Individual players make up for SA shortcomings
The 2015 Vodacom SupeRugby season may have been somewhat of a disappointment for some of the South African franchises but the statistics taken from the Vodacom Rugby App indicate the players from these shores were on par with their counterparts from the Antipodes.
The DHL Stormers will be the only South African side to advance to the playoffs after they deservedly won the Conference for the right to host the Brumbies in Cape Town on Saturday.
Statistics from the Vodacom Rugby App demonstrate that it was not all doom and gloom as the individual players were among the top ranked in certain categories and even dominant in others.
Three South African players were pace-setters in their own right where Cell C Sharks lock Marco Wentzel commanding the lineouts, Vodacom Bulls flyhalf Handre Pollard was a sharp-shooter and Emirates Lions captain Warren Whiteley an impenetrable bastion.
Wentzel dominated both the Lineouts won on own ball and the Lineouts Stolencategories to produce consistent good performances that belies his age.
He won 75 lineouts on his own ball with the Reds’ Jake Schatz his nearest rival taking 13 balls less on his side’s own throw while the Sharks captain was equally effective against the opposition throw stealing 14 balls.
Featuring in every single match of his side’s record-breaking season, Lions captain Whiteley was a tackling machine with the 227 he executed at 14 per match.
He is followed by the Cheetahs’ Boom Prinsloo, who made 40 tackles less than Whiteley and Lions flanker Warwick Tecklenburg in third place with 179.
Pollard slotted 40 Penalty Goals this season to finish the category as the top place-kicker this season with Stormers pivot Demetri Catrakilis in second place with only one less than his Bulls counterpart.
Lions flyhalf Elton Jantjies follows shortly on their heels with the 34 penalties he succeeded with this season.
Pollard boasts with the second most points this year with the 167 points he amassed with the Wartahs’ Bernard Foley taking the spoils with his 175.
Prinsloo and the Brumbies’ David Pocock are the only two forwards to make it into the list of top-five try scorers this season with the eight tries they scored with Hurricanes halfback TJ Perenara scored a total of 10 tries to lead the category.
Stormers centre Damian de Allende had been one of his side’s standout performers this season and a nuisance for the opposition’s defences.
De Allende beat 61 defenders this year with only Israel Folau doing better in the Defenders Beaten category with the 67 players he bamboozled.
Lions flanker Jaco Kriel has been a revelation this season with the ball in hand while he was also good at getting his hands on the ball making 22 turnovers to rank third.
The Reds’ Liam Gill tops the Turnovers Won category with Pocock second with 24 and Kriel with his 22.
In the Metres Run bracket two of the breakthrough stars of the season Bulls fullback Jesse Kriel and his Stormers counterpart Cheslin Kolbe among the top-ranked players.
Folau leads with 1582m with Jesse Kriel in second place with 1199m and Kolbe fifth with 1057m.
2015 Statistics overview:
Points:
1. Bernard Foley (Waratahs) – 175
2. Handre Pollard (Bulls) – 167
3. Lima Sopoaga (Highlanders) – 159
4. Demetri Catrakilis (Stormers) – 156
5. Christian Lealiifano (Brumbies) – 155
6. Elton Jantjies (Lions) – 152
Tries:
1. TJ Perenara (Hurricanes) – 10
2. Nemani Nadolo (Crusaders) – 9
3. Waisake Naholo (Highlanders) – 9
4. Boom Prinsloo (Cheetahs) – 8
5. David Pocock (Brumbies) – 8
6. Taqele Naiyaravoro (Waratahs) – 8
Penalty Goals:
1. Handre Pollard (Bulls) – 40
2. Demetri Catrakilis (Stormers) – 39
3. Elton Jantjies (Lions) – 34
4. Bernard Foley (Waratahs) – 28
5. Mike Harris (Rebels) – 26
Metres Run:
1. Israel Folau (Waratahs) – 1582m
2. Jesse Kriel (Bulls) – 1199
3. Waisake Naholo (Highlanders) – 1194
4. Julian Savea (Hurricanes) – 1119
5. Cheslin Kolbe (Stormers) – 1057
Defenders Beaten:
1. Israel Folau (Waratahs) – 67
2. Damian de Allende (Stormers) – 61
3. George Moala (Blues) – 51
4. Julian Savea (48
5. Waisake Naholo (Highlanders) – 48
6. Jaco Kriel (Lions) – 44
Tackles:
1. Warren Whiteley (Lions) – 227
2. Boom Prinsloo (Cheetahs) – 187
3. Warwick Tecklenburg (Lions) – 179
4. Michael Hooper (Waratahs) – 178
5. Sam Cane (Chiefs) – 173
6. Torsten van Jaarsveld (Cheetahs) – 172
Turnovers Won:
1. Liam Gill (Reds) – 29
2. David Pocock (Brumbies) – 24
3. Jaco Kriel (Lions) – 22
4. Brendon O’Connor (Blues) – 20
5. Richie McCaw (Crusaders) – 18
Lineouts won on own throw:
1. Marco Wentzel (Sharks) – 75
2. Jake Schatz (Reds) – 62
3. Luke Jones (Rebels) – 61
4. Dave Dennis (Waratahs) – 59
5. Francois Uys (Cheetahs) – 50
Lineouts Stolen:
1. Marco Wentzel (Sharks) – 14
2. Adam Thomson (Reds) – 9
3. Eben Etzebeth (Stormers) – 9
4. Pierre Spies (Bulls) – 9
5. Luke Romano (Crusaders) – 7
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