Nicky Smith that led to a warning, and the accuracy of the lineout he threw into was poor. The costliest miss came five minutes before the break five metres from the Leicester line. 3
1 Emmanuel Iyogun: Began by winning a free at the first scrum on 17 minutes, but his set-piece penalty concession gave Leicester their territory for their third try 14 minutes later. Healthy tackle count, but skill execution let him down. There was a late first-half handling error with the line approaching, and then a holding on error that cost penalty points early in the second half before he was subbed on 57 minutes. 4
Replacements: The bench impact was negligible when it mattered. Hooker Craig Wright, who didn’t fix the lineout, was carded 10 minutes after his introduction for a bust-up with Joe Heyes. Ed Prowse’s first act was being in a maul that went backwards as Leicester scored again, and as for Pollock, the fake hard nonsense that opposition players and fans detest about him was quickly seen here. With Wright in the bin, he twice brutally tried to be the emergency hooker, a task he miserably failed, and the second gaffe was followed by a schemozzle with some Tigers that had the referee warning him about the use of “expletives”. 3