Sexton chief points-scorer after haul in final defeat

Sexton chief points-scorer after haul in final defeat

Johnny Sexton finished this season’s Heineken Champions Cup as the leading points-scorer as he racked up 18 of Leinster Rugby’s 21 points in their final defeat to Stade Rochelais. Below, we take a look at all stats leaders for the 2021/22 season.

Points – Johnny Sexton (Leinster Rugby), 83

The fly-half’s six penalties in Leinster’s 24-21 Heineken Champions Cup final defeat to La Rochelle meant he finished as the tournament’s leading points-scorer. Sexton’s tally of 22 conversions and 13 penalties put him seven points ahead of La Rochelle counterpart Ihaia West, whose haul featured three tries, 12 conversions and 14 penalties.

Tries – James Lowe (Leinster Rugby), 10

Leinster wing James Lowe topped this category by three tries, having crossed 10 times during a prolific season. That he was restricted to very few chances in the final indicates the strength of La Rochelle’s defence. Exeter Chiefs’ Sam Simmonds and Harlequins’ Alex Dombrandt finished joint second on seven tries.


Carries – Grégory Aldritt (Stade Rochelais), 135

La Rochelle No.8 Grégory Aldritt absolutely dominated this category, with his 22 carries in the final taking him to a total of 135, amounting to one carry every 4.5 minutes. To underline how impressive Aldritt’s total was, his nearest challenger, Leinster’s Caelan Doris, managed 80.




     
     

Metres – Michael Lowry (Ulster Rugby), 770

Ulster may not have made it beyond the Round of 16, but their Irish international full-back still topped the charts for metres gained with 770. Leinster’s Hugo Keenan (760) and La Rochelle’s Grégory Aldritt (759) finished just behind, but both played two more matches.

Line breaks – James Lowe (Leinster Rugby), 12

Despite having a quiet final, Lowe topped this category with 12 clean breaks, but he was pushed close by his Leinster teammate Jimmy O’Brien who made 11. Ulster’s Michael Lowry and ASM Clermont Auvergne’s Alivereti Raka were joint third with nine.

Defenders beaten – Grégory Aldritt (Stade Rochelais) and Michael Lowry (Ulster Rugby), 29

Although possessing very different strengths and stature, this category was shared by Lowry and Aldritt with 29. Stade Toulousain scrum-half Antoine Dupont (27) was just behind in third.

Offloads – Thomas Ramos (Stade Toulousain), 19

Toulouse full-back Thomas Ramos was the Heineken Champions Cup’s offload king, with 19 to his name. Ramos’ French international teammate Aldritt was second on 15, with Finn Russell (Racing 92) and Cheikh Tiberghien (Clermont) joint third on 11.

   
   

Tackles – Josh van der Flier (Leinster Rugby), 119

Leinster’s fourth table-topping effort came from flanker Josh van der Flier, who led the way with 119 tackles, including 25 in the final. This was a strong category for Leinster generally as Ross Molony (104) and Caelan Doris (87) completed the top three.

Lineouts – Lood de Jager (Sale Sharks), 41

English clubs had little to cheer about in the Heineken Champions Cup this season, but they did at least top the stats for lineouts won with Sale’s Lood de Jager. The giant South African lock claimed 41 lineouts, including three steals to finish ahead of Munster Rugby’s Peter O’Mahony (40) and Leinster’s Ross Molony (36).

Turnovers – Peter O’Mahony (Munster Rugby), 18

O’Mahony went one better in the turnover stats, with the Munster flanker notching up an impressive tally of 18. This was double his nearest rivals, La Rochelle’s Grégory Aldritt (9) and Harlequins’ Alex Dombrandt (8).

                   
                   
                   

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