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Champions Cup: 22 standout players from the Round of 16
By Ian Cameron
The Heineken Champions Cup Round of 16 featured some impressive individual performances, with several players standing out in key statistical categories.
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Curwin Bosch of the Cell C Sharks was the top scorer in the round, amassing 20 points. Meanwhile, Exeter Chiefs’ Sam Simmonds made an incredible 20 carries, while Tom Wyatt of the same team racked up 126 metres – the most of any player in the round. Three players – Thomas Darmon of Montpellier Hérault Rugby, Calvin Nash of Munster Rugby, and Cadan Murley of Harlequins – each beat eight defenders.
Curtis Langdon of Montpellier Hérault Rugby made an astonishing 32 tackles – the most of any player in the round – and missed only one. Nick Tompkins of Saracens, RG Snyman of Munster Rugby, and Paolo Garbisi of Montpellier Hérault Rugby each made four offloads.
Other players made their mark in different ways. Loosehead props Nicky Smith of Ospreys and Mako Vunipola of Saracens both made two clean breaks each, while Dan Sheehan of Leinster had a perfect record of 14 successful lineout throws. Antoine Dupont of Stade Toulousain made three try assists – two passes and one kick – and has now made six in total, the most of any player in the tournament.
Finally, Sam Simmonds of Exeter Chiefs made the most carries of any player in the round, with a total of 20. This resulted in an impressive 91 metres gained, as well as two clean breaks.
Meanwhile in the Challenge Cup, Johnny Matthews of Glasgow Warriors was the top scorer in the round, racking up an incredible 25 points and scoring all five of his team’s tries in their match against Zebre. Matthews became only the ninth player in Challenge Cup history to score five or more tries in a single match.
Sebastian Negri of Benetton Rugby made 18 carries – the most of any player in the round – and Tom Rogers of Scarlets racked up 118 metres – the most of any player in that category. Rory Darge of Glasgow Warriors beat seven defenders – more than any other player – and also made 21 tackles and won two turnovers.
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Jacob Umaga of Benetton Rugby was responsible for a round-high three try assists, while Mack Hansen of Connacht Rugby made six offloads. Rhys Priestland of Cardiff Rugby produced more kicking metres than any other back in the round, with 519.
Finally, Rodrigo Bruni of CA Brive was the only player to win three turnovers in the round.
