THE RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP 2015
STATISTICAL REPORT
WORLD RUGBY GAME ANALYSIS
THE RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP 2015 STATISTICAL REPORT
WORLD RUGBY GAME ANALYSIS
FINAL RESULTS AND STANDINGS
P
W D
L
PF
PA
PD
TF
TA
BP
PTS
Australia
3
3
-
-
85
48
+37
10
4
1
13
New Zealand
3
2
-
1
85
65
+20
10
7
1
9
Argentina
3
1
-
2
64
98
-34
7
12
1
5
South Africa
3
-
-
3
65
88
-23
6
10
2
2
P = Played
W = Won
D = Draw
L = Lost
PF = Points for
PA = Points against
PD = Points difference TF = Tries for TA = Tries against BP = Bonus Points PTS = Points
2
2
New Zealand
39 - 18
Argentina
Australia
24 - 20
South Africa
South Africa
20 - 27
New Zealand
Argentina
9 - 34
Australia
Australia
27 - 19
New Zealand
South Africa
25 - 37
Argentina
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WORLD RUGBY GAME ANALYSIS
COMMENTARY
The Rugby Championship has been in existence for four years.
Over this period, there have been two constants


The domination of the tournament by New Zealand, and
The challenge to Argentina in a competition that comprises three of the highest four teams in the IRB rankings.
In this year’s competition, there were changes. Australia headed the table, New Zealand lost one game to Australia
and finished second while Argentina won a match for the second year running, beating South Africa.
Despite their one defeat however, New Zealand continue to dominate the event. The following table shows that over
the four year period, New Zealand




won 18 of 21 matches
won 14 of those 18 matches by 10 or more points
were the best attacking team scoring 30 per cent more tries than their nearest rival
were the best defensive team with each their opponents conceding almost 50 per cent more tries
MATCHES PLAYED
MATCHES WON
MATCHES DRAWN
% WON BY >10pts
% LOST BY <10pts
POINTS SCORED
POINTS CONCEDED
TRIES SCORED
TRIES CONCEDED
150321 RJ 6 NATIONS 2015 STATISTICAL REPORT
NZL
RSA
AUS
ARG
21
18
1
14/18
2/2
625
337
70
30
21
10
1
6/10
6/10
516
424
54
46
21
10
1
2/10
2/10
434
515
39
44
21
2
1
1/2
7/16
334
645
30
70
3
THE RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP 2015 STATISTICAL REPORT
WORLD RUGBY GAME ANALYSIS
This year, Argentina celebrated their second win, which was the culmination of a steady improvement throughout the
four years of the competition as shown in the following table:
ARG
MATCHES PLAYED
MATCHES WON
MATCHES LOST
LOST BY <10pts
MATCHES DRAWN
POINTS SCORED
POINTS CONCEDED
TRIES SCORED
TRIES CONCEDED
2015
2014
2013
2012
3
1
2
0/2
64
98
7
12
6
1
5
3/5
102
157
9
17
6
6
2/6
88
224
7
25
6
5
2/5
1
80
166
7
16
With Rugby World Cup being played in 2015, an exercise was undertaken comparing the shape of the game between
the two major annual rugby competitions, 6 Nations and The Rugby Championship. The following table shows the
profiles of each competition.
It shows that 35 per cent more tries were scored in The Rugby Championship. If the exceptional last round matches
are excluded from the 6 Nations comparative figure, the Rugby Championship averaged almost the double a number
of tries per game. There were no noticeable differences in the other areas of the game.
6 NATIONS 2015
MATCHES
AVG. POINTS SCORED
AVG. TRIES SCORED
% OF POINTS FROM TRIES
BALL IN PLAY
AVG. PASSES
AVG. RUCK/MAULS
AVG. KICKS
AVG. LINEOUTS
AVG. SCRUMS
AVG. PENALTIES/FKS
AVG. CARDS
4
4
15
44
4.1
48%
46%
287
190
44
24
12
23
15 + 0
THE RUGBY
CHAMPIONSHIP 2015
6
50
5.5
55%
43%
305
170
35
22
14
24
6+0
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WORLD RUGBY GAME ANALYSIS
MATCH FACTS























