Author of a first-rate performance in Bath at the opening of the Champions Cup (20-24), Stade Rochelais was able to count on an omnipresent captain and a generally inspired hinge.
The tops
- Grégory Alldritt : 8.5/10
The number 8 had claimed to feel better in the pre-match. Still, actions had to follow his words: in Bath, the captain clearly lived up to his promises and his status. From the outset, he appeared in a great evening, both energetic and impactful: he made tackles everywhere – 17, the best total of the match – and found progress in tight spaces thanks to with a newfound explosiveness – to accumulate around fifty meters with ball in hand. Active in the ground game, he courageously scratched two balls synonymous with as many penalties for Ihaia West. All without making any mistakes. His performance bodes well for a great rise in power.
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Thanks to a dream first period, Stade Rochelais began its Champions Cup campaign with a victory on the lawn of Bath, Premiership leader.
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His presence in the starting XV had been the main surprise of the composition. A strong choice in any case on the part of the staff: the New Zealander proved his coaches right by achieving what was expected of him in a torrential context. His footwork was close to perfection in the first period, he scored a 4/5 against the poles and was rather fair in his strategic orientations, even if his second period was more neutral. The Maori scored valuable points for the rest of his season.
- Kerr-Barlow distance : 7/10
The All Black delivered a boss match, weighing considerably on the debates. Nothing very surprising when we know his ability to raise his level in major events. His kicking games constantly put the English under pressure and his ability to find progress upwind, by carrying the ball or playing his “big guys”, was just as decisive. To top it off, he scored his twelfth try in the competition with a small start for which he has the secret behind a touch. To his discredit, he failed to control the ball in goal on a follow-up kick, which allowed Bath to come back within range. Without much consequence in the end. Regardless, the New Zealander proved, as he wanted, that “Age is just a number when you feel healthy”.
Le flop
If Stade Rochelais showed its power up front, it was paradoxically mishandled in the scrum. Uini Atonio notably had a hard time facing Springbok Thomas Du Toit with two penalties whistled against him in the first period: a first, questionable to say the least, and a second, logical, for having lost his support. In everyday play and obscure tasks, his contribution was too superficial.
Notes from La Rochelle
15. Brice Dulin: 5.5/10
14. Jack Nowell : 6,5/10
13. UJ Seuteni: 5.5/10
12. Jonathan Danty: 6/10
11. Dillyn Leyds : 5/10
10. Where West : 7/10
9. Kerr-Barlow distance : 7/10
8. Grégory Alldritt : 8.5/10
7. Matthias Haddad-Victor : 6,5/10
6. Oscar Jegou : 5,5/10
5. Will Skelton : 5,5/10
4. Thomas Lavault : 6,5/10
3. Anthony Wins : 4/10
2. Third Day : 6/10
1. Reda Wardi: 6.5/10
