Wallabies 2021

[RugbyReg]

LHP

Ten LHPs used this year as well.

Cabous Eloff – 5 starts
Dane Zander – 5
Tom Robertson – 5
Angus Bell – 3
Harry Johnson-Holmes – 2
Harry Lloyd – 2
James Slipper 2
Scott Sio – 2
Feao Fotuaika – 1
Tetera Faulkner – 1

So not including Feao although he does start at LHP this week I think. Possibly could have combined the likes of Slipper, HJH (Harry Johnson-Holmes) and Faulkner across prop positions but thought it might be just as interesting to see if there is a difference in their game.
Is Eloff Wallaby eligible? I’ll keep him in for now.

Tackle Success:

Slipper – 100% (9 tackles)
Sio – 100% (9 tackles)
Lloyd – 94.74%
Bell – 93.75%
Zander – 92.86%
Robertson – 84.62%
Eloff – 75.86%
HJH (Harry Johnson-Holmes) – 75%

Slipper keeps on keeping on, in fact the Brumbies front row tackle damn well! Great to see Bell and Zander right up there while Eloff is disappointingly low and HJH (Harry Johnson-Holmes) struggles is 10% worse a tackler as a LHP with a tiny sample size!!!

Tackles per game

Lloyd – 9
Robertson – 6.6
HJH (Harry Johnson-Holmes) – 6
Zander – 5.2
Bell – 5
Slipper – 4.5
Sio – 4.5
Eloff – 4.4

Staggering the drop by Slipper but I’d have to look at minutes played to see if that was a factor. Nice work by Lloyd, and again impressed by the youngsters Zander and Bell, and less so by Eloff.

Defensive importance to team

I’m getting a little over this stat. Not sure it proves much here. Goes from Lloyd at 6.45% down to Slipper at 3.61%

Attack Efficiency

Another somewhat irrelevant stat for props. Eloff does top the list (which counters his lower defensive numbers) at 83.85. Then Sio at 21.88 and Slipper at 11.57. Robertson gat 2.81 and everyone else 0.

Most penalties conceded:
Robertson – 7
Eloff – 6
Zander / HJH (Harry Johnson-Holmes) – 4
Slipper / Bell – 3
Sio / Lloyd - 2

Work Rate:

Bell – 14
HJH (Harry Johnson-Holmes) – 13
Robertson – 12
Eloff / Slipper / Lloyd – 10
Sio – 9
Zander – 7
As before, no stats for scrums. Bell perhaps the eye catcher here and perhaps deserved more recognition in attack, on the of the last game. Lloyd some decent numbers too. Zander needs to do more in attack to be considered for any future Wallaby hopes.

 

[RugbyReg]

Lock

20 players have started a game at lock this year so far:

Cadeyrn Neville – 6
Darcy Swain – 5
Sam Caird – 5
Trevor Hosea – 5
Angus Blyth – 4
Jeremy Thrush – 4
Lukhan Salakai-Loto – 4
Steve Cummins – 3
Fergus Lee-Warner – 2
Hugh Sinclair – 2
Jack Whetton – 2
Ross Haylett-Petty – 2
Ryan McCauley – 2
Ryan Smith – 2
Seru Uru – 2
Sitaleki Timani – 2
Jeremy Williams – 1
Max Douglas – 1
Nick Frost – 1
Sam Wykes – 1

So we can ignore the three youngsters in Williams, Douglas and Frost for the time being, as well as Wykes. Thursh goes too. Will keep Caird in as I’m unsure as to his eligibility.

Tackle Success:

Smith – 100% (8 tackles)
RHP – 100% (12 tackles)
Caird - 97.30% (36 tackles, 1 miss)
Swain – 91.89%
Neville – 91.80%
Hosea – 91.11%
Blyth – 90.91%
McCauley – 90%
Sinclair – 89.47%
FLW (Fergus Lee-Warner) – 88.89%
Whetton – 85.71%
Timani – 82.61%
Cummins – 82.61%
Uru – 81.82%
LSL (Lukhan Salakaia-Loto) – 66.67%

Lukhan missing a third of his tackles is not good at all. Puts to bed any though of him playing 6 in tests doesn’t it? Caird a stand out, with the Brumby pair and Hosea excellent. Some good work out west as well.