With RWC starting in mid September 2015, this year’s Championship was restricted to six matches
with each team playing each other once.
Australia won the tournament, winning all three matches – South Africa were the least successful team
losing their three matches
All six matches were won by the team scoring the most tries
The average number of tries scored – 5.5 per game, exceeded the average number of penalty goals
per game – 4.5
Two thirds of tries were scored in the second half – two thirds of penalty goals were scored in the first
half
There were 33 tries scored giving a try scoring rate of one try every 6 minutes 15 seconds of play
There were three matches (50 per cent) with a margin of 10 points or fewer.
43 per cent of tries came from lineout possession, 18 per cent from scrum possession. 39 per cent
came from open play.
15 per cent or 1 in 7 tries came from possession gained from inside the scoring team’s own half
46 per cent of tries came from within 22metres of the opponents goal line
70 per cent of tries contained two or fewer rucks/mauls
58 per cent of tries contained three or fewer passes
Two thirds of tries were scored by backs
Conversion success rate was 76 per cent; penalty goal success rate was 66 per cent
Ball in play was 43 per cent or 34mins 21secs
All three matches with the least ball in play included Argentina
The winning team had the least possession in four of the six matches
Per game, there was an average of 305 passes,170 rucks and mauls and 35 kicks
19 per cent of passes were made by forwards
Ruck retention rate was 94 per cent, lineout retention was 90 per cent with scrum retention 88 per cent
Half of all lineouts were not contested
There was an average of 22 lineouts per game and 14 scrums
Penalties averaged 24 per game – there were 6 yellow cards
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THE RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP 2015 STATISTICAL REPORT
WORLD RUGBY GAME ANALYSIS
TEAM FACTS
AUSTRALIA
Australia won the Championship winning all three matches
6
6

Together with New Zealand they scored the most points – they conceded the fewest

They scored almost 50 per cent more tries than penalty goals

They conceded just over one try per game

They scored eight of their 10 tries in the second half; they conceded three of their four tries in the second half

They had the best defence

50 per cent of their tries came from lineout possession

50 per cent of their tries came from their opponents 22m

Only one of their tries contained no rucks or mauls ( New Zealand had five)

All 10 tries contained at least one pass

Seven of their 10 tries were scored by backs

They had the least successful kick at goal rate (64 per cent)

They obtained the highest amount of overall possession

Their forwards made 17% of all passes

They had the highest rucking rate

They kicked the least

Their scrum half and back three backs kicked the least

They received more contestable restarts than any other team and had the best receiving percentage

Almost 90 per cent of their restarts were kicked long

50 per cent of penalties went in their favour – 50 per cent went in favour of the opposition

Of 33 peanlty options, not one was taken as tap kick

They received three yellow cards – which was more than any other team
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WORLD RUGBY GAME ANALYSIS
NEW ZEALAND
New Zealand came second, winning three of their four matches

They scored an average of 28 points per match – the same as Australia

They scored 10 tries in three matches – the same as Australia

While Australia conceded four tries, New Zealand conceded seven

Seven of their 10 tries were scored in the second half as were six of their opponents seven tries

They had the highest scoring rate, scoring a try for every 4m 48secs of possession

Seven of their 10 tries came from lineout or scrum possession

Four tries wee scored from scrum possession – twice as many as the other three teams combined

They were the only team not to score from an opponents kick

They were the only team not to score a try from inside their own half

Half of their tries did not contain a single ruck or maul – four of their 10 tries did not contain a pass

Half their tries were scored by forwards – half by backs

Their kick at goal success rate was 67 per cent

They had less possession than their opponents in all three matches

They had the highest passing rate

Their forwards made 35 per cent of all their passes

Both their forwards and backs were the most likely forwards and backs to pass the ball

They kicked the most

Just over half their restarts were contestable

They had a 100% success on their own lineout – only 23 per cent were contested

They contested 66 per cent of opponents lineout

They had the most successful scrum

They took five scrum options at penalties – more than the other three teams combined

They were awarded 32 penalties – and conceded 34

They kicked penalties and free kicks into touch far less than any other team – and tapped more

They conceded 2 yellow cards
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THE RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP 2015 STATISTICAL REPORT
WORLD RUGBY GAME ANALYSIS
ARGENTINA
Argentina came third, their win being away against South Africa
8
8

They scored the fewest number of points albeit just one fewer than South Africa

They conceded the most points – an average of 33 points per game

They scored the fewest number of tries

They conceded the most

They kicked the only drop goal

Three tries were scored in the first half – three in the second

Their opponents scored eight of their 12 tries in the second half

Four of their six tries were scored from inside their opponents 22

Five of their six tries contained one or fewer rucks and mauls

Five of their six tries contained three or fewer passes

Backs scored four of their six tries

Their kick at goal success rate was 75 per cent

They averaged less possession than any other team

Their forwards made 15 per cent of all passes- a lower proportion than any other team

Their back three backs were the most likely to kick

They kicked the highest proportion of contestable restarts

They contested the lineout less than any other team

They were the most successful on opposition scrums

They were awarded more scrum penalties than any other team

They were the most penalized team

They conceded one yellow card
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WORLD RUGBY GAME ANALYSIS
SOUTH AFRICA
South Africa lost all three matches

