Charlie Hynes casts his eye over the Gloucester performances in the 31-7 win at Northampton

15. Kyle Moyle - 8

THE blustery conditions offered quite the challenge at the back as the Cornishman was made to judge the everchanging flight of the ball. He dictated his aerial challenges well and threatened with the ball in hand as he made 59 metres and beat two defenders.

14. Louis Rees-zammit - 9

IT will be a week that the young Welshman will not forget for a long while as he added a brace to his Premiership try tally. The first scored featured his trademark blistering pace to get around the outside of George Furbank to score in the corner. He followed it up with an opportunistic piece of play as the future Lion pounced on a Piers Francis mistake to secure the bonus point for his side. The pure pace of the winger made him a constant threat to Saints when he got his hands on the ball and he will look to be terrorising defences in the rounds to come as he stakes his claim for a starting Lions jersey to the onlooking Warren Gatland.

13. Giorgi Kveseladze - 7

IT was a first start for the Georgian since his move to Kingsholm and he provided a similar stability that we have seen from Chris Harris defensively in this Gloucester side. Kveseladze made some bruising hits on the Saints attackers including a brilliant try-saving tackle on Tommy Freeman as well as an important hit on Taqele Naiyaravoro as he went on the charge before halftime.

12. Mark Atkinson - 8

ATKINSON once again showed how key he is to Gloucester’s attacking set up. He attracted defenders to bring players like Rees-zammit into the game and showed subtle handling. His highlight came in the build-up to the first try as he gave a beautiful no-look pass inside to Carreras to expose the drifting defence of Northampton.

11. Santiago Carreras - 8

THE Argentine was always looking to get involved and made the key break in the opening try as he ran a brilliant line to set up Rees-zammit out wide. He is a consistent performer no matter where he features in the back three and gave another strong performance with ball in hand. The only negative was when his emotion got the better of him in the brawl following the fourth try which resulted in a yellow card.

10. Billy Twelvetrees - 7

MANAGED the game and conditions well as he looked to put Saints into their own half and work off the hosts’ mistakes. He was Gloucester’s top tackler with 12 hits in a game that his side dominated in every area. The fly-half also kicked penalties well in tough conditions.

9. Charlie Chapman - N/A

A SHORT afternoon for Chapman as he left the field after 10 minutes for a HIA and did not return.

1. Val Rapava-ruskin - 7

RAPAVA-RUSKIN was part of a front row that took the fight to the Northampton pack and were victorious in their efforts. The loosehead prop scrummaged well against Paul Hill and forced penalties from ill-disciplined Saints. He was also looking to disrupt at the break down and made one successful turnover.

2. Jack Singleton - 8

ON a day when there was a hideous slanting crosswind at Franklin’s Gardens, Singleton can be pleased with the job he did at the lineout. The conditions saw a couple of throws go astray but was accurate the majority of the time and allowed Gloucester to play in the right areas. He also did very well to finish his try from the back of the powerful driving maul in the second half.

3. Fraser Balmain - 7

THE experienced scrummager won his personal battle with Paul Hill and let him know that on a number of occasions following their duels. The forwards worked hard across the park to put Saints to the sword and Balmain put in a strong shift to put his side on the front foot.

4. Ed Slater - 8

THE second row probably could not believe his eyes as he collected the ball in space and glided in majestically to score unopposed. Slater was a key operator in Gloucester’s success at the lineout and managed the conditions very well to provide a platform for his side to attack from.

5. Matias Alemanno - 7

ALEMANNO’S main work came in disrupting the hosts’ lineout on a number of occasions as they stopped Northampton getting consistent ball in tough conditions. He combined well with Slater to orchestrate the Cherry and Whites lineout and battled well at the maul to hold up the opposition.

6. Jordy Reid - 9

THE Australian is hard as nails. Simple as that. He put in an exceptional effort and performance to get his team on the front foot with big hits in defence as well as some handy work in attack. He did well to regather Furbank’s bizarre crossfield kick on the Saints line and turn and get the offload away and set up the Slater try. With ball in hand, Reid was a problem for the hosts’ defence as he made 42 metres from eight carries.

7. Lewis Ludlow - 8

THE Gloucester captain was a menace at the lineout for Saints and performed strongly defensively. In attack he also showed nice subtle hands as he looked to put people through the gap. A pleasing day at the office for the skipper.

8. Ruan Ackermann - 8

THE South African was part of a formidable back row unit as he carried with real intent as he made 44 metres from eight carries. He also caused issues for the hosts at the breakdown with two turnovers before being replaced by Jack Clement on 62 minutes. Ackermann is putting together a good run of form and could be in the mix for Eddie Jones’ summer squad.

REPLACEMENTS: 16. Santiago Socino - 6; 17. Jamal Ford-robinson 7; 18. Bryan O’connor - N/A ; 19. Ben Morgan - 7; 20. Jack Clement - 7; 21. Willi Heinz - 7; 22. George Barton N/A; 23. Tom Seabrook - 6 GLOUCESTER’S bench maintained the high standards that the starting 15 had brought throughout their time on the field. Willi Heinz replaced Chapman early on and played the conditions well as they didn’t look to force it too much. He provided the assist with a nice kick through over the head of Francis to give Rees-zammit a chance to claim a second try. O’connor made his Premiership debut in the closing minutes.