Gloucester were truly on form as they demolished London Irish 47-7 at Kingsholm but who were the stand-out individuals amongst the teams? Robert Rees gives the Gloucester V London Irish player ratings.
Read how the match went with Last Word on Rugby’s report here.
Gloucester
Forwards
1.Val Rapava Ruskin – 8 – Got his first try for Gloucester, carried well and was part of a dominant scrum and set piece.
2. Richard Hibbard – 7 – Was an instrumental part of a solid scrum and carried well, started slow in the lineouts. However he tried a few too many offloads that resulted in the play breaking down.
3. John Afoa – 7 – Carried very well, including in the build up to several tries. Helped the scrum to become dominant.
4. Ed Slater – 7 – A good weapon in the set piece, was utilised at the breakdown throughout the game.
5. Jeremy Thrush – 8 – Dangerous from set play, solid day at the breakdown and set play. Carried well, and this ultimately got him his try.
6. Jake Polledri – 9 – The fans’ MOTM, really worked hard in the loose, making himself a nuisance to London Irish during their attacks and carried superbly, grabbing a try with a lovely break.
Congratulations to today's @Stowford_Press #GlosMOTM @JakePolledri pic.twitter.com/yKONj5VrxD
— Gloucester Rugby (@gloucesterrugby) November 11, 2017
7. Jacob Rowan – 6 – Had a solid day at the breakdown, tackled well and slowed Irish ball down at ruck time.
8. Lewis Ludlow – 6 – Carried well from the back of the scrum, used well in midfield and was hard at the breakdown.
Backs
9. Willi Heinz – 8 – Quick thinking meant he often started off try-scoring moves. He scored a try with a quick tap penalty, but his game slowed following his yellow card for a deliberate knock-on.
10. Billy Burns – 7 – Got the backs moving well throughout his time on the pitch, converted from the tee well.
11. Ollie Thorley – 7 – Solid game on the wing, gaining yards and solid under high ball.
12. Billy Twelvetrees – 7 – Utilised very well in midfield, carrying well. Took over kicking duties and looked good in that department too.
13. Henry Trinder – 8 – Another excellent performance from the outside centre, carrying well and helping the flow of the Gloucester attack brilliantly. Held solid in defence, and even scored a try.
14. Henry Purdy – 6 – Was solid under high ball and carried well, but went off with a niggle ending a game that showed promise for him.
15. Tom Hudson – 8 – Counter-attacked with force, adding a good defensive option, but also joined in the attacking phases. Scored a try to end the half.
Bench :- Hanson 8, Hohneck 6, Denman 6, Savage 6, Safe 5, Braley 8, Evans 7, Symons 6.
London Irish
Forwards
- Tom Smallbone – 6 – Struggled in the scrum against an experienced Gloucester front row, but had a solid day in the loose.
2. Tom Woolstencroft – 7 – Scored London Irish’s only try, was a figurehead in the loose, but had a bad day in the set piece.
3. Ollie Hoskins – 6 – Bad day in the scrums, but defended well throughout.
4. Will Lloyd – 5 – Not given a great platform at the line-out, carried a few times with an unforced error to his name.
5. Jack Cooke – 6 – Solid enough at the set play and around the park.
6. Josh Basham – 6 – Excellent defensive game from Basham, who saw little of the ball going forward.
7. Max Northcote-Green – 6 – Alongside his fellow back row teammates he displayed an incredible defensive display throughout the game.
8. Jake Schatz – 7 – Carried well going forward and defended stoutly when being attacked.
Backs
9. Rory Brand – 6 – Struggled to get any decent amount of possession to utilise, but he helped to create several plays going forward despite of heavy Gloucester pressure.
10. Theo Brophy-Clews – 6 – Had little ball to deliver with, but when he did get to create something his delivery was rather flat.
11. Ben Loader – 5 – Had a quiet afternoon on the wing, but when defending he looked fragile.
12. Luke McLean – 6 – Never ran for many yards, and let a lot up the middle later on.
13. Fergus Mulchrone – 6 – Good leadership shown throughout despite his side being on the end of a drubbing, but he kept composure and helped his side out with some hard yards.
14. Ben Ransom – 6 – Lacked any defensive shape, but was solid under high ball and tried to counter attack from deep in own half.
15. Greig Tonks – 7 – One of the brighter sparks amongst the backs, looked to attack from deep, delivered under high ball and was pretty solid in defence.
Bench :- Gleave 6, Elrington 6, Chawatama 5, Cowan 6, Donnell 6, Meehan 6, Atkins 6, Williams 5.
Team Ratings
Gloucester – 8.5/10
Really looked dangerous in attack, solid in defence. Deserved the points they scored and really looked to score points. Attacking from their own 5 metre line once the win was in the bag.
Seen this yet?
7 tried yesterday, and think we saved the best ‘til last! pic.twitter.com/Wqkb4BFnIo
— Gloucester Rugby (@gloucesterrugby) November 12, 2017
London Irish – 6/10
Line speed was immaculate, a few missed tackles in the middle and late on cost them a lot of points. Scrum was under serious pressure throughout, but their defence at times prevented it from being a much higher score.
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