Northampton Saints player ratings: Henry Pollock ‘irrepressible’ but outscored by fellow England star in ‘best team performance of the season’
Henry Pollock and Tommy Freeman in action for Northampton Saints.
Following a stunning 41-21 Bath in the Gallagher PREM clash at the Rec on Saturday, here are the player ratings for Northampton Saints.
Backs
15 George Hendy: Part of an electric back three that constantly challenged the Bath defence. Hendy has enjoyed an outstanding season, and he continued that fine form at the Rec. 8
14 Edoardo Todaro: This has already been a breakthrough campaign for Todaro. When he has played, the Italian has been incredible and the speedster was once again superb on Saturday. 9
13 Tommy Freeman: Many believe centre should be the England star’s long-term position and, on this evidence, you cannot disagree. His lines of running were incredible, and he deservedly got a hat-trick. One of the outstanding individuals in the best team performance of the season so far. 9
12 Rory Hutchinson: Perhaps won’t get the plaudits of his backline team-mates but, in many ways, Hutchinson was the glue, linking play superbly in the midfield. 7
11 James Ramm: Not quite as prominent as his back three colleagues but Ramm’s quick feet and strength in contact always asked questions of the Bath defence. 7
10 Anthony Belleau: Another player who always does a fine job when given an opportunity. With his ability to navigate the chaos, due to his time in France, and you combine that with Northampton’s attacking structure, then you have a mightily effective stand-in fly-half. 8
9 Archie McParland: Alex Mitchell, like his England colleague Fin Smith, was rested but it did not matter as youngster McParland stepped up superbly. A star at U20 level, he has always been highly regarded, but this was his breakthrough performance. 9
Forwards
8 Henry Pollock: Absolutely irrepressible once again. Touched down twice and was a presence in both defence and attack. Bath fans are no doubt the latest to be wound up by his antics, but he backs it up with his performances on the field. 8
7 Sam Graham: Exceptional at close quarters and also physical in the carry, as he did the hard yards for Northampton. Graham is a hugely underrated player, but he never lets his team down. 8
6 Callum Chick (c): Like Graham, Chick simply went about his business. The back-rower’s ability in the tight exchanges enabled Pollock and the backline to do the flashy stuff. 8
5 Chunya Munga: There was a big onus on Munya to get the set-piece right, and he nailed it. It was 80 minutes of pure graft from the lock, who was influential at the lineout. 8
4 Ed Prowse: Got an early yellow card for a poor tackle but came back on the field to make up for that indiscretion by putting himself about in the loose. 6
3 Trevor Davison: Had his issues in the scrum at times, with Obano putting pressure on him. However, the tighthead did limit the damage, and that enabled the Saints to get a good enough platform. 6
2 Robbie Smith: Busy around the field and generally accurate in the set-piece, it was a good day for the hooker. 7
1 Emmanuel Iyogun: An immense shift from the loosehead, who went almost the whole 80 minutes and never seemed to tire. Had pressure from Thomas du Toit but ultimately outlasted the Springboks prop. 8
Replacements: Given some of the inexperience on the bench, much of the responsibility rested with the starters. That said, Henry Walker was excellent at hooker, and Elliot Millar-Mills provided a solid platform after coming on at tighthead. 6
READ MORE: Bath v Northampton Saints: Result, match details, stats, line-ups