2009 DUBAI NEW 7s
IRB SEVENS WORLD SERIES 2009/10
STATISTICAL REVIEW DUBAI 2009
IRB GAME ANALYSIS
This is a report on the DUBAI leg of the IRB Sevens World Series 2009/10.
CONTENTS CURRENT STANDINGS
It comprises a quantitative analysis of all elements of play together with the approach to, and performance of, all participating teams in various aspects of the game.
RESULTS PLAYER STATIISTICS STATISTICAL SUMMARY – OVERALL
The report looks, therefore, at such areas as: STATISTICAL REVIEW – TEAMS • • • • • • • •
Scoring and the effectiveness of each team in attack and defence The source, origin and build up of tries The effectiveness of teams in retaining possession Each country’s passes and rate of passing Each country’s second phases and rate of second phase play Each team’s approach and success at the breakdown Each country’s performance on its own restarts Plus data on scrums, lineouts, penalties, refereeing and temporary suspensions.
PAGE 1 SCORING & CONCEDING POINTS PAGE 2 TRY SCORING PAGE 4 BALL IN PLAY & POSSESSION PAGE 5 ACTIVITY PAGE 9 SET PIECE PAGE 10 PENALTIES & FREE KICKS PAGE 12 CARDS
CURRENT STANDINGS DUB
GEO
NZL
USA
HKG
AUS
LON
SCO
TOT
NZL
24
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
24
SAM
20
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
20
ENG
16
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
16
FJI
16
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
16
AUS
12
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
12
RSA
8
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
8
ARG
6
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
6
KEN
6
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
6
WAL
4
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
4
DUBAI 2009 RESULTS NO.
TEAM
SCORE
TEAM
Cup Final Plate Final Bowl Final Shield Final Cup S/F Cup S/F Plate S/F Plate S/F Bowl S/F Bowl S/F Shield S/F Shield S/F Cup Q/F Cup Q/F Cup Q/F Cup Q/F Bowl Q/F Bowl Q/F Bowl Q/F Bowl Q/F Pool Pool Pool Pool Pool Pool Pool Pool Pool Pool Pool Pool Pool Pool Pool Pool Pool Pool Pool Pool Pool Pool Pool Pool
NEW ZEALAND SOUTH AFRICA WALES PORTUGAL ENGLAND FIJI ARGENTINA SOUTH AFRICA FRANCE WALES RUSSIA SCOTLAND SAMOA ENGLAND NEW ZEALAND SOUTH AFRICA ZIMBABWE RUSSIA PORTUGAL WALES SOUTH AFRICA NEW ZEALAND ENGLAND FIJI WALES PORTUGAL UNITED STATES SCOTLAND AUSTRALIA SOUTH AFRICA ARGENTINA NEW ZEALAND KENYA ENGLAND SAMOA FIJI AUSTRALIA SOUTH AFRICA ARGENTINA NEW ZEALAND KENYA ENGLAND SAMOA FIJI
24 - 12 0-7 38 - 7 14 - 17 19 - 28 0 - 19 12 - 26 19 - 14 14 - 27 33 - 12 26 - 12 5 - 29 28 - 27 17 - 12 17 - 14 5 - 17 28 - 19 21 - 22 0-5 19 - 12 29 - 0 38 - 10 27 - 10 12 - 12 50 - 0 24 - 14 12 - 14 17 - 17 14 - 7 36 - 7 40 - 7 33 - 10 31 - 26 28 - 0 36 - 7 31 - 14 47 - 7 28 - 14 22 - 12 34 - 0 26 - 5 40 - 12 40 - 5 47 - 12
SAMOA AUSTRALIA ZIMBABWE RUSSIA SAMOA NEW ZEALAND AUSTRALIA KENYA ZIMBABWE UNITED STATES ARABIAN GULF PORTUGAL AUSTRALIA ARGENTINA KENYA FIJI ARABIAN GULF FRANCE UNITED STATES SCOTLAND AUSTRALIA ARGENTINA KENYA SAMOA ARABIAN GULF FRANCE RUSSIA ZIMBABWE WALES ARABIAN GULF PORTUGAL FRANCE UNITED STATES RUSSIA SCOTLAND ZIMBABWE ARABIAN GULF WALES FRANCE PORTUGAL RUSSIA UNITED STATES ZIMBABWE SCOTLAND
DUBAI 2009 PLAYER STATISTICS POINTS SCORED DUBAI 2009 AUS
CLINTON SILLS
9
NZL
SHERWIN STOWERS
9
RUS
VASILY ARTEMYEV
8
SAM
MIKAELE PESAMINO
8
RSA
RYNO BENJAMIN
7
WAL
ALEX CUTHBERT
7
ARG
NICOLAS BRUZZONE
6
KEN
COLLINS INJERA
6
KEN
HUMPHREY KAYANGE
6
TRIES SCORED DUBAI 2009 SAM
LOLO LUI
49
ENG
BEN GOLLINGS
46
AUS
CLINTON SILLS
45
NZL
SHERWIN STOWERS
45
RUS
VASILY ARTEMYEV
40
FJI
WILLIAM RYDER
40
SAM
MIKAELE PESAMINO
40
RSA
MZWANDILE STICK
40
STATISTICAL SUMMARY - OVERALL DUBAI 2009 44
OVERALL 2008/09 365
POINTS (average per game)