Tackles per game

Sinclair – 17
FLW (Fergus Lee-Warner) – 16
Timani – 9.5
Neville – 9.33
McCauley – 9
Hosea – 8.2
Blyth – 7.5
Caird – 7.2
Swain – 6.8
Cummins – 6.33
RHP – 6
LSL (Lukhan Salakaia-Loto) – 5.5
Uru – 4
Whetton – 3

LOTS of work happening out west with Fergus, Timani and McCauley all very busy. Sinclair proves again he’s a tackling warhorse. Blyth far and away the best of the Reds (who are largely pretty disappointing) but perhaps he’s not playing the game plan considering he’s missed the staring team 3 weeks in a row?

Attack Efficiency

Caird – 40.17
Hosea – 19.94
LSL (Lukhan Salakaia-Loto) – 17.01
Smith – 14.05
Uru – 13.15
McCauley – 8
Everyone else is 0

Did not expect to see Caird at the top with such good numbers. The rest (perhaps other than Smith) are all expected. Thorn perhaps wants a more running lock than defensive lock considering Blyth only a 0 here?

Most penalties conceded:

Neville – 6
Hosea / LSL (Lukhan Salakaia-Loto) / Whetton – 4
Blyth / Swain - 3
Caird/ Cummins – 2
Smith / Uru / Sinclair / Timani / RHP – 1
McCauley / FLW (Fergus Lee-Warner) - 0

Lineouts

Neville - 34 (2 lost)
LSL (Lukhan Salakaia-Loto) – 17 (0)
Swain – 16 (0)
Caird – 16 (2)
Uru – 15 (2)
Hosea – 14 (0)
Blyth – 10 (1)
McCauley – 9 (0)
RHP – 7 (0)
Sinclair – 7 (1)
Whetton – 6 (0)
Timani – 6 (0)
FLW (Fergus Lee-Warner) – 5 (0)
Cummins – 4 (1)
Smith – 0

Please just use this indicatively as there were some pretty major gaps in the stats. I guess the broad generalisations we can make is Neville is crucial to the Brumbies lineout (and brilliant at it), with fine support from Swain.

Work Rate:
FLW (Fergus Lee-Warner) – 32
Sinclair – 27
Timani – 18
Neville – 16
Uru – 15
Blyth – 13
Hosea – 12
LSL (Lukhan Salakaia-Loto) – 12
McCauley – 12
RHP – 12
Caird – 11
Cummins – 11
Smith – 10
Swain – 8
Whetton – 8

FLW (Fergus Lee-Warner) just killing it, stats that don’t really surprise those who watch him. Another converted backrower Sinclair close behind. Neville rounds out a very high quality collection of stats. Swain surprisingly low.

 

[RugbyReg]

So my stats pack would be:

8 Wells
7 McReight
6 Sinclair
5 Neville
4 Hosea (assuming Caird not eligible yet?)
3 Slipper (Tupou from the bench)
2 Fainga'a (just from Kaitu’u)
1 Bell

 

[Dctarget]

Does the runaway Caboose have a higher attacking rating than Tongan Thor? Not bad for the 22 year old. Don't think he's eligible for a couple years sadly.

 

[Derpus]

LSLs stats are a bit grim.

 

[RugbyReg]

I was quite surprised by how average many of the Reds stats are. And yet their undefeated? Perhaps stats are meaningless after all.

 

[barbarian]

I'd be interested in your XV to play France tomorrow Reg, mixing the stat analysis with your sharp selectors eye.

Would much rather hear from you than all the other weirdos who populate this cesspool.

 

[James GC]

LSLs stats are a bit grim.

They do align with what we are seeing from him this year all a bit meh to the point I would start Uru ahead of him for the Reds let alone his standing for Wallabies this year.

 

[Braveheart81]

I'd be interested in your XV to play France tomorrow Reg, mixing the stat analysis with your sharp selectors eye.

Would much rather hear from you than all the other weirdos who populate this cesspool.

Didn't realise this was Rugby Reg's alt account.

