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Northampton Saints player ratings vs Castres | 2025 Investec Champions Cup
By Ian Cameron
Northampton Saints player ratings: Phil Dowson’s side booked a Champions Cup semi-final with Leinster after seeing off an ill-disciplined and quarrelsome Castres at Franklin’s Gardens on an impressive 51-16 scoreline.
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Saints marched into the semi-finals with no little swagger, eventually outgunning a French side intent on doling out cheap shots.
Here’s how the men from Franklin’s Gardens rated.
1. Emmanuel Iyogun – 7
A solid outing from Manny, who got through a ton of grunt work. Played a key part in the phase play for Furbank’s try and showed tidy hands.
2. Curtis Langdon – 8
Brilliant awareness to control Furbank’s grubber and bag a five-pointer. Continues to impress in the tight and loose – a 107kg terrier with a nose for the line.
3. Trevor Davison – 7
Anchored the scrum with minimal fuss and offered a few decent interventions in open play. No frills, just effective.
4. Temo Mayanavanua – 6.5
Yellow carded for his role in a scuffle. Did some good things around the park, but discipline let him down a little.
5. Alex Coles – 8
Rewarded for his hustle with a well-deserved opportunistic try at a lineout. Put in a big shift defensively and looked hungry all game.
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6. Josh Kemeny – 8
The standout carrier among the forwards. Bustled through tackles, made ground every time he touched the ball and looked unlucky not to grab a try of his own.
7. Henry Pollock – 8.5
Two well-taken tries and a constant presence around the ball. His support play is already top class, and he showed real intent throughout. Did give away three penalties, which slightly blotted the copybook, but his influence on the game was undeniable. Targeted with a nasty clearout from Rémy Baget, which earned Castres yet another yellow.
8. Juarno Augustus – 6
A little quieter than usual from the big Bok No.8. Got stuck in during the forward exchanges but couldn’t quite impose himself in the loose as he so often does.
9. Alex Mitchell – 7.5
Uncharacteristically sloppy at times but made up for it with sheer flair. His pair of assists for Pollock were superb, especially the second which was full of dummies, bamboozle and wizardry. Also came up with a huge defensive turnover when Saints needed it.
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10. Fin Smith – 7
Didn’t set the game alight but kept things ticking. Nailed his kicks (mostly) and steered the Saints ship through some choppy Castres waters.
11. George Hendy – N/A
Sadly lasted just four minutes before a monster hit from Vilimoni Botitu ended his afternoon. Hopefully nothing serious.
12. Fraser Dingwall – 6.5
A few tidy carries and a calm presence in midfield. Not flashy but kept the ball moving in the right direction.
13. Burger Odendaal – 7
Put in some meaty hits and offered a solid threat with ball in hand. An underrated cog in Saints’ backline machine.
14. Tommy Freeman – 8
Took his try with real class after linking beautifully with Furbank. Looked dangerous every time he got a sniff. Clearly enjoying his rugby right now.
15. James Ramm – 7.5
Impressive. Had a couple of key breakdown steals, including one in his own 22, and made sure Castres never got comfortable out wide.
REPLACEMENTS
16. Henry Walker – 7
Kept the lineout ticking and added good energy off the bench.
17. Tom West – 7
Another solid contribution. Scrummed well and brought some bite.
18. Elliot Millar Mills – 7
The Scot was a steady presence in the closing stages.
19. Tom Lockett – N/A
Came on and kept things tidy. Did the basics well but on long enough to rate.
20. Tom Pearson – 7
Finished off a flowing team move with a try that summed up Saints’ ambition. Brought real impact off the bench with his carrying and energy, and showed a lovely turn of pace to be on hand for the finish.
21. Tom James – N/A
Not on long enough to rate.
22. Rory Hutchinson – 7
Slotted in seamlessly and helped maintain backline cohesion.
23. George Furbank – 8
What a comeback. Bagged a try with a powerful finish, stopped a certain Castres score with a try-saving tackle on Papali’i and added class to the backfield. Conceded a couple of penalties but that’s nit-picking. Sadly left the field injured on 55 minutes.
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