Super 14: Stats to date
2009-02-27 08:22Email | Print

Handling error serial offender, Earl Rose (Gallo Images)
Duane Heath

Cape Town - South Africa’s Super 14 players made over a thousand tackles but conceded more than 250 turnovers and spilled the ball nearly 300 times in the first two weeks of the 2009 tournament.

Statistics provided exclusively to sport24 by New Zealand-based Verusco, suppliers of video analysis systems to most of the South African Super 14 teams, have revealed some interesting numbers for local coaches to chew on as the 14 teams start to jockey for early-season positions in what is proving to be, at this stage at least, a wide-open race to the play-offs.

In the coming weeks, when we will have more data to work with, we’ll compare the five SA franchises to their Antipodean rivals, but for now let’s look to see which of the Bulls, Cheetahs, Lions, Sharks and Stormers have the most skeletons hiding in the statistical cupboard.

As already mentioned, SA’s players – all 111 of them who have made an appearance so far for the five franchises – have executed a total of 1 158 tackles at an efficiency of 72%, with all five teams averaging between 69% (Lions) and 73% (Cheetahs, Sharks).

In-form Bulls centre Wynand Olivier has made the most tackles (28) of any South African, followed by Lions flanker Cobus Grobbelaar (26), while Morné Steyn, Deon Stegmann and Juan Smith each made 25 hits.

Of the combined 448 tackles our teams missed, 107 were by the Stormers, 96 by the Bulls, 85 each by the Lions and Cheetahs, and 75 by the Sharks.

Nine players missed 10 or more tackles in the first two matches, with the three worst offenders being top-class forwards Pierre Spies (16), Grobbelaar (15) and Schalk Brits (13). But even more concerning is that four flyhalves – Earl Rose (13), Peter Grant (12), Ruan Pienaar and Meyer Bosman (10 apiece) – are among the nine worst tacklers with the odd man out – Bulls No 10 Steyn – proving to be not only a very good kicker but also an excellent tackler, having missed just five from 30 for an efficiency of 83.33%.

When it comes to turnovers, the Lions and Stormers each conceded 58 (in only 160 minutes of rugby!) out of SA’s total of 254, with the least going to the Cheetahs (42), followed by the Bulls (43) and Sharks (53).

The worst individual offenders were Cheetahs flyhalf/centre Jacques-Louis Potgieter (11), Sharks centre Francois Steyn (10), and a trio of Lions in hooker Willie Wepener (7), lock Anton van Zyl and flyhalf Rose (6).

The Lions were also the chief culprits when it came to lineouts lost on own throw: whether it was the fault of Wepener (10 conceded), replacement hooker Hans van Dyk (4), their jumpers or a combination of both, the team lost 14 lineouts – the same as the other four franchises combined!

The best in this department were the Bulls: they have lost just two lineouts – both when Chiliboy Ralepelle was on the field for starting hooker Derick Kuun. The Cheetahs lost three when reserve No 2 Richardt Strauss had replaced his cousin, Springbok Adriaan; the Sharks’ Springbok hookers John Smit and Bismarck du Plessis lost just three between them; while at the Stormers Schalk Brits has been the man throwing in during which the side has lost five throws.

When it comes to line breaks in the opening fortnight, the Sharks easily lead the pack with 29, ahead of the Stormers (19), Lions (18), Bulls (17) and Cheetahs (11). Individually, the most has so far has gone to Lions wing Henno Mentz, Steyn (6 each) and Sharks scrumhalf Rory Kockott (5).

And finally… handling errors. Of the 286 made by South African teams in the first two weeks, the Lions topped the list with 70 (at an average of one every two minutes and seventeen seconds!), followed by the Sharks and Stormers with 60 each, the Cheetahs with 49 and the Bulls with 47.

Those players with six or more handling errors in their first two games were: Lions – Rose and Mentz (10), Grobbelaar (7), Ashwin Willemse and Doppies la Grange (6); Cheetahs – Tewis de Bruyn (7), Meyer Bosman and Danwel Demas (6); Stormers – Ricky Januarie (10), Jean de Villiers (8); Sharks – Johann Muller (8), Steyn (7), Kockott (6). For the Bulls, only Bok wing Bryan Habana (6) makes the list.

So…while the highlights channels suggest that there’s a lot to be excited about this year from an SA perspective, on closer inspection there are also a number of early warning signs which cannot be ignored: as in previous years, our teams are dropping the ball too often, conceding too many turnovers and not conjuring up enough line breaks.

But, on the plus side, South Africans are doing what South Africans have always done to stay in contention – they’re making tackles by the hundred!

Join us again on Tuesday for a review of Week 3’s games and the new SA Team of the Week, according to nothing more than the cold-hard stats.

Duane Heath is editor of SANZAR’s 2009 Super 14 Media Guide and co-editor of the 2009 Sasol SA Rugby Annual, on sale soon.

Verusco are suppliers of video analysis systems to most of the South African Super 14 teams. Find out more at http://www.verusco.com or email info@verusco.com

Ek sal dit regtig waardeer as ons behoorlike terugnoer kan kry, veral van bestuur se kant ook…

Ek is ‘n volbloed Cheetah, gebore in Cheetah land… Ek verwag ook darem antwoorde op ons vrae, a.u.b.

Go Cheetah’s Go !!!
Go Cheetah’s Go !!!
Go Cheetah’s Go !!!

Ek het ook vanoggend aan die VRU ‘n email gestuur om te vra dat hulle senior bestuur bietjie vrae antwoord op die blog, maar nog geen terug terugvoer gekry nie - is maar seker te wagte. Ons is mos maar net die ondersteuners en lyk my geen waarde word daaraan geheg nie.

Dis tyd vir bietjie nuwe bloed wat met geesdrif die unie wil beheer. Dit kan dalk net beter gaan.