Kitshoff Overtakes Irish Star as URC Top 100 Leader
Springbok prop Steven Kitshoff has risen to the No 1 spot in the latest update to the URC Top 100 with forward players dominating the upper end of the ‘pound-for-pound’ rankings.
Based upon the Statmaster algorithm that defines a player’s contribution (xP) to his team’s total points per game, Ulster-bound Kitshoff has an overall rating of 95.2 to edge in front of the Vodacom URC Players’ Player of the Season – Dan Sheehan (94.8), the previously highest ranked player.
VIEW THE FULL URC TOP 100 LIST HERE
The top five positions are all held by forwards, with current World Player of the Year Josh van der Flier of Leinster and Connacht’s Finlay Bealham making it three Irishmen in the group while flanker Manuel Zuiliani of Benetton flies the Italy flag at No 4.
The performances of 31-year-old Kitshoff and the value he has provided to both the DHL Stormers and South Africa have propelled him from 45 to first.
The only back-line players to make it into the Top 10 are Ospreys centre Kieran Williams and Leinster winger James Lowe. Glasgow Warriors back row Rory Darge is the only Scottish player to make the top 10 as Munster’s Gavin Coombes makes it five for Ireland while Thomas du Toit, who will depart the Hollywood Bets Sharks after the World Cup makes it two for South Africa.
Elsewhere in the top 25, Zebre Parma winger Simone Gesi has shot up from 64 to 14th, Wales and Ospreys prop Nicky Smith is up from 48 to 19th while Argentina and Benetton centre Joaquin Riera has moved from 61 to 22nd.
Top 100 Breakdown by Country
Argentina 2
Australia 2
England 1
Fiji 1
Ireland 21
Italy 7
New Zealand 4
Samoa 1
Scotland 14
South Africa 25
Tonga 1
Wales 21
Top 100 Breakdown by Club
Benetton 8
Vodacom Bulls 7
Cardiff 10
Connacht 4
Dragons 2
Edinburgh 4
Glasgow Warriors 12
Leinster 15
Emirates Lions 4
Munster 3
Ospreys 9
Scarlets 4
Hollywood Bets Sharks 7
DHL Stormers 5
Ulster 4
Zebre Parma 2
How does the Top 100 ranking system work?
When it comes to measuring player impact the URC Top 100 which is powered by the StatMaster xP algorithm will identify the most valuable performers across the 16 URC teams at any time during the season.
The rankings work by analysing every match that players have appeared in during the last 12 months, including the URC, European competitions and internationals. Then StatMaster applies an “expected points” (xP) algorithm to each event in those games. Like “expected points added” (EPA) in the NFL and “expected goals” (xG) in football, this revolutionary new stat measures the impact that each player has on his side’s chance of scoring.
It is based on the idea that rugby is a team game: though the player who slots the ball through the posts or touches it down deserves plenty of credit, so do the 14 others who helped create that opportunity.
For example, a player can gain points by doing things that increase his team’s probability of making the next score — such as crashing past defenders, nailing a 50/22 kick, earning a scrum penalty or even winning a crucial turnover on his own try-line. On the other hand, if he makes a costly error, he can lose points. Crucially, the algorithm adjusts for lots of match factors, including a player’s position, his location on the field, the phase type, the time on the clock, and the quality of his teammates and opponents.
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