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Interactive Infographic: TRC 2012 Key Stats

Matt Rowley October 23, 2012 47

No GravatarCheck out this awesome interactive infographic of the 2012 TRC stats. Click the buttons to change the numbers and hover over the charts to see the values.

My takeaway – thank god for the boots of Barnes and Harris!

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POSTED IN » All Blacks, Argentina, South Africa, Wallabies
About the author: Matt Rowley View all posts by
Matt started G&GR just before the 2007 Rugby World Cup and has been enslaved ever since. Follow him on twitter: @MattRowley

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Discussion »

  • Duncher

    Wow, certainly some of those are not what I expected, especially the scrum penalties against the Darkness

  • Barbarian

    Jesus, pretty damning stuff right there. The linebreaks one makes me the saddest, god we missed JOC, Genia, old Kurtley and old Digby.

    We should be embarrassed about some of those stats.

    • RedsHappy

      Yes Barb, but as you’d recognise, line breaking rates are not just a reflection of one-out skill, just as much if not more they reflect the calibre of ensemble attack design and well practiced execution skill across the whole team, especially in the back line.

      Whether it’s missed talent or woefully inadequate attack coaching or more probably both, we have serious deficiencies in attack that if left unrepaired will leave us way, way beneath our potential as a rugby nation at Test level.

      • Mart

        Or as simple as picking players in their positions and sticking with them!!!

        eg. pick an outside centre, AAC, and leave him at outside centre.

        If your fullbacks not performing, do not replace him with an inside centre.

        Do not pick a solid super rugby inside centre, (Tapuii) and play him internationally at outside centre…..FFS

        If we want people to perform at their best. Pick them where they are most confident.

    • Ignoto

      But look at the IRB rankings, we’re No. 2 in the world!

      Sigh

      • Garry

        grrrroooan.

  • RedsHappy

    Matt/GAGR/RGS – top work, thanks.

    I wonder: given that we ended up with a second ranking in this TRC, has relative excellence in penalty kicking % success rate via BB and MH/KB effectively masked major problems in the Wallabies’ attack capability and the derived low points realisation from attack?

    • http://www.greenandgoldrugby.com/ Matt Rowley

      I think the answer is we held the ball, milked the penalties and kicked the goals.

      Thats it

      • RedsHappy

        Yep, and I note that had Morne Steyn’s kicking been anything approaching his average % success rate in just the one game, it’s likely SA would have beaten the ABs in NZ and come second in TRC via their higher BPs to ours. So I think we can probably say that kicking %s definitely had a determining impact upon TRC 2012 ranking outcomes.

        (Btw, not being pedantic, but of course not all our gained penalties by any means derived from ‘holding the balll’ well or otherwise.)

      • http://www.greenandgoldrugby.com/ Matt Rowley

        The Stats do show that we held more continuity than any other team – but clearly we didn’t do a whole lot with that, other than slot the penalties that came our way.

        The current laws interpretations tend to favour those in possession penalty wise – we’ve basically become the inverse of the saffas pre 2010

        • Garry

          GGR,

          How long ago was it that there was healthy debate in this forum about the merits of taking our penalty kick opportunities versus kicking to the corners for a lineout to chase a 6 piont opportunity?

          Now we lack so much confidence that we eagerly take the 3 points, and are happy for small mercies. The stats tell a tale of change in our style of play, and I don’t fell confident about criticising the Saffers or the Poms about their ten man game. Have we turned into them?

        • http://www.greenandgoldrugby.com/ Matt Rowley

          I’m actually a real advocate of applying the “pressure of the scoreboard” as Link calls it.

          I’d go for ticking over the 3 just about every time (don’t let Sam Ikin hear me say that) unless you were desperately chasing.

          The difference between slotting another 3 which has put pressure on the oppo and leaving the well with no water is huge, mentally.

          I’d go as far as to say the only way we grabbed 2nd spot this year was by being able to trust our kickers over going low percentage. The AB’s take the 3 every time

        • Garry

          Well if these stats are an indication, we didn’t get to No2 by making line breaks and scoring tries.

