Cell C Sharks save South Africa’s blushes -Vodacom Rugby App Review after Round 5

Mar 17 • General News, Super Rugby • 1913 Views • Comments Off on Cell C Sharks save South Africa’s blushes -Vodacom Rugby App Review after Round 5

In its worst round of the 2015 Vodacom SupeRugby competition only one South African team managed a victory over the weekend.
The South African franchises’ struggles are reflected in the statistics taken from the Vodacom Rugby App.

The Cell C Sharks’ away victory over the Toyota Cheetahs in Bloemfontein was only their second of the season which also saw their players feature among the top five in some categories.

Sharks pivot Patrick Lambie peppered the opposition with Kicks from Hand for second place overall as he put 12 balls to the boot while Nick Frisby of the Reds topped this category with 14.

Fresh from Japan, Sharks wing JP Pietersen cracked the top five in terms of Clean Breaks, for a share of fourth place with Lions hooker Armand van der Merwe with three.

Tim Nainai-Williams of the Chiefs led the Defenders Beaten bracket as he got past eight opposition players.

Three South African players are in fifth place as the Emirates Lions’ Andries Coetzee and Jaco Kriel and Francois Venter of the Cheetahs managed to beat five defenders each.

In their defeat to the Crusaders over the weekend Lions loose forwards Warren Whiteley and Warwick Tecklenburg were brave on defence with their 27 and 23 tackles respectively to top the category.

In his return for the Cheetahs, flanker Heinrich Brussow demonstrated that he had not lost his appetite at the breakdowns.
The three Turnovers he made on Saturday was one less than that of leading men Robbie Coetzee of the Lions and the Brumbies’ Henry Speight.

In the Team-vs-Team comparisons the Sharks made the most Kicks from Hand with 28 while the Brumbies made one less.

Despite losing their encounter, the Cheetahs were leading the SA sides in the Defenders Beaten category with 25 for third place.

Round-5 Stats:

Kicks from Hand:
1. Nick Frisby (Reds) – 14
2. Patrick Lambie (Sharks) – 12
3. Nicholas White (Brumbies) – 11
4. Beauden Barrett (Hurricanes) – 8
5. Jack Debreczeni (Rebels) – 8

Clean Breaks:
1. Julian Savea (Hurricanes) – 5
2. Tim Nainai-Williams (Chiefs) – 5
3. Lolagi Visinia (Blues) – 4
4. Armand van der Merwe (Lions) – 3
5. JP Pietersen (Sharks) – 3

Defenders Beaten:
1. Tim Nainai-Williams (Chiefs) – 8
2. Lima Sopoaga (Hurricanes) – 7
3. Chris Feauai-Sautia (Reds) – 6
4. Sam Cane (Chiefs) – 6
5. Andries Coetzee (Lions) – 5
– Francois Venter (Cheetahs) – 5
– Jaco Kriel (Lions) – 5

Tackles:
1. Warren Whiteley (Lions) – 27
2. Warwick Tecklenburg (Lions) – 23
3. Sam Carter (Brumbies) – 22
4. Christian Lealiifano (Brumbies) – 21
5. Ita Vaea (Brumbies) – 20

Turnovers won:
1. Henry Speight (Brumbies) – 4
2. Robbie Coetzee (Lions) – 4
3. Conrad Smith (Hurricanes) – 3
4. Heinrich Brussow (Cheetahs) – 3
5. Luke Braid (Blues) – 3

Lineouts won on own throw
1. Manuel Carizza (Stormers) – 8
2. Mouritz Botha (Sharks) – 7
3. Luke Jones (Rebels) – 6
4. Carl Wegner (Cheetahs) – 5
5. Jean Cook (Cheetahs) – 5

Team-vs-Team:

Lineouts won on own throw:
1. Cheetahs – 18
2. Force – 12
3. Lions – 12
4. Reds – 12
5. Rebels – 11
– Sharks – 11

Defenders beaten:
1. Chiefs – 28
2. Force – 28
3. Cheetahs – 25
4. Highlanders – 25
5. Blues – 21

Kicks from Hand:
1. Sharks – 28
2. Brumbies – 27
3. Highlanders – 24
4. Hurricanes – 23
5. Reds – 22

Clean Breaks:
1. Chiefs – 15
2. Hurricanes – 15
3. Brumbies – 12
4. Waratahs – 12
5. Sharks – 11

Turnovers Won:
1. Highlanders – 13
2. Stormers – 13
3. Lions – 12
4. Rebels – 11
5. Brumbies – 10