They lost their three matches by four, seven and twelve points respectively

Four of their seven tries were scored in the first half – their opponents scored five tries in each half

They were the only team not to score a try from scrum possession

Five of their seven tries were scored by backs

They had the most successful kick at goal rate – 80 per cent

They had the lowest passing rate

Their second row was the least likely second row to pass the ball – their centres were also the least
likely

They had the most successful breakdown, albeit marginally

Their centres did not kick the ball once in three matches

They had the least success in regaining contestable restarts

They received half as many contestable restarts than any other team

They lost the most lineout steals and with Argentina won the least

They contested only one in three of their opponents lineout

They had the least success on opponents scrums

They received a higher proportion of penalties than any other team

They did not receive a single yellow card
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THE RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP 2015 STATISTICAL REPORT
WORLD RUGBY GAME ANALYSIS
OVERALL SUMMARY
THE RUGBY
CHAMPIONSHIP
2015
6 matches
THE RUGBY
CHAMPIONSHIP
2014
12 matches
THE RUGBY
CHMPIONSHIP
2013
12 matches
THE RUGBY
CHAMPIONSHIP
2012
12 matches
Avg. points
50
43
52
40
Avg. tries
5.5
4.2
5.5
3.7
Avg. penalty goals
4.5
5.3
5.5
5.4
Conversion success
78%
70%
74%
68%
1
3
-
1
34m 21s = 43%
42%
40%
41%
Avg. passes
305
272
235
234
Avg. ruck/mauls
170
166
146
152
Ruck/Maul success
94%
94%
93%
93%
35
44
47
49
22
26
28
29
90%
85%
84%
87%
14
12
14
13
Scrum success
88%
85%
80%
90%
Contestable 50m restart regain
success
18%
20%
33%
13%
24
23
22
23
6+0
8+0
19 +1
9+0
Scoring
Total drop goals
General play
Avg. ball in play
Avg. kicks
Set piece
Avg. lineouts
Lineout success
Avg. scrums
Discipline
Avg. penalties/ fks
Total cards
10
10
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TEAM SUMMARY
ARGENTINA
Scoring
AUSTRALIA
SOUTH AFRICA
NEW ZELAND
2015
2014
2015
2014
2015
2014
2015
2014
Total Points Scored
64
105
85
114
65
134
85
164
Total Points Conceded
98
157
48
160
88
110
65
91
Total Tries Scored
6
9
10
10
7
13
10
18
Total Tries Conceded
12
17
4
16
10
10
7
7
Total Penalty Goals Scored
7
15
7
17
6
15
7
16
Total Penalty Goals Conceded
8
16
8
19
5
15
6
13
Points From Tries
47%
43%
59%
43%
54%
49%
59%
55%
Kicks At Goal Success
75%
66%
64%
77%
80%
77%
67%
74%
Drop Goal Success Rate
1 of 4
1 of 4
-
0 of 0
-
2 of 3
-
0 of 0
Avg. Possession
15m
39
16m
55
19m
36
17m
07
17m
26
18m
24
16m
03
16m
44
Avg. Passes
131
121
172
148
137
111
171
164
Avg. Ruck/Mauls
75
82
102
93
86
80
75
77
93%
95%
94%
94%
95%
93%
92%
92%
15
22
18
15
18
27
18
24
Own Lineout Success
92%
84%
87%
81%
86%
86%
100%
89%
Own Scrum Success
80%
88%
94%
76%
81%
84%
96%
90%
3 in 18
1 in 4
1 in 2
1 in 5
1 in 11
1 in 7
2 in 9
1 in 5
Penalties & F/Ks For
45%
53%
50%
47%
57%
52%
49%
48%
Penalties& F/Ks Against
55%
47%
50%
53%
43%
48%
51%
52%
1
0
3
3
0
1
2
4
General play
Ruck/Maul Retention
Avg. Kicks
Set piece
Own Contestable
50m Restart Success
Discipline
Yellow/Red Cards
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THE RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP 2015 STATISTICAL REPORT
WORLD RUGBY GAME ANALYSIS
1. SCORING
IMPACT OF TRIES AND PENALTY GOALS ON MATCH RESULTS
The winning team scored the most tries in 16 or 100 per cent of matches.
WON SCORING
MORE TRIES
WON SCORING
EQUAL TRIES
WON SCORING
LESS TRIES
Australia
3
-
-
New Zealand
2
-
-
Argentina
1
-
-
South Africa
-
-
-
SCORING MARGINS
There were three matches with a margin of 10 points or fewer. The following table groups all scoring margins.
POINTS
DIFFERENCE
