I was browsing other news sites when I came upon an article written over on news.com.au – where a ‘Team of the Rugby Championship’ was posted as chosen by the Fox Sports Stats team.
After browsing down the list I had more than a few nods, a few raised eyebrows and an occasional scratch of the head in confusion.
The team that they put forward complete with stats (and a few of my own comments interspersed) is as follows:
1. James Slipper (AUS) – 51 ball carries, 49 tackles
2. Augustin Creevy (ARG) – 64 ball carries
3. Tendai Mtawirira (RSA) – 48 tackles with only two missed
Stats quoted are ball carries and tackles – but there’s no mention of scrum performance at all.
4. Eben Etzebeth (RSA) – five lineout steals
5. Manuel Galarza (ARG) – 22 lineout wins, four steals
The only stat that they’ve quoted here is the quantity of lineout takes or steals with no consideration of general field play.
6. Marcel Coetzee (RSA) – 72 tackles, three missed
7. Richie McCaw (NZL) – 82 tackles, three pilfers, three tries
8. Duane Vermeulen (RSA) – five pilfers, six forced penalties, 54 ball carries, 12 tackle busts
Kind of hard to argue with any of the numbers here really.
9. Aaron Smith (NZL) – 100 run metres, 8 tackle busts, two linebreaks
10. Nicolas Sanchez (ARG) – 52 points, four linebreaks, 298 run metres, 10 tackle busts
Again fairly self explanatory and I believe Sanchez was the only number 10 to start every game in the RC?
11. Julian Savea (NZL) – four tries, nine linebreaks, 643 run metres, 24 tackle busts, 10 offloads
12. Malakai Fekitoa (NZL) – 347 run metres
13. Tevita Kuridrani (AUS) – 440 run metres,
14. Cornal Hendricks (RSA) – three tries
15. Israel Folau (AUS) – two tries, 30 tackle busts, 49 offloads, 633 run metres, six linebreaks, four linebreak assists (also played every minute of the RC)
4/5 ain’t too bad…
Accordingly, the breakdown the team has having three Australians, three Argentinians, five South Africans and four New Zealanders.
To my mind the stats have chosen a fairly accurate set of players for the middle and latter part of the list – but I’d suspect that some of the tight five have been hard done by to not make the cut.
Additionally the use of pure aggregate statistics here (as in total numbers rather than averaged numbers) clearly weights the stats towards those who played in every single game of The Rugby Championship.
So, which players do you think the statistics elevated beyond their actual play, and who deserved their spot in that team?
And if you think a player was hard done by – what statistics should Fox Sports have taken into consideration instead?
Link to the article is here
Firstxv
Guest
geez, Savea sure stands out. All part of the AB thinking machine-"Get the Ball in front of Savea" rings loud and true.
scottmit
Roar Rookie
When I played I used a mantra "Do your job THEN change the game THEN break the game" . Most of the stats are in the "change the game" rather than "do your job" category which is, I think, why you have a hesitancy about Mtwarira: there are some gaps in his basic loose-head-prop-ness. re Etzebeth and Galarza, generally you have a jumping and a working lock, not two the same type. Pick one of these two then pick Retallick. re Fekitoa and Kuridrani, same issue - they've picked similar players with similar stats. What about try assists, or metres assists maybe (ie metres gained from sympathetic passes)? And I've always looked to see what the the 5/8 did if the outside centre has a prominent game.
Anon69
Guest
Well Statistics are like a mini skirt. They hide very little and expose every thing. Any way Aussie Fox rugby Commentary team needs to be replaced. Specially Greg Clarke who day in day out use the same vocabulary.
Statistic Skeptic
Roar Pro
Not sure where Fox Sports count them - espnscrum only has Folau at 13 offloads across the RC.
Campbell Watts
Guest
Israel Folau 49 offloads???? Really? What constitutes an off load these days?
The V Man
Guest
The old saying BB. There are lies, damn lies, and statistics.
Captain Pugwash
Guest
There is a youtube video of that talk going on in the back ground over the try scoring highlights at eden park. Had a right giggle.
Statistic Skeptic
Roar Pro
No contest to stats being misleading when viewed in complete isolation... but they are there nonetheless, and the Fox Sports Stats team have come up with a fifteen based on them. So which players have they misguidedly highlighted? - what statistics might tell a different story if viewed alongside those?
Martin Deligasi
Guest
stats are often wrong. Honestly, you should only judge players by what you see, not numbers. for example... a fullback's running meters... does that count when he has open space after catching a long distance kick before he runs it back to the defense?
willy
Guest
Careful, mate, that chip on your shoulder is weighing you down
Statistic Skeptic
Roar Pro
De nada, and the narrow focus in some of the selections was what had me scratching my head.
RobC
Roar Guru
Thanks for the article. Fox or any other sites, does not have rucking stats for individual players - which I believe is key
Missing Link
Roar Rookie
Which All Blacks should replace these 3 useless Australians then? Must be a Fox Sports conspiracy, unbiased kiwis would never have picked useless Aussies in their best XV ay bro?
RobC
Roar Guru
I still recall your article re stats last year Harry. I think it was apt then, as it is now
mpm
Guest
Retallick.
ben
Guest
Talking about fox sports..my brother in law in melbourne sent me a cd of the fox sports coverage of the eden park 50 pointer. Have never laughed as hard before an ab test when i watched alan jones pre match "team talk". Im still laughing. "We're not the wallabies we're the attacking wallabies and we do that better than anyone else in the world". "That lot (he never calls them the all blacks) think they're good. They're not really". "Lessons are going to be given, lessons taught and its us going to be giving them and teaching them". Hilarious. Then they give up 50. My cd is doing the rounds with all my rugby mates. Should be on u tube.
The Twins
Roar Rookie
3 Australians make the list - REALLY - then again those Fox bunnies can talk anything up - especially the Werribees ummm the Wobblies .. errr - that Australian Rugby Team....what a joke
Harry Jones
Expert
Probably need a per-minute factor and maybe a cutoff minimum of minutes played ... but a lot of rugby overall is really not as susceptible to individual player statistical analysis as say, cricket (exception being kicking accuracy or large samples of things like tackle busts or line-out steals).
Well the glaring mistake in their "Stats team" is Tendai Mtwarira is a looseheadprop.