Premiership stats leaders: Forgotten England star dazzles, while snubbed back-rowers dominate charts
Even with none of the England squad in action, there were plenty of English players who impressed this weekend.
Following the conclusion of Round Six of the Premiership season, we take a closer look at the individual stat leaders and top performers from this weekend and all the games so far.
The action began at Ashton Gate, as Bristol Bears beat Northampton Saints in an entertaining 31-23 victory. Saturday’s blockbuster billing kicked off at Kingsholm where Gloucester thrashed Newcastle Falcons 36-7. Not to be outdone by their bitter rivals, Bath thumped Sale Sharks 40-13 at the Rec, and closing off the action Leicester Tigers ended a six-year wait for a win at the StoneX with a 32-29 victory over Saracens.
Rounding off the weekend, Harlequins compounded Exeter’s misery with an emphatic 36-19 win at Sandy Park, their first Devonian victory since 2014.
As you would expect, there were once again some standout performers across the league, and here is an in-depth look at the players who topped the stats charts in the Premiership this past weekend.
Attacking stats: Points, tries, metres, carries and defenders beaten
Kicking things off, returning Saracens man Tim Swiel topped the points-scoring charts in Round Six with a solid haul of 14 points. The back, who was thrust into the starting line-up during the warm-up following Alex Goode’s injury, scored one try, one penalty and three conversions in the defeat to Leicester Tigers, but he gave a good account of himself all around following his return to the club last week.
There were plenty of tries this weekend, but Bristol Bears centre Kalaveti Ravouvou and Harlequins flanker Will Evans sit top of the pile in that department with two apiece in their respective victories. They beat a whopping 32 players to the top of the chart, with all those players notching one apiece.
Gloucester’s Ollie Thorley marked his return to action with a fine attacking show, and he finished the round top of both the metres and defenders beaten lists. The one-cap England winger notched a solid 141 metres over his shift and beat 11 defenders in the process.
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Rounding off the attacking metrics, Bristol Bears back-rower Fitz Harding continued his great form as he led the charge for carries over the weekend with 24 to his name.
Defensive stats: Tackles and turnovers won
Leading the way in the tackling stats this weekend was Northampton Saints back-rower Henry Pollock, who put in a mighty 22 tackles across the match at Ashton Gate.
Once again, the turnover king was wearing Harlequins quarters, as Jack Kenningham topped the pile with three to his name in their victory over Exeter on Sunday.
Premiership top performers in Round Six
Points: 14 – Tim Swiel (Saracens)
Tries: 2 – Kalaveti Ravouvou (Bristol Bears) and Will Evans (Harlequins)
Carries: 24 – Fitz Harding (Bristol Bears)
Metres: 141 – Ollie Thorley (Gloucester)
Defenders beaten: 11 – Ollie Thorley (Gloucester)
Tackles: 22 -Henry Pollock (Northampton Saints)
Turnovers won: 3 – Jack Kenningham (Harlequins)
Premiership top performers for the season
Points: 57 – AJ MacGinty (Bristol Bears)
Tries: 5 – Max Malins and Gabriel Ibitoye (Bristol Bears), Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (Exeter Chiefs), Max Llewellyn (Gloucester)
Carries: 114 – Tom Willis (Saracens)
Metres: 498 – Gabriel Ibitoye (Bristol Bears)
Defenders beaten: 42 – Tom Willis (Saracens)
Tackles: 90 – Tom Gordon (Newcastle Falcons)
Turnovers won: 11 – Jack Kenningham (Harlequins)
READ MORE: ‘I’ll keep banging on the door’ – England omission hopeful on ‘dream’ debut despite autumn snub