Draw
1–5
6 – 10
11 – 20
21 – 30
31+
NO OF
MATCHES
1
2
1
2
CUMULATIVE
drawn
1 with 5 points or less
3 with 10 points or less
4 with 20 points or less
6 with 30 points or less
-
The following tables show the winning and losing margins for each team.
12
12
WON
BY
31 +
WON
BY
21 - 30
WON
BY
11 - 20
WON
BY
1 - 10
D
R
A
W
LOST
BY
1 - 10
LOST
BY
11 - 20
LOST
BY
21 - 30
LOST
BY
31 +
Australia
-
1
-
2
-
-
-
-
-
New Zealand
-
1
-
1
-
1
-
-
-
Argentina
-
-
1
-
-
-
-
2
-
South Africa
-
-
-
-
-
2
1
-
-
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WORLD RUGBY GAME ANALYSIS
POINTS SCORING & CONCEDING
There were 299 points scored, giving an average of 50 points per match.
The following table shows a breakdown of all points scored.
Tries
Conversions
Penalty Goals
Drop Goals
TOTAL
AVERAGE
POINTS
%
33
25
27
1
5.5
4.2
4.5
0.2
165
50
81
3
55%
17%
27%
1%
The following table shows the total and average points scored and conceded per team.
POINTS SCORED
TOTAL
AVERAGE
Australia
85
28
New Zealand
85
South Africa
Argentina
POINTS CONCEDED
TOTAL
AVERAGE
Australia
48
16
28
New Zealand
65
22
65
22
South Africa
88
29
64
21
Argentina
98
33
The following table shows the breakdown of points scored by each team.
TRIES
SCORED
PENALTY
GOALS
SCORED
DROP
GOALS
SCORED
% POINTS
SCORED
FROM TRIES
% POINTS
SCORED
FROM KICKS
TRIES : PK
SCORED
Australia
10
7
-
59%
41%
1.4 : 1
New Zealand
10
7
-
59%
41%
1.4 : 1
South Africa
7
6
-
54%
46%
1.2 : 1
Argentina
6
7
1
47%
53%
0.9 : 1
The following table shows the breakdown of points conceded by each team.
% POINTS
PENALTY
DROP
TRIES
CONCEDED
GOALS
GOALS
CONCEDED
FROM
CONCEDED CONCEDED
TRIES
% POINTS
CONCEDED
FROM
KICKS
TRIES : PK
CONCEDED
Australia
4
8
-
42%
58%
1 : 2.1
New
Zealand
7
6
-
54%
46%
1.2 : 1
Argentina
12
8
-
61%
39%
0.7 : 1
South Africa
10
5
1
57%
43%
2.0 : 1
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THE RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP 2015 STATISTICAL REPORT
WORLD RUGBY GAME ANALYSIS
TIMING OF SCORES – TRIES & PENALTY GOALS
The following table shows when tries and penalty goals were scored.
TRIES
%
PENALTY GOALS
%
First Half
11
33%
18
67%
Second Half
22
67%
9
33%
The following tables show the number of tries and penalty goals scored and conceded per half per team.
TRIES
FIRST HALF
PENALTY GOALS
SECOND HALF
FIRST HALF
SECOND HALF
OWN
OPP
OWN
OPP
OWN
OPP
OWN
OPP
Australia
2
1
8
3
2
6
5
2
New Zealand
3
1
7
6
5
4
2
2
Argentina
3
4
3
8
6
5
1
3
South Africa
3
5
4
5
5
3
1
2
RATE OF TRY SCORING & CONCEDING
There were 33 tries scored giving a try scoring rate of one try every 6 minutes 15 seconds of play.
The following tables show the rate of try scoring and the rate of try conceding for each team. This is a measure
of each team’s success in converting possession into tries and their opponent’s success in converting possession
into tries.
TRY CONCEDING
RATE
TRY SCORING RATE
Australia
14
14
I try every 5m 53s
Australia
1 try every 12m 57s
New Zealand
4m 48s
New Zealand
7m 51s
South Africa
7m 28s
Argentina
4m 00s
Argentina
7m 49s
South Africa
5m 08s
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WORLD RUGBY GAME ANALYSIS
SOURCE OF TRIES
The following table shows the possession source of tries.
TRY SOURCE
Lineout
Turnover/Handling Error
Opponents Kick
Penalty/Free Kick
Scrum
Restart
14 = 43%
4 = 12%
5 = 15%
2 = 6%
6 = 18%
2 = 6%
The following table shows the source of tries scored and conceded by each team.
LINEOUT
SCRUM
PEN & FK
KICK
TURNOVER
RESTART
TOTAL
OWN
OPP
OWN
OPP
OWN
OPP
OWN
OPP
OWN
OPP
OWN
OPP
OWN
OPP
Australia
5
2
1
1
-
-
2
1
1
-
1
-
10
4
New Zealand
3
5
4
-
-
-
-
-
2
2
1
-
10
7
South Africa
3
4
-
3
1
1
2
1
1
1
-
-
7
10
Argentina
3
3
1
2
1
1
1
3
-
1
-
2
6
12
ORIGIN OF TRIES
The following table shows the origin of tries.
