2010 Super Rugby Statistics

As we approach the 2011 Super Rugby season, let’s look back at the statistics from 2010 to see who performed best in the rankings for some key areas.

We know the Bulls won the 2010 Super Rugby title but how did they fare in the rankings? In attack, they scored the most tries with 47 but had the second lowest number of line breaks and metres gained running behind the Cheetahs.  In defence they had the third lowest tackle accuracy rate at 87%.

That goes to show that statistics are not an absolute measure of performance and only form part of the big picture.  Statistics are useful to identify trends and opportunities or your own team’s weaknesses so you know what to work on but rather than being a driver that dictates how the game should be played or what to work on they’re a tool to help confirm what a good coach already knows.

So how did your team fare in the 2010 rankings?  The tables below show the performance of all teams in the regular season. The raw data for each game comes from Verusco which we’ve then analysed to give you key measurements in attack and defence.

In attack the Reds made more line breaks than any other Australian team and were second overall behind the Blues but both the Brumbies and the Waratahs made more metres running the ball than the Reds and the Waratahs scored two more tries than the Reds.

In defence the Brumbies, Reds and Waratahs all had a 90% tackle accuracy with the Force at 89%.  The Force conceded 110 line breaks with the Reds and the Waratahs both on 112 but the Brumbies blew the other teams away, only conceding 77 line breaks, which was the best in the competition by a considerable margin.

In terms of tries conceded the Brumbies were the best Australian side with only 25 conceded but that was still only third best in the competition behind the Stormers (18) and the Crusaders (22).  The Waratahs conceded 31 tries and the Force & Reds both conceded 38.  If the Reds are to be a real threat in the competition that will need to be improved.

I’ve also now included a table with the average share of possession for each team.

What do the numbers tell you and are there any surprises from what you would have expected?

Attack	Total Passes	Offloads	Line Breaks	Metres Gained Running	Opposition Tackle Accuracy	Tries Scored	% of Points Scored From Tries
Blues	2,045	201	175	11,649	87%	44	59%
Brumbies	2,309	177	126	12,074	88%	40	56%
Bulls	1,681	87	82	8,414	90%	47	54%
Cheetahs	1,730	120	76	8,196	92%	34	54%
Chiefs	1,744	136	120	9,838	86%	40	59%
Crusaders	1,957	155	142	10,892	89%	45	58%
Force	2,053	153	97	10,359	90%	24	47%
Highlanders	1,705	158	120	9,224	86%	34	57%
Hurricanes	1,782	181	131	9,932	86%	40	56%
Lions	2,106	248	115	10,089	91%	32	59%
Reds	1,839	165	139	10,545	87%	43	59%
Sharks	1,752	163	98	8,847	90%	23	39%
Stormers	1,915	146	117	10,349	88%	35	48%
Waratahs	2,116	173	116	11,167	88%	45	58%

Defence	Tackles Attempted	Tackles Made	Tackles Missed	Tackle Accuracy	Line Breaks Conceded	Tries Conceded	Tries Conceded as % of Points Conceded
Blues	1,625	1,446	179	89%	95	35	53%
Brumbies	1,681	1,521	160	90%	77	25	43%
Bulls	1,856	1,620	236	87%	132	32	46%
Cheetahs	2,195	1,921	274	88%	138	50	64%
Chiefs	2,092	1,849	243	88%	148	48	57%
Crusaders	2,022	1,813	209	90%	103	22	37%
Force	1,942	1,728	214	89%	110	38	52%
Highlanders	1,924	1,706	218	89%	144	53	67%
Hurricanes	1,981	1,781	200	90%	111	37	57%
Lions	1,916	1,653	263	86%	149	72	62%
Reds	1,940	1,739	201	90%	112	38	62%
Sharks	1,851	1,600	251	86%	120	27	45%
Stormers	2,081	1,823	258	88%	103	18	53%
Waratahs	2,010	1,799	211	90%	112	31	54%

Defence	Average Possession % in Games
Blues	54%
Brumbies	55%
Bulls	53%
Cheetahs	46%
Chiefs	45%
Crusaders	49%
Force	50%
Highlanders	48%
Hurricanes	48%
Lions	51%
Reds	52%
Sharks	49%
Stormers	48%
Waratahs	52%