Northampton Saints player ratings: Talented backline eventually hit their straps to cut Munster apart
Tommy Freeman in action for Northampton Saints v Munster 2024.
Following a 24-14 victory over Munster in their Champions Cup clash at Franklin’s Gardens on Sunday, here are the player ratings for Northampton Saints.
15 James Ramm: A consistent threat at the back and was rewarded for his efforts with a try. Also provided the final pass for George Hendy’s scores in an excellent display. 8
14 Tommy Freeman: A few mistakes here and there but grew into the game, scoring a try and becoming a real threat in the latter stages. 8
13 Fraser Dingwall: Solid without being spectacular. Leads the Saints defence well in that 13 channel, but there were a few missed tackles. 5
Midfield power
12 Burger Odendaal: Provided real ballast in the midfield but he also has the skills, with his off-load sending Ramm over. 8
11 Ollie Sleightholme: Another who really came to the fore in the second period. Showed his pace for Hendy’s first score as a he became a real menace to the Munster rearguard in the final quarter. 8
10 Fin Smith: Struggled to get control on the game at times, but there were some lovely touches in attack which led to momentum-changing tries. 7
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9 Tom James: Kicking was slightly inaccurate on occasion but his delivery was good enough when they had the ball, but Craig Casey managed the game better in the first half. 6
8 Sam Graham: A remarkable effort in defence, making a game-high 19 tackles, but he wasn’t dominant in the carry and that led to turnovers. 6
7 Lewis Ludlam (c): Like Graham, he put in a huge shift on defence, but the visitors ruled the breakdown and consistently stopped him from making an impression. 6
Best of the back-row
6 Courtney Lawes: A ubiquitous presence. Was shocked to see Lawes’ handling let him down on one occasion, but he was faultless after that. Carried superbly, made 10 tackles and at times felt like Northampton’s sole breakdown disruptor. 8
5 Alex Coles: Struggled to get into the game in truth, particularly in the first half, and there was particularly a stupid penalty. 5
4 Alex Moon: Some decent carries but he and Coles lost the lock battle to the excellent Munster duo. 6
Big scrum
3 Trevor Davison: Not truly rewarded for his dominance but he had had Jeremy Loughman under all sorts of pressure. 7
2 Curtis Langdon: A superb display from the hooker, who has enjoyed a fine season for the Saints. Surprisingly taken off before the hour mark but he was brilliant when on the field. 8
1 Emmanuel Iyogun: Another player that has grown in stature in recent weeks. Scrummaged well and was lively in the loose. 7
Replacements: Alex Mitchell was surprisingly erratic initially but soon found his rhythm while the others made significant impacts, with the biggest coming from two-try hero George Hendy. 8