TRY ORIGIN
Own Half
Halfway to 10m
10m to 22m
22m to goal line
5 = 15%
2 = 6%
11 = 33%
15 = 46%
The following table shows the origin of tries scored and conceded per team.
OWN HALF
HW – 10m
10m – 22m
22m - TRY
TOTAL
OWN
OPP
OWN
OPP
OWN
OPP
OWN
OPP
OWN
OPP
Australia
2
1
-
1
3
2
5
-
10
4
New Zealand
-
-
2
-
4
4
4
3
10
7
South Africa
2
1
-
1
3
2
2
6
7
10
Argentina
1
3
-
-
1
3
4
6
6
12
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THE RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP 2015 STATISTICAL REPORT
WORLD RUGBY GAME ANALYSIS
NUMBER OF RUCKS & MAULS IN BUILD UP TO TRIES
The following table show the number of rucks & mauls that preceded each try.
Rucks & Mauls
NUMBER
%
CUMULATIVE %
12
9
2
10
37%
27%
6%
30%
37%
64%
70%
100%
0 R/Ms
1 R/Ms
2 R/Ms
3+ R/Ms
The following table shows the number of ruck/mauls in the build up to tries scored and conceded per team.
NO R/Ms
1 R/Ms
2 R/Ms
3+ R/Ms
TOTAL
OWN
OPP
OWN
OPP
OWN
OPP
OWN
OPP
OWN
OPP
Australia
1
1
5
-
1
-
3
3
10
4
New
Zealand
5
1
1
2
1
1
3
3
10
7
South Africa
3
5
1
2
-
1
3
2
7
10
Argentina
3
5
2
5
-
-
1
2
6
12
NUMBER OF PASSES IN BUILD UP TO TRIES
The following table shows the number of passes that preceded each try.
Passes
NUMBER
%
CUMULATIVE %
0
1-3
4-6
7-9
10+
7
12
6
4
4
21%
37%
18%
12%
12%
21%
58%
75%
87%
100%
The following table shows the number of passes in the build up to tries scored and conceded per team.
16
16
NO PASSES
1 – 3 PASSES
4 – 6 PASSES
7 – 9 PASSES
10+ PASSES
OWN
OPP
OWN
OPP
OWN
OPP
OWN
OPP
OWN
OPP
OWN
OPP
Australia
-
-
5
1
2
1
2
1
1
1
10
4
New Zealand
4
2
1
2
3
1
-
1
2
1
10
7
South Africa
1
1
3
4
1
3
1
2
1
-
7
10
Argentina
2
4
3
5
-
1
1
-
-
2
6
12
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TOTAL
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WORLD RUGBY GAME ANALYSIS
TRY SCORERS
The following table shows when tries and penalty goals were scored.
TOTAL
TRIES
21
Tries by Backs
Tries by Forwards
Penalty Tries
TRIES %
64%
12
36%
-
-
The following table shows the number and percentage of tries scored by backs and forwards per team.
TRIES BY
BACKS
TRIES BY
FORWARDS
PENALTY
TRIES
TOT
%
TOT
%
TOT
%
South Africa
5
71
2
29
-
-
Australia
7
70
3
30
-
-
Argentina
4
67
2
33
-
-
New Zealand
5
50
5
50
-
-
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2. KICKS AT GOAL
The following table shows kick success rates.
Conversions
Penalty Goals
Drop Goals
KICKING
SUCCESS
76%
66%
1 of 4
The following table shows the kicking success for penalty goals, conversions and drop goals per team.
18
18
PENALTY
SUCCESS
CONVERSION
SUCCESS
OVERALL
SUCCESS
DROP GOAL
SUCCESS
South Africa
6 of 8
6 of 7
80%
-
Argentina
7 of 10
5 of 6
75%
1 of 4
New Zealand
7 of 11
7 of 10
67%
-
Australia
7 of 12
7 of 10
64%
-
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3. BALL IN PLAY & POSSESSION
The average ball in play time per match was 34m 21s or 43 per cent.
The highest ball in play in any match was 39m 59s or 50 per cent and the lowest was 29m 42s or 37 per cent.
The table below shows the ball in play times and possession times for each match and team. The winning team
won, with less possession in four matches (highlighted in gold).
TEAM
New Zealand
Australia
South Africa
Argentina
South Africa
Australia
POSSESSION
TIME
15:12
23:04
18:24
17:32
16:58
19:50
%
TEAM
48%
58%
54%
53%
57%
53%
Argentina
South Africa
New Zealand
Australia
Argentina
New Zealand
POSSESSION
TIME
16:41
16:54
15:35
15:52
12:44
17:19
%
52%
42%
46%
47%
43%
47%
TOTAL
TIME
31m 53
39m 59
34m 00
33m 25
29m 42
37m 09
% BIP
40%
50%
43%
42%
37%
46%
The following table shows the average possession time and the proportion of possession per match obtained by
each team and their opponents.
OWN
POSSESSION
AVERAGE
OPP
POSSESSION
AVERAGE
OWN
POSSESSION
%
OPP
POSSESSION
%
