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Duane Heath
Cape Town - One weekend down, only 87 matches and 6 960 minutes of 2009 Super 14 rugby to go! It really is tough being an armchair rugby fan these days…
In Friday’s Week 1 preview, we looked at what happened last year in the critical breakdown area, to see which South African teams were possibly the best equipped to challenge most strongly for the 2009 title given that the hybrid ELVs – which somehow are more confusing than ever, if that were possible – are being trialled again.
Using statistics provided exclusively by New Zealand-based Verusco, suppliers of video analysis systems to most of the South African Super 14 teams, we saw that while the usual suspects Richie McCaw, Phil Waugh and George Smith mastered the dark art of ruck play by forcing the most turnovers, a number of South Africans made their presences felt in the tackle-ball jungle.
Let’s see how our flankers shaped up this past weekend and from their contributions try to find out why the Lions, Sharks and Bulls won, and why the Cheetahs and Stormers lost. Then we’ll compile our first SA Super 14 Team of the Week using only the statistical fingerprints each player left during his time on the field.
In 2008, the Stormers’ Francois Louw and Luke Watson (although he mainly played in jersey eight), along with the Cheetahs’ Heinrich Brussow, forced more turnovers than any other South African back-rowers, while the Bulls’ Deon Stegmann, Watson and Lions skipper Cobus Grobbelaar were the tournament’s three most effective tacklers.
The Stormers v Sharks match saw Louw and Schalk Burger up against Keegan Daniel and Jean Deysel, with Watson and Jacques Botes both coming off the bench.
The general opinion is that the Sharks shaded the forward battle and that Deysel, 2008’s Currie Cup player of the year, was the man of the match. But what do the match stats say?
In analysing and rating our 10 starting SA flankers from Week 1, we used the following 10 categories: tries scored, turnovers forced, metres gained, tackle efficiency, runs with ball, cleanouts at breakdowns, passes made, hit-ups, tackle breaks and ball carries. A number of interesting trends emerged.
In the Stormers v Sharks match, Daniel/Deysel and Burger/Louw cancelled each other out when it came to tackle efficiency (this was no game for the faint-hearted) and cleanouts at the breakdowns.
But, tellingly, the Sharks duo gained more than twice as many metres as Burger and Louw (121m to 52m), had twice as many runs with the ball (9 to 4); hit the ball up more than three times as much (21-6); made four times as many tackle breaks (4-1); and carried the ball three times more (18-6) than their Cape opponents.
A clearer picture of contrasting tactics and playing styles emerges when you then consider that Burger and Louw passed the ball three times as much as Daniel and Deysel (15 to 5).
While it’s debatable whether Deysel deserved the man of the match award (a subjective, emotional decision in any case: my vote would have gone to scrumhalf Rory Kockott), from a statistical point of view the blond back-rower can’t be faulted: most metres gained, most carries and most hit-ups paints a bruising picture of how the Sharks went about their business.
The Lions v Cheetahs match told its own fascinating statistical story. Springbok flankers Heinrich Brussow and Juan Smith ended up on the losing side despite gaining almost three times as many metres (136 to 47) as Grobbelaar and Franco van der Merwe; not missing a tackle between them (16/16 as opposed to 20/28 for the Lions); having twice as many runs with the ball (10-4); four times as many hit-ups (11-3); and four times as many ball carries (15-4).
Both pairs passed the ball as much and Grobbelaar and Brussow each scored a well-worked try, but interestingly the Lions pair were involved in twice as many cleanouts at the breakdowns – a telling stat considering the excellent tries the Lions’ backs fashioned from quick ball.
In the Bulls v Reds game, Deon Stegmann and Dewald Potgieter were overshadowed by Scott Higginbotham and All Black flanker Daniel Braid in most of the categories except for cleanouts at the breakdown, where the Bulls pair emerged 25-16 victors. Perhaps predictably, the Queensland flankers made five times as many passes (11-2) as their opponents but interestingly also gained twice as many metres (65-35); twice as many hit-ups (8-4) and twice as many carries (11-5).
Looking then at the flankers for the SA Team of the Week, it’s a close race between Grobbelaar and Brussow for the number six jersey, with the Lions’ captain’s try and the Cheetahs’ flanker’s untimely yellow card swinging it in favour of ‘Baywatch’.
Smith and Deysel are virtually inseparable for jersey seven, but the nod goes to Deysel given that his contribution ultimately earned his side a precious away victory.
By analysing the rest of the positions in a similar way, the SA Super 14 Team of Week 1 looks as follows:
15 Stefan Terblanche, 14 Ashwin Willemse, 13 Adrian Jacobs, 12 Wynand Olivier, 11 Henno Mentz, 10 Earl Rose, 9 Rory Kockott, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Jean Deysel, 6 Cobus Grobbelaar, 5 Johann Muller, 4 Steven Sykes, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 Willie Wepener, 1 Deon Carstens.
Join us again on Friday for a statistical preview of Week Two’s matches.
• Duane Heath is editor of SANZAR’s 2009 Super 14 Media Guide and co-editor of the 2009 Sasol SA Rugby Annual, on sale soon.
