The Tokyo Bledisloe match featured the clash of two backlines who, basically, can’t tackle to save themselves. Both the Wallabies and All Blacks backs fail in the majority of tackles they attempt.
Let’s look at the Wallabies first, using calculations derived from 2009 Super 14 stats compiled by Verusco Technologies. The first figure is the average number of tackles made per 80 minutes played, and the figure in brackets is the percentage of missed tackles:
Wallabies backs:
Will Genia 7.5 (27.0)
Matt Giteau 10.0 (15.6)
Digby Ioane 7.3 (25.6)
Adam Ashley-Cooper 7.2 (25.0)
Ryan Cross 7.9 (19.0)
Peter Hynes 5.7 (19.5)
James O’Connor 8.5 (14.5)
Luke Burgess 9.7 (15.7)
Drew Mitchell 4.2 (33.3)
Quade Cooper 8.8 (42.0)
Average: 7.7 (23.7)
All Blacks backs:
Jimmy Cowan 6.3 (17.7)
Dan Carter – (-)
Sitiveni Sivivatu 5.4 (20.5)
Ma’a Nonu 8.7 (16.4)
Conrad Smith 8.5 (20.0)
Cory Jane 5.6 (21.7)
Mils Muliaina 4.2 (22.0)
Brendan Leonard 7.1 (27.6)
Stephen Donald 5.6 (40.0
Tamati Ellison 6.5 (25.6)
Average: 6.4 (23.5)
And the situation gets worse with the rest of the injured and non-selected Wallabies backs:
Berrick Barnes 9.6 (25.7)
Kurtley Beale 7.5 (33.3)
Rob Horne 8.9 (29.2)
Richard Kingi 5.6 (33.3)
Stirling Mortlock 6.1 (38.0)
Tyrone Smith 8.6 (29.8)
Matt Toomua 9.1 (28.9)
Average: 7.9 (31.2)
And the man who can’t get a jersey, no matter how many players break down? Tom Carter averaged 12.7 tackles per 80 minutes and missed just 6.7%.
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