37
36
TRIES (average per game)
6
6
CONVERSION SUCCESS (%)
63%
62%
PENALTY GOALS (total)
0
6
DROP GOALS (total)
0
2
MATCHES WON by team scoring most tries
91%
90%
SOURCE OF TRIES - Pens/FKs (%)
29%
29%
SOURCE OF TRIES - Turnover/Opp Error (%)
23%
22%
ORIGIN OF TRIES - Own Half (%)
42%
42%
BUILD UP TO TRIES - No Rucks/Mauls
61%
63%
BUILD UP TO TRIES - 3 Or Fewer Passes
57%
59%
51%
50%
PASSES (average per game)
68
67
RUCKS/MAULS (average per game)
17
16
RUCK/MAUL RETENTION (%)
79%
79%
KICKS (average per game)
4
4
75%
74%
39% or 1 in 2.6 17 or 1 in 19
35% or 1 in 2.8 156 or 1 in 15
SCRUMS (average per game)
4
4
SCRUMS possession retained (%)
79%
85%
LINEOUTS (average per game)
2
3
LINEOUTS possession retained (%)
82%
75%
QUICK THROWS (Total)
12 or 1 in 8
106 or 1 in 8
PENALTIES (average per game)
5
6
CARDS (Total)
3
108 + 3
MATCHES SCORING
TRY SCORING
BALL IN PLAY BALL IN PLAY (%) ACTIVITY
SET PIECE CONTESTABLE RESTARTS (%) CONTESTABLE RESTARTS REGAINED (%) RESTART ERRORS (Total)
PENALTIES/FREE KICKS & CARDS
DUBAI SEVENS 2009 STATISTICAL REVIEW AND MATCH ANALYSIS
STATISTICAL SUMMARY – TEAMS 1. SCORING & CONCEDING POINTS The average number of points scored in a game was 37. The average number of points scored/conceded by a team was 18.5 but, not surprisingly, there were major variations around this average. The Cup winners New Zealand for example, scored an average of 28 points per game while Arabian Gulf managed just 9. With regard to points conceded South Africa, for example, conceded an average of 10 points per game while Scotland conceded 30. The figures do not show, however, how effective each team was in scoring points in relation to the possession that it obtained and also, the figures do not show, how effective each team was in restricting points in relation to the possession that their opponents obtained. A team may, for example, obtain little possession but still manage to score a significant number of tries conversely a team may concede very few tries in the face of considerable opposition possession. Scoring rates are calculated (a) by dividing the total possession obtained by a team by the number of tries scored (b) by dividing the total possession obtained by a team opponents by the total number of tries conceded. The following table gives the relevant figures for each participating team. New Zealand had the best try scoring rate (47 secs per try scored) and the best try conceding rate (194 secs per try conceded). MATCHES PLAYED
Av POINTS SCORED
TRY SCORING RATE
Av POINTS CONCEDED
TRY CONCEDING RATE
NZL
6
28
47 secs
NZL
8
194 secs
ENG
5
26
51 secs
RSA
10
133 secs
SAM
6
26
56 secs
FJI
12
107 secs
WAL
6
27
57 secs
AUS
14
104 secs
ZIM
6
16
58 secs
ENG
12
98 secs
AUS
6
20
58 secs
WAL
13
97 secs
RSA
6
20
68 secs
RUS
19
94 secs
FJI
5
21
69 secs
SAM
16
70 secs
ARG
5
19
71 secs
POR
19
62 secs
KEN
5
19
73 secs
USA
24
61 secs
USA
5
13
89 secs
ARG
20
59 secs
RUS
6
14
90 secs
KEN
19
58 secs
FRA
5
14
94 secs
ZIM
27
53 secs
SCO
5
11
127 secs
FRA
25
50 secs
POR
6
12
132 secs
SCO
30
46 secs
GLF
5
9
140 secs
GLF
37
40 secs
IRB GAME ANALYSIS
PAGE 1
DUBAI SEVENS 2009 STATISTICAL REVIEW AND MATCH ANALYSIS
0 penalty goals or drop goals were kicked - The overall conversion success rate was 63%. CONVERSION SUCCESS %
There were noticeable variations in the percentage success rates as seen in the attached table. Because of the relatively few tries scored, applying percentages can, at this stage, only be regarded as indicative. In addition, the location of the score can be a significant factor in achieving a s uccessful conversion. This is the reason that the attached table has assigned a percentage success rate only to those teams that scored 16 tries or more.