 

[fatprop]

Being left out of the French tests will only improve their status, the Wobs could lose every home test this season

 

[Adam84]

Being left out of the French tests will only improve their status, the Wobs could lose every home test this season

No guesses to who the Tahs fans are

 

[Derpus]

Being left out of the French tests will only improve their status, the Wobs could lose every home test this season

Nah. The French are going to send their third team lest they interrupt their precious club comp.

I think a white-wash which makes us look a lot better than we actually are is more likely.

 

[fatprop]

No guesses to who the Tahs fans are

Have you seen how the French are playing? Unless Derpus is correct and they leave their top side at home and the rest focus on a beach, girls and beer tour with random rugby games - we are in for a really harsh reminder of our current place in the rugby hierarchy

 

[barbarian]

Have you seen how the French are playing? Unless Derpus is correct and they leave their top side at home and the rest focus on a beach, girls and beer tour with random rugby games - we are in for a really harsh reminder of our current place in the rugby hierarchy

I can see it being close but I'd be surprised if it was a whitewash. The French ran out of steam a bit in the Six Nations, and at the end of a long season, the potential for club commitments, the rigours of quarantine, I'm not sure we will get the world beaters they were a few months ago.
.

 

[Braveheart81]

It shapes up to be an excellent series if the French send their best side.

Ireland beat us 2-1 in 2018 after winning all 5 tests in that year's Six Nations. That was a very good series that went down to the wire.

France won 3 of 5 and finished second this year. I don't think they shape up as being significantly better than Ireland in 2018.

 

[fatprop]

I can see it being close but I'd be surprised if it was a whitewash. The French ran out of steam a bit in the Six Nations, and at the end of a long season, the potential for club commitments, the rigours of quarantine, I'm not sure we will get the world beaters they were a few months ago.
.

I hope you are right

 

[Purce]

Touching on a couple of discussions from a page or 2 back:

Even as a passionate Reds supporter I cannot see Mcreight ahead of Hooper. I'll be genuinely surprised if Hoops isn't starting in the tests this season. If we get a "dead rubber" I think Rennie will throw McReight in for a 7 Jersey. With the service Hooper has given to Aus rugby he has most definitely earned a sabbatical and a return to the Wallabies without being punished. His situation is very different to say a Rodda, McMahon, Kerevi or even Phillip.

The Wallabies were best last year with 10. JOC (James O'Connor) 12. To'omua. I cannot see that changing at all this year. Paisami to 13. If we are still talking about changing the wallaby captain then the clear standout for me is To'omua. The bloke oozes leadership, a calm head as well as clear communication. I don't think JOC (James O'Connor) is the answer to lead Australia.

 

[Adam84]

Have you seen how the French are playing? Unless Derpus is correct and they leave their top side at home and the rest focus on a beach, girls and beer tour with random rugby games - we are in for a really harsh reminder of our current place in the rugby hierarchy

I watched some of their 6 nations game have seen how they’re playing, and whilst young and talented they’re certainly not the all conquering team that I think they’re made out to be.

As a wallabies fan I have a lot of faith in the development of the players and squad over the last 12 months.

 

[Adam84]

Phillip set to return to the Rebels. Lock depth is improving significantly.

Phillip, Rodda, Timani all returning
Uru, Neville and Hosea all improving significantly this year.
Whilst Blyth, Swain and LSL (Lukhan Salakaia-Loto) all continue to develop steadily.

 

[Brumbieman]

I'll have a crack

1. Slips/Bell
2. Uhm...Fainga'a/?? BIg weakness here
3. Thor/AAA
4. Hosea
5. Neville
6. Valetini
7. Hooper
8. Wilson
9. White
10. Lolesio
11. Koirobete
12. Paisami
13. Ikitau/Petaia
14. Wright
15. Banks


Tough on JOC (James O'Connor) and To'omua, but To'omua is a 12 in my eyes, he's always been best there. JOC (James O'Connor) was tough to not have starting but i'd be interested to see his stats v Lolesio, I can't imagine there'd be much between them. Having him come on as a calm head in the second half would be more valuable than starting I reckon, and Lolesio wouldn't be scared of this Frog team, he's already duked it out with most of them.

This weekend will provide a lot of answers. Arnold would walk back in if he's fit as well ahead of Hosea. LSL (Lukhan Salakaia-Loto) wouldn't get near my 23 at this point.