          Perhaps the Poms have been right all this time. Pick and go’s until you’re in range and take the 3′s.

          By god old chap, it’s so simple, it’s brilliant.

  • Brumby Runner

    Looking at those stats, I find it hard to believe the Wallabies finished in front of SA. Handling errors, penalties conceded, turnovers all confirm the general impression that the Wallabies are not playing good rugby.

  • johnny-boy

    South Africa scored more tries than us. That’s not embarassing, it’s humiliating. Michael Hawker must have been a forward to be happy with that right ?

  • Rob42

    Can you add in that hand-drawn table of “passes per phase” from Huxley’s article? For me, that was the most damning statistic of all – a massive amount of 1-out play, spectacularly boring and easy to defend.

    And hence no wonder less than one line-break per game.

    Although I think Kurtley started to change things up a bit in the last couple of games, rediscovering the second touch, as Kafe may have mentioned more than once.

  • http://www.andrewmosey.com Moses

    It impresses me that a team can come second in a competition where they also:

    • Scored the fewest tries
    • Made the fewest line breaks
    • Made the (equal) fewest offloads
    • Missed the most tackles
    • Were the most penalised
    • Conceded the most turnovers
    • Had the poorest handling
    • Mart

      Yeah.
      How our 2nd/3rd string side dew that game on the weekend is most impressive. Especially given the amount of opportunities we gave to them. Drop balls in contact, dropped bombs etc.

      No other team in world rugby could hold out the All Blacks after throwing the ball straight to them 5 meters out from their own goal line!

      • All gold

        Haha get over it mart,we have one great defensive game in us every year like agains’t the safa’s wc quater final,then get spanked the next game.we are still no2 by a mile and the stat’s show that.dont be suprised if we drop one or two on tour,and then get a lesson again next year bled 1.

        • Mart

          Just tryin to look at a positive champ

        • Ian

          We earned our second place ranking during one of the most trying times in Wallaby history (as far as my 32 years worth of memory goes).

          I for one am bloody proud of the squad!

          My Kiwi mates keep telling me that the Wallabies can’t get any worse.. I guess that means we are headed in the right direction, to number 1.

      • All gold

        Haha get over it mart,we have one great defensive game in us every year like agains’t the safa’s wc quater final,then get spanked the next game.we are still no2 by a mile and the stat’s show that.dont be suprised if we drop one or two on tour,and then get a lesson again next year bled 1..

  • jezacbhs

    I love it how supposedly the AB’s “get away with everything” and “are hardly ever reffed properly”, especially in the scrums.

    Yet the stats simply don’t reflect this.

    • Jimmy

      Actually the stats HAVE supported this in the past. What we are seeing this year is a reflection of the changing of the guard at the top of the refs panel.

      Also – a lot of those penalties against the ABs occured in one half of football against the Saffers in the last game in SA.

      • jezacbhs

        well how do you explain the fact that in the RWC the All Blacks were penalised about on par as everyone else?

        And how do you explain the fact that in the Tri Nations last year the All Blacks conceded the most penalties?

        The All Blacks are reffed like every other team. Sometimes we seem to get away with a lot. But sometimes other teams do as well.
        It’s the nature of rugby

        • Garry

          And now Paddy O’brien is gone we are already seeing more attention in policing of the ‘sleeping kiwis’. World rugby is looking forward to a golden period where we finally see a leveling of the playing field.

          Should be interesting.

  • baldwid

    OH MY GOD!!! We are SHIT!!!!

    Often times you read complaints about how a team that scores no tries, plays no rugby, cannot attack AT ALL still manages to win the game and how its unfair and not in the spirit of Rugby!! We are that team – we are the new Springboks!!!

    I am a pragmatist and would pick a goalkicker as my first order of business (has to be able to play as well – read JOC) but that is only to punish offending teams not to shy away from playing any Rugby!!

