It’s different when it comes to finals footy right? Tighter games, not many tries scored?
Wrong.
Looking back over the eight finals games played in 2010 and 2011 (two years in the same universe, at least when it comes to breakdown interpretations, thereby affecting scoring) we see that unlike Aussie derbies, Super Rugby finals are anything but dour affairs.
[one_third last=”no”]
Difference
The average points difference per game is 15.5 — and the only game won within 7 points was last year’s Reds-Saders final.[/one_third]
[one_third last=”no”]
Tries
The average number of tries scored by the winning team per match is 2.25. (In only two games did the winner score just one try.)[/one_third]
[one_third last=”yes”]
Points
The winning team scores on average 28 points, 15 of them from tries and 13 from penalty goals.[/one_third]
So what?
Well, it does leave us with a conundrum. Five out of our six finalists are in the top half of the try scoring league — the exception being the Stormers, who have the worst try-scoring record (1.8 per match) of the whole Super Rugby competition in 2012, and yet topped the table.
Obviously though, this is balanced out by the fact that they concede the lowest number of tries (1.3 per match), still fewer even than they score.
Will this year’s title be decided ‘as God intended’ — with tries and not kicks?
A storm is brewing.
Stats thanks to Rucking Good Stats
