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Opinion
Rugby wingers are a diverse bunch. In no other sport can you find a position with such diverse body types and talents. What’s your flavour?
The light footed 75kg Cheslin Kolbe or the hulking behemoth of Nemani Nadolo tipping the scales at over 130kg?
Two wingers have won World Rugby Player of the year, both with different weapons – the side step of Shane Williams versus the blistering acceleration of Bryan Habana (who once raced an actual cheetah – and lost, but hey it’s a cheetah!)
At the moment in Australian Super Rugby we a blessed with a great bunch of wingers with diverse talents. The only question is, who will Eddie pick to match his gameplan?
Traditionally, the number one attribute I look for in a wing is to be able to finish. Being involved in scoring plays (tries or try assists) is as important to a winger as a quick pass for a halfback or a pilfer for a seven. Who finished on top in this category in Australian Super Rugby?
(Note: I took out the games for players like Muirhead, Petaia and Nawaqanitawase where they played fullback as playing in a different position would skew the numbers. Only included are games where they started as a wing)
How many touches per try or try assist
Coery Toole 6.8
Suliasi Vunivalu 9.3
Andy Muirhead 10.7
Lachie Anderson 11.4
Mark Nawaqanitawase 14.5
Dylan Pietsch 15.3
Jordan Petaia 19.0
Well, no surprise who is number one. Anyone who has watched Corey Toole this year would know he is electric. Every time he touches the ball you expect something to happen. With good reason too. He scores a try or assists a try every 6.8 touches.
Corey Toole of the Brumbies (Photo by Mark Nolan/Getty Images)
Almost Bradman-like numbers. The numbers can also shed light on what Eddie Jones sees in Suli Vunivalu. He is second on the list with one try/assist per every 9.3 touches.
One criticism of Toole has been his defence. How does he stack up against the other wingers. I looked at tackle completion percentage and how many turnovers won per match.
Tackle completion %
Nawaqanitawase 82.0%
Pietsch 79.0%
Muirhead 75.8%
Anderson 75.6%
Vunivalu 74.5%
Toole 63.8%
Petaia 61.5%
Turnovers won per match
Pietsch 0.50
Petaia 0.33
Muirhead 0.25
Toole 0.23
Anderson 0.21
Nawaqanitawase 0.15
Vunivalu 0.09
Surprisingly Toole didn’t finish bottom of the tackle percentage numbers with Jordie Petaia taking out that place (although Jordie made up a bit by finishing second on the turnovers won charts).
Dylan Pietsch was the best defensive winger overall finishing second on the tackle % charts to his team mate Marky N while wining the most turnovers per match – a much underrated skill for a winger.
Maybe you like your wing to make metres. Who is the most efficient carrier making the most metres per carry:
Toole 9.93
Pietsch 9.23
Anderson 7.68
Vunivalu 7.55
Petaia 7.19
Muirhead 5.94
Nawaqanitawase 5.78
What about making errors? Who was the safest player having the most touches before conceding a turnover:
Nawaqanitawase 7.6
Toole 6.8
Anderson 6.5
Vunivalu 6.2
Muirhead 6.0
Petaia 5.2
Pietsch 5.1
Marky N and Toole come out 1 and 2. Amazing that Toole can be so safe with the ball yet also so potent with it. A rare skill. Which brings me to the last set of figures. What is the risk/reward of each player in attack – i.e. how many turnovers do they concede to every tries/assists are scored:
Toole 1.00
Vunivalu 1.50
Anderson 1.75
Muirhead 1.78
Nawaqanitawase 2.00
Pietsch 3.00
Petaia 3.67
This might be the most important stat and Toole is paying off big time. He only concedes 1 turnover to every try or assist scored. Vunivalu is up there in second with 1.5 turnovers to every try or assist. It looks like Jordie Petaia probably needs to do some work on his ball security and when not to throw an offload.
Personally, I thought that Jordie Petaia had a good season but interestingly when you go through the numbers his best games were at fullback. He struggled on the wing defensively, conceding turnovers and with converting scoring chances.
So who would you pick? Attacking powerhouses like Toole or Vunivalu? Good all rounders like Muirhead or Anderson who finished mid range in every stat? Great wings defensively like Waratahs duo Pietsch or Nawaqanitawase?
I think the Brumbies have it right with Muirhead and Toole. Toole does the exciting stuff and Muirhead just does everything well. Great balance. Wouldn’t mind that as a Wallabies duo.
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.