    What has happened to us?? I am sorry and I dont care what anyone else says – YOU ARE WRONG AND STUPID if you suggest otherwise but it has to be the coaching – nothing else!!

    These players cut teams apart in Super Rugby. The Reds boys are toothless now!!

    How can we not break the line, not make tackles, not challenge line-outs, the list just goes on!!

    Seriously if you sat down with a criteria sheet that marked competencies, not just look at our world ranking, their is no justification for keeping this coaching group on.

    The thing that kills me is that devoid of any gameplan, any tactics and any real sign of coaching OUR BOYS have the heart and determination to come 2nd in the RC and draw with the “best team of all time”. Surely someone at the ARU looks at this situation and says – if we had some real coaching and tactics we could actually be the worlds best team”. AND THIS IS NOT TAKING INTO ACCOUNT A VIRTUAL FULL STRENGTH SIDE THAT IS DUE TO COME BACK!!!!

    I know we have injuries but team patterns are team patterns, every player who comes into the Boks or AB’s setup knows the gameplan 100% – ours have know idea when they come in CAUSE THEIR IS NONE!!!!!

    Sorry about all the yelling :)

    • Nutta

      Baldwid

      You are about right. I reckon it comes back to the Dingo concept of “play what’s in front of you” in that if I read what is “on” now then I am most likely not building pressure aimed at isolating and catching out key personnel to exploit. What I mean is that even at my level of rugby (pretty average) we watch whatever footage we can of the opponent, isolate a defensive weakness or two then run deliberate plays to exploit those weaknesses. Sometimes it’s a runner to a part of a field for no other reason then to commit a particular defender to exploit another on the next play. Simple stuff. However that idea of multi-phase plays to build pressure doesn’t seem to be in the Wobblies game-plan besides P&D or “round the corner” to lengthen the defensive line until the 10 calls for it.

      Alternatively, the multi-phase plays are there, but the base skill level to get-advance-keep-recycle the ball is lost so we don’t get to see the development

      Sometimes Bob D annoys me. But his core message is so true:
      > Win the contact to generate front-foot ball
      > Put multiple men in motion to make the defence react
      > Get multiple touches on the ball in a play (eg No10 loop) to create the extra man
      > Support with depth – not width hoping for a miracle pass
      > REALIGN FAST
      > Get your basic skills right – catch, pass, fitness, tackle. clean-out
      When we have these we get momentum to run whatever plays we like. Until/Unless we get these we ain’t got shite.

      BTW – nice work GGR lads. Would love to see correlation btwn AB’s scrum penalties against Woodcock. I reckon he’s becoming a penalty magnet for them (al a Al Baxter)

      • Robson

        Woodcock becoming a penalty magnet a la Le Fuse?

        If so – it’s poetic justice.

        • Nutta

          Yeh, the Woodcock penalty magnet thing is just a gut feel but it’s nagging at me. He persistently moves his left foot wider about 1sec after engagement. This means he is changing the angle and drive direction of the apex from driving straight to driving across (in the old days it was called “boring in”). I reckon reffs have picked it up.

          So whilst my gut is fine “in God I trust, for all else bring data”

          Interesting too that reffs are allowing Fat Cat to leave his left hand up near his hip until approx 1sec after engagement. Whilst not a full-blooded “bridge” it is getting pretty close. Will be interesting to see how Northern reffs react to it.

          That being said I hope they aren’t too observant – I both step-wide post engage AND bridge constantly when playing at No1 and never get called for it (young props these days have no idea…)

        • BloodRed

          He’s a big fan of hand on the ground after the engagement as well although that has been a little less evident this year.

    • Ian

      *There…

  • Bobas

    Deans will understand the column and bar graphs but I think he would have preferred a pie chart to the doughnut one.

    Id hate to see a handling errors per pass graph.

  • Dally M

    Well behind in the basics that make up a decent attacking team.

    Very sad & just reflects what we have seen week in, week out.