• Verusco are suppliers of video analysis systems to most of the South African Super 14 teams. Find out more at www.verusco.com or email info@verusco.com
Cape Town - One weekend down, only 87 matches and 6 960 minutes of 2009 Super 14 rugby to go! It really is tough being an armchair rugby fan these days…
In Friday’s Week 1 preview, we looked at what happened last year in the critical breakdown area, to see which South African teams were possibly the best equipped to challenge most strongly for the 2009 title given that the hybrid ELVs – which somehow are more confusing than ever, if that were possible – are being trialled again.
Using statistics provided exclusively by New Zealand-based Verusco, suppliers of video analysis systems to most of the South African Super 14 teams, we saw that while the usual suspects Richie McCaw, Phil Waugh and George Smith mastered the dark art of ruck play by forcing the most turnovers, a number of South Africans made their presences felt in the tackle-ball jungle.
Let’s see how our flankers shaped up this past weekend and from their contributions try to find out why the Lions, Sharks and Bulls won, and why the Cheetahs and Stormers lost. Then we’ll compile our first SA Super 14 Team of the Week using only the statistical fingerprints each player left during his time on the field.
In 2008, the Stormers’ Francois Louw and Luke Watson (although he mainly played in jersey eight), along with the Cheetahs’ Heinrich Brussow, forced more turnovers than any other South African back-rowers, while the Bulls’ Deon Stegmann, Watson and Lions skipper Cobus Grobbelaar were the tournament’s three most effective tacklers.
The Stormers v Sharks match saw Louw and Schalk Burger up against Keegan Daniel and Jean Deysel, with Watson and Jacques Botes both coming off the bench.
The general opinion is that the Sharks shaded the forward battle and that Deysel, 2008’s Currie Cup player of the year, was the man of the match. But what do the match stats say?
In analysing and rating our 10 starting SA flankers from Week 1, we used the following 10 categories: tries scored, turnovers forced, metres gained, tackle efficiency, runs with ball, cleanouts at breakdowns, passes made, hit-ups, tackle breaks and ball carries. A number of interesting trends emerged.
In the Stormers v Sharks match, Daniel/Deysel and Burger/Louw cancelled each other out when it came to tackle efficiency (this was no game for the faint-hearted) and cleanouts at the breakdowns.
But, tellingly, the Sharks duo gained more than twice as many metres as Burger and Louw (121m to 52m), had twice as many runs with the ball (9 to 4); hit the ball up more than three times as much (21-6); made four times as many tackle breaks (4-1); and carried the ball three times more (18-6) than their Cape opponents.
A clearer picture of contrasting tactics and playing styles emerges when you then consider that Burger and Louw passed the ball three times as much as Daniel and Deysel (15 to 5).
While it’s debatable whether Deysel deserved the man of the match award (a subjective, emotional decision in any case: my vote would have gone to scrumhalf Rory Kockott), from a statistical point of view the blond back-rower can’t be faulted: most metres gained, most carries and most hit-ups paints a bruising picture of how the Sharks went about their business.
The Lions v Cheetahs match told its own fascinating statistical story. Springbok flankers Heinrich Brussow and Juan Smith ended up on the losing side despite gaining almost three times as many metres (136 to 47) as Grobbelaar and Franco van der Merwe; not missing a tackle between them (16/16 as opposed to 20/28 for the Lions); having twice as many runs with the ball (10-4); four times as many hit-ups (11-3); and four times as many ball carries (15-4).
Both pairs passed the ball as much and Grobbelaar and Brussow each scored a well-worked try, but interestingly the Lions pair were involved in twice as many cleanouts at the breakdowns – a telling stat considering the excellent tries the Lions’ backs fashioned from quick ball.
In the Bulls v Reds game, Deon Stegmann and Dewald Potgieter were overshadowed by Scott Higginbotham and All Black flanker Daniel Braid in most of the categories except for cleanouts at the breakdown, where the Bulls pair emerged 25-16 victors. Perhaps predictably, the Queensland flankers made five times as many passes (11-2) as their opponents but interestingly also gained twice as many metres (65-35); twice as many hit-ups (8-4) and twice as many carries (11-5).
Looking then at the flankers for the SA Team of the Week, it’s a close race between Grobbelaar and Brussow for the number six jersey, with the Lions’ captain’s try and the Cheetahs’ flanker’s untimely yellow card swinging it in favour of ‘Baywatch’.
Smith and Deysel are virtually inseparable for jersey seven, but the nod goes to Deysel given that his contribution ultimately earned his side a precious away victory.
By analysing the rest of the positions in a similar way, the SA Super 14 Team of Week 1 looks as follows:
15 Stefan Terblanche, 14 Ashwin Willemse, 13 Adrian Jacobs, 12 Wynand Olivier, 11 Henno Mentz, 10 Earl Rose, 9 Rory Kockott, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Jean Deysel, 6 Cobus Grobbelaar, 5 Johann Muller, 4 Steven Sykes, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 Willie Wepener, 1 Deon Carstens.
Join us again on Friday for a statistical preview of Week Two’s matches.
• Duane Heath is editor of SANZAR’s 2009 Super 14 Media Guide and co-editor of the 2009 Sasol SA Rugby Annual, on sale soon.
• Verusco are suppliers of video analysis systems to most of the South African Super 14 teams. Find out more at www.verusco.com or email info@verusco.com
