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The regular Super Rugby season is over. This is some of what happened, in no apparent order.
The Waratahs passed the ball more than 2,500 times, while the Bulls took that same risk 1,000 times fewer. Someone told Victor Matfield’s team that it is unmanly to pass, that giving up the ball to your teammate is the coward’s way out.
The Bulls also offloaded the least amount in the tournament, 139 times fewer than the Tahs.
Speaking of Matfield, I should point out that he missed 26 fewer tackles than Aaron Smith. Before anyone concludes that Old Man Vic is the second coming of Matt Hodgson, who tackled more than anyone else in Super Rugby, we should note that all of Vic’s tackles occurred in lineouts.
As for lineouts, Ben Mowen stole more (13) than Scott Higginbotham (4). I wonder why? They both look like leapers with good ball skills and over a season will have been at the tail of about the same number of lineouts. Someone should tell Higgers to jump.
But they should tell Higgers to do yoga, and calm his inner spirit. He received the most yellow cards (3) in the competition. Thirty minutes without a captain is precisely what his struggling team does not need.
Israel Folau got one yellow card. Why? What did he do? Did he offload too much? Folau completed more offloads (46) than Julian Savea and Malakai Fekitoa combined.
Savea was devastating with the ball in his hands. But he had trouble putting it in his hands, and keeping it in his hands. Savea’s knock-ons (34) and handling errors (36) where high, especially when compared to a guy who touches the ball a lot more, gets hit harder, and averaged 76.3 minutes a game, Duane Vermeulen (10 handling errors, 7 knock-ons).
Scott Fardy played even more minutes than Vermeulen – 1440 and counting. Imagine the difference between Fardy’s body and Dan Carter’s. This might explain the huge underwear billboards of Carter in Auckland. Wear and tear is hard on modelling careers.
Carter also does not like to kick drop goals (0 in 2014), probably because it ruffles his underwear. Marnitz Boshoff slotted 8 in 2014.
I’m a big fan of Fardy but I was surprised that he won five fewer turnovers than Deon Fourie, a man who can never decide if he is the Stormers hooker, openside, or chief provocateur.
Speaking of provocateurs, the Cheetahs, as a team, received 11 cards. The Bulls only had four, which may explain their season. Did it ever seem like they actually cared?
But 11 cards makes you have to play almost three halves of Super Rugby with a man down. Is it any wonder the boys from Bloemfontein fell from grace?
Some people need more grace than others. The Cheetahs extend grace at their tryline, allowing 59 tries – or almost a try bonus point – every match.
The Sharks are gracious tacklers. Their 84.1 per cent tackle completion rate was the worst. Can Jakeball really ever be used with Frans Steyn, Jannie du Plessis, and Jean Deysel manning a channel?
Michael Hooper loves to tackle. He tackled 100 more times than Liam Gill.
But before we get too hung up on tackling, the Brumbies missed 61 more tackles than the Rebels. And the Reds only had one more handling error than the Tahs. So, some stats are just mystifying.
What is concerning is when you lose at home. The Reds and the Rebels only won 3 of 8 homes games each, showing fortresses in need of repair.
The Sharks had a siege gun: Francois Steyn. Not coincidentally, the Sharks kicked the most of any team, at about 31 times a match. The Tahs only put foot to ball during play about 17 times a match.
Getting your hands on the ball can come from a tight or loose situation. The Lions had the most reliable scrum and were around 91 per cent successful. The Brumbies only won about 75 per cent of their scrum feeds.
Is it any wonder that Super Rugby and Test rugby yield different results?
No matter what you say about Francois Hougaard’s scrumhalf skills, he does locate the ball when it is loose. He collected 51 loose balls during the season, the most. A heftier, less eager scrumhalf, let’s say Piri Weepu, snagged 12.
Thus endeth this non-traditional look at Super Rugby 2014.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.