    Sure we finished 2nd, but that was due to the sheer courage of the players after being let down by a coaching staff that has no clue.

  • Robson

    I ‘spose there is some solace in the fact that South Africa missed more penalty kicks at goal than anyone else. In other years I’m sure the drift would have been the other way.

    But the other stats make for some very miserable reading and as Nutta says absolutely add heightened credibility to what Bod Dwyer says, and has been saying for some time.

    What more can you expect though when a team is coached by a man who exclaims that tries should not be scored from the set piece?

    The graphics are fabulous………and agonising at the same time. What more do you have to do to convince the ARU that Wallaby rugby is currently being crucified?

    • Garry

      To take a RWC reference, if the Saffers are missing their goal kicks, well, there must be something faulty with the rugby ball?

  • justtacklehim

    Great stats…any chances of getting some additional stats to see if:

    1. Our Super Rugby program aligns with our national program? Is this data available for 2012 Australia Super rugby franchises? My theory is that it doesn’t and we can’t expect our players to play one way and then switch and for it to be smooth sailing. Yes I know, they’re professionals
    2. See these stats by game quarters. I have the feeling our performance varies greatly quarter to quarter and I think stats would back that up. Fitness, motivation and readiness.

    Again, thanks for the work…I love this site and the way people passionately discuss the greatest game of all.

    • Brumby Runner

      My guess is that the Waratahs’ stats would be pretty much identical, but the four others would look a lot better, particularly in line breaks, off loads, handling and tries scored.

  • http://www.ruckingoodstats.com RuckinGoodStats

    I have the same number by SuperRugby franchises. I think Matt posted some of them in July? I also have the same thing by time in possession and also ratios. Make its look less pretty. It does however make the effort to pull off an 18-18 all draw all that bit better. I did warn the guys before the game the stats were not that pretty…

    P.S. My line breaks are only clean ones, so the player needs to have been put into space or go through untouched.

  • Ted

    Wow, 57 penalty points missed by SA. Might’ve been a different story if Morne was firing all season.

  • pedro

    I suppose the biggest reason we could come second was the Saffas missing so many penalties against NZ. Without that result the table would have looked different.

    That being said, I think the stats show a team really learning how to get results. Some would say it’s easy to win when you’re playing well, it’s the teams that can win when down on form that become champions. We didn’t play well, but if I knew the injuries we would carry I would’ve been more than happy with the result.

    On the plus side we are kicking everything, our scrum is ok and defense good. Negatives are that we can’t score meat pies. Hopefully with a few players returning and a wider more experienced squad we can get some form in Europe.

  • runit

    Absolutely great stats. Are there any stats available re success or otherwise of kicking for field position? It seems to me that somebody like Ronan O’gara who punts the ball sixty metre’s and rolls it into touch on a regular basis is worth nine out of ten, whereas the aimless kick to the opposition back three or the high bomb that the kicker doesn’t attempt to catch (the Wallabies are certainly the world champs at this) is worth zero?

  • Benny

    After constantly hearing about the ABs’ card:penalties ratio a couple of years back, I’d be interested in hearing everyone’s opinion about the game the other night.

    1st half penalties: NZ 7, AU 4
    2nd half: NZ 4 AU 10

    The Higs penalty should have been reversed too but Joubert apparently expected “a bit of that” so it was left to stand.

    First half we saw a card, second half there was none. Reasons?

    • http://www.greenandgoldrugby.com/ Matt Rowley

      You mean apart from the card on Hooper??

      • Benny

        That was a card for a late shoulder charge, not repeat infringements. Woodcock was binned for too many penalties. Why not the Wallabies?

  • Pingback: The 2012 Rugby Championship by the numbers.Balls.ie

  • Jeff

    Because there is a international conspiracy and every referee and every one in the IRB is involved. Or does that make me sound like a whinging wallabies supporter with a chip on my shoulder?

    Maybe it was just the way the ref saw it on the night and there is really nothing in it?

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