Australia
19m 36secs
17m 16secs
Australia
53%
47%
South Africa
17m 26secs
17m 08secs
South Africa
50%
50%
New Zealand
16m 03secs
18m 18secs
Argentina
49%
51%
Argentina
15m 39secs
16m01secs
New Zealand
47%
53%
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WORLD RUGBY GAME ANALYSIS
4.
OPEN PLAY
Open play activity includes passes, ruck & mauls and kicks. The following table shows the average number and rate
of passes, ruck/mauls and kicks per match.
RATE
FREQUENCY OF
PASSING
One every 7secs
One every 13 secs
One every 60secs
AVG. PER
MATCH
Passes
Rucks & Mauls
Kicks
305
170
35
PASSING
The average number of passes per match was 305 and the passing rate was one every seven seconds of
possession.
The most passes in a match was 336 (Australia v South Africa) and the least was 249 (South Africa v Argentina).
The following table shows the average, the most, the least and the passing frequency rate per team.
AVG. PASSES PER
MATCH
MOST
LEAST
RATE
FREQUENCY OF PASSING
New Zealand
171
205
142
1 every 6secs
Australia
172
227
127
1 every 7secs
Argentina
131
162
147
1 every 7secs
South Africa
137
157
109
1 every 8secs
The following table shows frequency of passing movements for each team. Overall, 22 per cent of all passing
movements contained three or more passes.
20
20
1 PASS
2 PASS
3+ PASS
New Zealand
43%
25%
32%
Argentina
54%
27%
19%
Australia
59%
22%
19%
South Africa
60%
23%
17%
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PLAYER PASSING
The following table shows the proportion of all passes made by forwards, scrum halves and backs.
%
Passes By Forwards
Passes By Scrum Half
Passes By Backs
19%
47%
34%
The following table shows the number and proportion of passes made by the forwards, the scrum half and backs
of each team.
PASSES BY
FORWARDS
%
PASSES BY
SCRUM HALF
%
PASSES BY
BACKS
%
New Zealand
128
25%
188
37%
198
39%
South Africa
75
18%
212
52%
124
30%
Australia
88
17%
256
50%
170
33%
Argentina
59
15%
203
52%
131
33%
The following tables show how often forwards and backs of each team passed the ball.
FORWARDS
PASS : POSSESSION
RATIO
BACKS
PASS : POSSESSION
RATIO
New Zealand
1 every 2.0
New Zealand
1 every 1.8
Australia
1 every 2.9
Argentina
1 every 2.0
South Africa
1 every 3.0
Australia
1 every 2.1
Argentina
1 every 3.4
South Africa
1 every 2.3
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Overall, forwards passed the ball once in every 2.7 possessions. The following tables show how often front rows,
second rows and back rows of each team passed the ball.
FRONT ROW
PASS :
POSSESSION
SECOND ROW
PASS :
POSSESSION
BACK ROW
PASS :
POSSESSION
Australia
1 every 2.5
New Zealand
1 every 2.0
New Zealand
1 every 1.7
South Africa
1 every 3.0
Australia
1 every 3.8
South Africa
1 every 2.3
New Zealand
1 every 3.0
Argentina
1 every 4.2
Australia
1 every 2.9
Argentina
1 every 3.5
South Africa
1 every 10.8
Argentina
1 every 3.2
Overall, backs passed the ball every 2.0 possessions. The following tables show how often fly halves, centres
and back threes of each team passed the ball.
FLY HALF
PASS :
POSSESSION
22
22
CENTRES
PASS :
POSSESSION
BACK THREE
PASS :
POSSESSION
New Zealand
1 every 1.3
New Zealand
1 every 1.9
South Africa
1 every 2.1
Argentina
1 every 1.4
Argentina
1 every 2.0
New Zealand
1 every 2.3
Australia
1 every 1.6
Australia
1 every 2.0
Argentina
1 every 3.1
South Africa
1 every 1.9
South Africa
1 every 3.9
Australia
1 every 3.9
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WORLD RUGBY GAME ANALYSIS
RUCKS & MAULS
The average number of ruck/mauls per match was 170 and the ruck/maul rate was one every 13 seconds of
possession.
The most ruck/mauls in a match was 215 (Australia v South Africa) and the least was 132 (South Africa v
Argentina)
