3 Will Knight

Gloucester’s night in Cork was a grim one, and Will Knight struggled to make his mark in his Chamoions Cup debut. His channel was repeatedly targeted and, despite fronting up physically, he missed three tackles in the opening half alone.

He offered little in attack to offset those defensive lapses. On a tough, forgettable night for the team, Knight never really rose to the challenge. Still, he is only young and showed flashes of a player with good potential.

4 Kade Wolhuter

Still can’t fathom why Johan Ackermann left Kade Wolhuter on the park for so long.

It was clear that it just wasn’t his day and it wasn’t getting any better.

Wolhuter got injured and was on crutches after the game. pic.twitter.com/whiwcdGmfb

— Jared Wright (@jaredwright17) December 14, 2025

Kade Wolhuter’s Bulls debut was a nightmare from start to finish. His first kick at goal was badly off target, and while the conversion that followed was marginally better, it set the tone for what was to come. He repeatedly failed to find touch from penalties, errors that Northampton were quick to punish.

Defensively, he missed three tackles and conceded five turnovers. The evening ended with a worrying injury, adding to a career already disrupted by setbacks. Wolhuter has long been seen as a player with a bright future, which makes this all the more cruel. With Keagan Johannes struggling at fly-half too, questions will be asked as to why Wolhuter was left on for so long when it was clear nothing was going his way.

5 Aphelele Fassi

This was a painful return for the Springboks’ fullback. Fassi did manage to cross the line after a superb pass from George Whitehead, but that came only after a costly backfield error that gifted Sam Spink a try.

There were positives — he looked solid under the high ball at times and produced a brilliant 50:22 — but overall it was an uneven performance. His night was cut short following a heavy collision with Theo McFarland’s knee, bringing an abrupt and unfortunate end to a difficult outing.

EDITORS PICKS:

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