SANZAAR Super Rugby Team of the Week
Column by SANZAAR rugby
The Super Rugby Team of the Week has representatives from eleven of the teams after a weekend that saw four away wins and 40 tries scored. At the halfway point in the tournament the three Conference leaders are Crusaders, Lions and waratahs.
Sharks flanker Jean-Luc du Preez is Player of the Week after another high quality performance. This week against the Stormers he scored a try, made 14 tackles and made 8 effective carries including two clean breaks.
|
15 |
Warrick Gelant |
Bulls |
Beat a round-high 10 defenders, made 13 carries for 64m gained and two clean breaks. |
|
14 |
Manasa Mataele |
Crusaders |
Made three clean breaks, two offloads, 11 carries for 85m gained, and crossed for a try. |
|
13 |
Lukhanyo Am |
Sharks |
Made two clean breaks from five carries, 9/10 tackles, six kicks in general play, and scored a try. |
|
12 |
Samu Kerevi |
Reds |
Scored a brace of tries, made 13 carries for 62m gained, beat six defenders and made 11/13 tackles. |
|
11 |
Rieko Ioane |
Blues |
Made a round-high five clean breaks, beat eight defenders, and gained 110m from 18 carries. |
|
10 |
Nicolas Sanchez |
Jaguares |
Made two try assists, scored 10 points from kicks (2c, 2p), made 9/9 tackles, and 10 carries for 26m gained. |
|
9 |
Michael Ruru |
Rebels |
His nine carries lead to two clean breaks, three defenders beaten, two offloads, and one try. |
|
1 |
Steven Kitschoff |
Stormers |
Made 11 carries, the equal most of any prop in Round 10, for 17m, beat two defenders, and made 9/10 tackles. |
|
2 |
Malcolm Marx |
Lions |
Made a joint round-high 11 successful throws with a 100% success rate,won a round-high four turnovers, and made three clean breaks. |
|
3 |
Thomas du Toit |
Sharks |
Made nine carries for as many metres, 8/11 tackles, one clean break, and scored one try. |
|
4 |
Matt Philip |
Rebels |
Won six lineouts, made 10 carries for 39m, two clean breaks, one offload, and 9/10 tackles. |
|
5 |
Tyler Ardron |
Chiefs |
Gained 27m from 10 carries, made 8/10 tackles, won five lineouts, and crossed for a try. |
|
6 |
Shannon Frizell |
Highlanders |
Crossed for a hat-trick of tries, made 14/15 tackles, and won two lineouts. |
|
7 |
Jean-Luc Du Preez |
Sharks |
Made the equal most offloads (5) of any player, eight carries, 14/15 tackles, two clean breaks, and crossed for a try. |
|
8 |
Amanaki Mafi |
Rebels |
Made the most carries (22) and metres gained (121) of any player, as well as the equal most offloads (5). |
Opta Index: How does it work
The Opta Index allows genuine opportunities to compare and contrast both player and team strengths and weaknesses across Super Rugby, providing real insights pre-game as follows:
After every match Opta completes a video analysis of every touch of the ball. Each action in the match is awarded a points value depending on the relative importance of the action. So for example, a try scores more points than a tackle, but a player loses points for a missed tackle.
The points are then weighted against the score at the time when the action took place (higher points if the score is closer), the time in the match (higher points at the start of the match) and the position on the pitch where it took place (higher points for actions closer to the goal line).
The player is then given a score for the match by adding up all his actions while he was on the field. The total match score is then weighted to take account of the strength of the opposition so that performances across many matches can be judged fairly.
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