The following table shows the average, the most, the least and the ruck/maul frequency rate per team.
AVERAGE R/Ms
PER MATCH
MOST
LEAST
FREQUENCY RATE
OF R/Ms
Australia
102
134
64
1 every 11secs
South Africa
86
95
81
1 every 12secs
Argentina
75
91
51
1 every 13secs
New Zealand
75
81
68
1 every 13secs
RUCK & MAUL RETENTION
The retention rate at ruck/mauls was 94 per cent.
The following table shows how often each team retained ruck/maul possession and how often each team turned
over opposition possession.
SUCCESS IN OWN
RUCK/MAULS
SUCCESS IN OPP
RUCK/MAULS
South Africa
95%
9%
Australia
94%
7%
Argentina
93%
6%
New Zealand
92%
3%
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KICKING
The average number of kicks per match was 35 and the kick rate was one every 60 secs of possession.
The most kicks in a match was 49 (Australia v South Africa) and the least was 25 (South Africa v Argentina).
The following table shows the average, the most, the least and the kick frequency rate by each team.
AVERAGE KICKS
PER MATCH
MOST
LEAST
FREQUENCY RATE
OF KICKS
Australia
18
23
15
1 every 65secs
Argentina
15
17
12
1 every 63secs
South Africa
18
26
8
1 every 58secs
New Zealand
18
21
12
1 every 53secs
PLAYER KICKING
Overall, scrum halves kicked every 18.2 possessions and backs kicked every 8.3 possessions. The following
tables show the scrum half, fly half, centres and back threes kick frequency for each team.
SCRUM HALF
KICK : POSSESSION
FLY HALF
KICK : POSSESSION
New Zealand
1 every 11
Australia
1 every 5
South Africa
1 every 17
South Africa
1 every 5
Argentina
1 every 25
Argentina
1 every 6
Australia
1 every 27
New Zealand
1 every 7
CENTRES
KICK : POSSESSION
24
24
BACK THREE
KICK : POSSESSION
Australia
1 every 14
Argentina
1 every 6
Argentina
1 every 16
South Africa
1 every 7
New Zealand
1 every 19
New Zealand
1 every 11
South Africa
No kicks made
Australia
1 every 18
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5. SET PIECE
50m RESTARTS
The following table shows the proportion of 50m restarts that were contestable and the success rates of
contestable restarts.
50m RESTARTS
Contestable
Not Contestable
Receiving – Success
Regaining – Success
61%
39%
82%
18%
The following tables show the success per team on own and opposition 50m restarts by each team.
SUCCESS
RECEIVING CONTESTABLE
50m RESTARTS
SUCCESS
REGAINING CONTESTABLE
50m RESTARTS
Australia
12 in 13
Australia
1 in 2
Argentina
8 in 10
Argentina
3 in 18
New Zealand
8 in 11
New Zealand
2 in 9
South Africa
5 in 6
South Africa
1 in 11
The following table shows the type of 50m restart received and kicked by each team.
TYPE OF 50m RESTARTS
KICKED
TYPE OF 50m RESTARTS
RECEIVED
CONTESTABLE
NOT CONTESTABLE
CONTESTABLE
NOT CONTESTABLE
Australia
72%
28%
Australia
14%
86%
Argentina
67%
33%
Argentina
86%
14%
New Zealand
65%
35%
New Zealand
56%
44%
South Africa
38%
62%
South Africa
73%
27%
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LINEOUTS
The following table shows the average number of lineouts per match, the most/least number of lineouts in a match,
the proportion of lineouts contested and the lineout retention rates.
LINEOUTS
Average Per Match
Most In A Match
Least In A Match
Success
Contested
22
25
17
90%
51%
The following table shows the success per team on their own lineouts.
OWN LINEOUTS
SUCCESS
CONTESTED
STEALS
New Zealand
100%
23%
-
Argentina
92%
62%
3
Australia
87%
58%
4
South Africa
86%
50%
6
The following table shows the success per team on their opponent’s lineouts.
OPP LINEOUTS
26
26
SUCCESS
CONTESTED
STEALS
New Zealand
16%
66%
6
Australia
9%
71%
3
Argentina
7%
26%
2
South Africa
6%
31%
2
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WORLD RUGBY GAME ANALYSIS
SCRUMS
The following table shows the average number of scrums per match, the most/least number of scrums in a match,
