Super Rugby is almost over, the Wallaby squad has been named and the Rugby Championship is just around the corner. Time for a stat SMACKDOWN.
Ewen McKenzie has inherited a team with only a few nailed on, sure-thing starters. There are plenty of positions up for grabs, and today I am going to start the ball rolling on debate over two positions- inside centre and blindside flanker.
I have picked a few simple stats (from the Foxsports website) which give a good indication of a player’s all-around game. I am comparing the players chosen in the squad, as well as a few who were regular starters in the two positions in the other provinces.
As always these are just numbers, and only tell part of the story. But it is nonetheless a good place to start when discussing the merits of certain players.
Inside Centre
It is fairly clear that Christian Lealiifano will wear the Wallaby 12 jersey against the All Blacks, however I still wanted to have a look at the stats considering the controversy surrounding the inclusion of Mike Harris and the omission of Rob Horne. I didn’t include JOC as Link has said he will more than likely play in the outside backs. Also it is worth noting that Kyle Godwin is injured (will be back in 4 weeks after having shoulder surgery) and apparently would have been included in the squad if not for that fact. This table may indicate why:
| Players | Minutes Played | Runs | Errors | Tackle Busts | Offloads | Linebreaks | Tries | Tackles made | Tackles missed | Tackle % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ant Faingaa | 848 | 59 | 5 | 16 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 94 | 25 | 79 |
| Christian Lealiifano | 1224 | 76 | 13 | 19 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 121 | 25 | 83 |
| Mike Harris | 337 | 31 | 6 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 43 | 7 | 86 |
| Kyle Godwin | 1096 | 108 | 10 | 43 | 16 | 6 | 2 | 155 | 24 | 87 |
| Rory Sidey | 1031 | 50 | 5 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 115 | 25 | 82 |
| Rob Horne | 803 | 92 | 4 | 17 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 125 | 13 | 91 |
| Ben Tapuai | 1095 | 87 | 13 | 19 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 88 | 16 | 84 |
A few quick observations:
– Kyle Godwin leads in almost every metric. I knew he was playing well, but not THAT well. I hope to see him in a gold jersey very soon.
– Ant Faingaa’s defensive stats are a bit troubling. For someone noted for his defence he is a clear last out of all the candidates.
– No evidence here as to why Rob Horne was left out. His numbers are clearly better than both Harris and Faingaa.
– Even though Benny Taps had a lean year, he has actually done OK in this analysis. Shows numbers only tell part of the story.
Blindside Flanker
A few more candidates to choose from here. I am assuming Ben Mowen will start at 8, and Link won’t take a dual-openside approach:
| Players | Minutes Played | Runs | Errors | Tackle Busts | Offloads | Pilfers/Forced Turnovers | Lineout Takes | Tackles made | Tackles missed | Tackle % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dave Dennis | 1188 | 115 | 6 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 51 | 143 | 17 | 89 |
| Hugh McMeniman | 573 | 79 | 7 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 33 | 38 | 13 | 75 |
| Peter Kimlin | 1409 | 117 | 7 | 16 | 10 | 0 | 30 | 151 | 20 | 88 |
| Ben McCalman | 791 | 112 | 3 | 13 | 8 | 3 | 9 | 128 | 13 | 91 |
| Jake Schatz | 1286 | 120 | 8 | 12 | 4 | 3 | 23 | 167 | 24 | 87 |
| Ed Quirk | 1133 | 80 | 6 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 215 | 16 | 93 |
| Luke Jones | 923 | 112 | 10 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 142 | 14 | 91 |
A few quick observations:
– Hugh McMeniman goes OK… until you see his missed tackle stats. Ouch.
– Ben McCalman has pulled down some great digits. High work rate, low error rate. A leading candidate to start.
– Dave Dennis is unremarkeable in most facets, but then you come to the lineout. If Link wants a lineout general then Dave would be a leading candidate. With Mowen already there I am not sure this is needed though.
– Peter Kimlin has had a great year, and is solid across the board here.
– Check out Ed Quirk’s tackle figures. Wow. If he can develop his running game/lineout a bit more then look out.
What do you think? Can we take anything from these stats, or are they just meaningless numbers?
Who would you start at 6 and 12?
