I think it was pretty clear, even from the first kick-off, that the Sharks were determined to play a little differently against the Brumbies than they had against the Reds. In Brisbane last week, every kick-off once received went pretty much straight on to the boot of Cobus Reinach. Much was my surprise to see the opening play from the Sharks in Canberra move all the way across the field and back, encompassing around 12 passes before eventually breaking down. […]
Posts tagged with: Statistics
Was this the same team?
Learn the Lions lesson
The Sharks have two key data points available to them this week as they prepare to take on the Hurricanes in a game that they simply have to win in order to stay within play-off contention. Paying close attention to both and absorbing the necessary lessons should set them up nicely for that crucial victory. […]
Flawed Format: Let’s Have More Fairness
Super Rugby’s new expanded format is about as clear as the skies above Shanghai. It’s a great big dirty mess which has left most fans bewildered and that cannot be good for a tournament aiming to increase audiences and attract fans in new markets. It’s still early days yet, but the expansion and new format appears to have struck gold with the inclusion of the Jaguares and the revised bonus point system (which sees a team earning a try scoring bonus point for scoring three more tries than their opponents – adding an exciting “the point isn’t banked till the final whistle blows” dimension). The format, however, is convoluted and will come under increasing scrutiny towards the business end of the tournament when qualification for the play off matches is at stake. It remains to be seen whether fans will come to understand and accept it. We’re stuck with it, for now, and so long as the tournament’s format is fair or as fair as possible to all participating teams, we can live with the mystifying structure. It goes without saying that any sporting tournament should aim to provide an even footing upon which teams compete, something which isn’t negotiable. And this new format – at least from a South African perspective – is flawed and unfair. […]
The problem with player ratings…
I’ve been having a little to and fro on Twitter over the last couple of days, regarding the decision of a popular rugby portal to crowd source weekly player ratings from fans and then use these ratings as the basis of articles that they carry. Given that it’s very hard to really get your point across in snippets of 140 characters, I’ve decided to try and put down my side of the argument in a more reasoned (and hopefully more coherent) format here. […]
Super Rugby 2016: Round 1 Stats
Hi all. So this will be a weekly article with all the statistics of the weekends rugby. I am not completely sure what format will work best, and what everyone would like to see. So please critique and make suggestions. For now I will use the information from the Vodacom stats sight, If anyone can suggest other stat sources for me to use, please do so. […]
Sharks v Pumas: the stats that matter
Let’s have a look at a few interesting statistics about the Sharks team named to face the Pumas in this evening’s Currie Cup opener. […]
Well, I’m back!
Hey everyone. I arrived back home late yesterday after my sudden trip to the States and as I’m sure you can all understand, my first and most pressing priority (after giving my family some much -needed attention) was to try and catch up on sleep! […]
Sharks v Lions: by the numbers
Herewith the statistics from the Sharks’ Ellis Park win over the Lions […]
Sharks v Cheetahs: by the numbers
They say there are lies, damn lies and statistics. Have a look at the below and see if you can glean a 50-pointer for the Sharks from the below numbers. […]
Better discipline the key
While most Sharks fans – still in shock after an unexpected loss against Griquas on Friday – are battling to take any positives from the game, the match statistics point to a somewhat different picture. In the final analysis, but for a few areas, the Sharks probably will feel they really should have won this contest. […]
Sharks v Kings – by the numbers
Let’s look at a few of the statistics to come out of the drab win over the Kings, courtesy of www.rugbystats.com.au. […]
Sharks v Stormers – by the numbers
Let’s look at a few of the statistics to come out of the weekend win over the Stormers, courtesy of www.rugbystats.com.au. […]
Sharks v Cheetahs – by the numbers
Let’s look at a few of the statistics to come out of the weekend win over the Cheetahs, courtesy of www.rugbystats.com.au. […]
Finals experience boost for Sharks
Much has been said about supposed “gulf in class” between the respective Sharks and Western Province teams named to do battle in Saturday’s Currie Cup Final, with the Sharks described in various glowing terms, including “Bok-laden”. I’m not completely sure I buy that, thought. […]