Players of the day - Aviva Premiership
- 1084
Micky Young
The Newcastle halfback gave a MOTM performance as his team edged a tight game over Gloucester. The number 9 was dangerous all evening as he sniped from the base for 57m from 2 clean breaks. He beat 3 defenders and contributed with a try of his own and a try assist to lead his team to the win. He didn’t shirk his responsibilities in defence either as he made 5 tackles and missed none.
Joel Hodgson
Young’s halfback partner was a menace to Gloucester all day as well as he kicked in behind intelligently and kept the scoreboard ticking over from the tee. He scored 11 points through the boot and ran the game expertly to claim another win for the Falcons. Defensively he was also solid, making 12 tackles, a massive amount for a stand-off. He also managed to get a couple of turnovers for his side. Not the typical performance from a ten but an effective one nonetheless.
Denny Solomona
Denny Solomona becomes the 1st player in @premrugby history to score two separate first-half hat tricks. There have now been only 17 hat tricks before the half-time break since Tom Beim was the first to do, also for @SaleSharksRugby in 1997.
— Stuart Farmer (@Stu_Farmer) March 3, 2018
The cross-code convert is definitely in line for a recall from Eddie Jones after another fantastic performance today. He got over for a hat-trick of 5 pointers, again showing just what a keen-eye, he has for the whitewash. He has now managed 10 tries this season and sits on top of the try-scoring table. Defences just don’t seem to be able to contain him this season after he has become more-adept at the 15 man code.
Faf de Klerk
Sale Sharks have definitely snatched a gem from overseas in their talismanic Springbok scrum-half. He contributed 14 points to his side’s 34 from the tee, with two penalties and 4 conversions. He also assisted Denny Solomona for a fantastic try and beat 2 defenders himself for a total gain of 22m. If Sale can get into the playoffs this season the number 9 could be in line for the player of the season award due to his consistent performance.