the percentage of times the ball came out of the scrum back into play and the scrum retention rate.
SCRUMS
Average Per Match
Most In A Match
Least In A Match
Ball Back Into Play
Success
14
16
9
72%
88%
In total there were four tightheads and one through 90 degree turnovers in 83 scrums.
The following table shows the success per team on their own scrums.
OWN SCRUMS
WON %
BALL
RELEASED
PEN/FK
FOR
LOST %
TIGHTHEAD/
THRU 90
PEN/FK
AGAINST
New Zealand
96%
23
2
4%
1
-
Australia
94%
12
3
6%
-
1
South Africa
81%
10
7
19%
1
3
Argentina
80%
10
6
20%
3
1
The following table shows the success per team on their opponent’s scrums.
OPP SCRUMS
WON %
TIGHTHEAD /
THRU 90
PEN/FK
FOR
LOST %
BALL
RELEASED
PEN/FK
AGAINST
Argentina
28%
2
3
72%
9
4
Australia
10%
-
2
90%
15
4
New Zealand
10%
2
-
90%
13
5
South Africa
4%
1
-
96%
18
5
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THE RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP 2015 STATISTICAL REPORT
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The following table shows the rate of collapses, resets, penalties/free kicks and ball back into play overall and
on each team’s scrum put-in.
28
28
COLLAPSES
PER 100
SCRUMS
RESETS
PER 100
SCRUMS
PK/FKS
PER 100
SCRUMS
BALL OUT
PER 100
SCRUMS
South Africa
71%
19%
New Zealand
8%
92%
Australia
70%
35%
Australia
25%
75%
Argentina
63%
44%
Argentina
35%
65%
New Zealand
31%
15%
South Africa
48%
52%
Overall
47%
27%
Overall
28%
72%
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6. PENALTIES & FREE KICKS
The following table shows the overall average number of penalties/free kicks per match.
PENALTY/
FREE KICKS
24
29
19
Average Per Match
Most In A Match
Least In A Match
The following tables show the total penalties for and against, and the proportion of penalties for and against for
each team.
PK/FK
FOR
PK/FK
AGAINST
PK/FK
FOR
PK/FK
AGAINST
South Africa
42
32
57%
43%
Australia
33
33
50%
50%
New Zealand
32
34
49%
51%
Argentina
35
43
45%
55%
OPTIONS TAKEN AT PENALTIES/FREE KICKS
The following table shows the options taken at penalties/free kicks.
Kick To Touch
Kick At Goal
Tap Kicks
Scrum
other
%
51%
29%
12%
6%
2%
The following table shows the options taken at penalties and free kicks per team.
KICK TO
TOUCH
KICK AT
GOAL
TAP KICKS
SCRUM
PENALTY
TRIES
PENALTY
REVERSED
South Africa
26
8
6
2
-
-
Argentina
21
10
4
-
-
-
Australia
17
12
-
1
-
3
New Zealand
9
11
7
5
-
-
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7. CARDS
The following table shows the total number of cards.
YELLOW CARDS
RED CARDS
6
-
Total
The most cards in any match was three and the least was none. There were 4 matches that contained at least one
yellow card with two or 33 per cent of all matches containing none.
The following table shows the reasons for the yellow cards.
YELLOW CARDS
RED CARDS
3
2
1
-
Dangerous tackle/play
+10m
Tackle/Ruck
The following table shows the number of cards awarded against each team and the reasons for the cards.
30
30
YELLOW
CARDS
RED
CARDS
REASONS
Australia
3
-
Dangerous tackle; Not 10m x 2
New Zealand
2
-
Tackle ruck / dangerous tackle
Argentina
1
-
Dangerous play
South Africa
-
-
-
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8.
TELEVISION MATCH OFFICIALS (TMO)
There were 11 referrals to the TMO as shown in the table below.
AVERAGE NUMBER
PER MATCH
1.2
0.7
1.9
TOTAL
Try TMO
Foul Play/Other TMO
Total TMO Referrals
7
4
22
The following table shows the reasons for the try referrals to the TMO.
TOTAL
TRY
NO TRY
5
1
1
7
4
0
0
-
1
1
1
-
Grounding
Touch
Other
Total
The following table shows the reasons for the foul play referrals.
High Tackle
Charging
Other
Total
TOTAL
NO ACTION
PENALTY
2
1
1
4
1
1
1
3
-
150321 RJ 6 NATIONS 2015 STATISTICAL REPORT
YELLOW
CARD
1
1
RED CARD
-
31