CONVERSION SUCCESS %
SAM
75%
KEN
10/15
WAL
72%
RUS
9/13
AUS
68%
POR
7/12
FJI
65%
FRA
6/12
ENG
62%
USA
6/11
RSA
58%
SCO
5/9
ZIM
56%
GLF
6/7
NZL
56%
ARG
50%
2. TRY SCORING There were 263 tries scored in the tournament making an average of 6.0 per game. (Dubai 7s 2008 = 225 tries) On Day 1 there were 154 tries scored (average – 6.4) and on Day 2 there were 109 tries scored (average – 5.5) 2.1 IMPACT OF TRIES With no penalty goals or no drop goals and a conversion success rate of 63%, it was inevitable that tries would determine the winning team in the vast majority of cases – and this proved to be the case. Of the 44 matches, 40 (or 91%) were won by the team scoring the most tries. There were 2 drawn matches and 2 were won because of conversions (USA v RUS and SAM v AUS). 2.2 POSSESSION SOURCE OF TRIES The teams scoring the tries obtained possession of the ball prior to the scoring of the try from a variety of sources. This is shown: It can be seen that the most fruitful source of tries is penalties/free kicks (29%). Of all the tries scored from penalties/free kicks, 76% (or 58 tries) of the tries were pen/ fk taps taken under 10 seconds of being awarded and 24% (18 tries) of the tries were taken 10 seconds or over.
DUBAI 2009
OVERALL 2008/09
PENALTY/FREE KICK
29%
29%
RESTART
26%
18%
TURNOVER (Gen Play or Ruck)
23%
22%
SCRUM
11%
14%
LINEOUT
8%
11%
KICK RECEIPT
3%
6%
The following table on the next page shows the possession source of tries scored (own) and tries conceded (opp) by each team:
IRB GAME ANALYSIS
PAGE 2
DUBAI SEVENS 2009 STATISTICAL REVIEW AND MATCH ANALYSIS
PEN & FK
T/OVER & ERROR
SCRUM
LINEOUT
RESTART
KICK
TOTAL
OWN
OPP
OWN
OPP
OWN
OPP
OWN
OPP
OWN
OPP
OWN
OPP
OWN
OPP
NZL
5
2
10
1
4
2
4
1
3
2
1
0
27
8
WAL
11
3
4
4
3
3
6
0
1
1
0
0
25
11
SAM
3
6
9
3
10
5
0
1
2
0
0
1
24
16
ENG
4
3
6
2
6
4
2
0
2
1
1
0
21
10
AUS
6
5
4
2
5
2
2
1
2
2
0
1
19
13
RSA
10
3
4
1
1
2
1
1
2
2
1
0
19
9
FJI
5
2
4
3
5
0
1
4
1
1
1
0
17
10
ARG
6
4
3
4
4
4
1
2
2
0
0
2
16
16
ZIM
1
9
2
5
7
6
4
2
2
2
0
1
16
25
KEN
4
5
3
7
4
2
2
1
1
1
1
0
15
16
RUS
2
5
2
3
6
4
1
2
2
2
0
2
13
18
FRA
4
3
1
8
6
5
0
5
1
0
0
0
12
21
POR
3
5
3
5
2
5
3
0
0
4
1
0
12
19
USA
1
6
3
5
5
4
0
2
1
1
1
0
11
18
SCO
5
5
2
6
1
9
1
4
0
0
0
0
9
24
GLF
6
10
1
2
0
12
0
2
0
3
0
0
7
29
2.3 ORIGIN & LOCATION OF TRIES Tries originate from various parts of the pitch and are scored all across the try line. The following diagram shows the location on the pitch of where the attacking team obtained possession from which they eventually scored and where they were scored along try line. 42% of all tries originated in the try scoring team’s own half and 38% were scored under the posts. LEFT OF POSTS TRIES
33% OWN HALF
42% or 111 tries
HW to 10m
10m to 22m
22m to TRY
10% or 27 tries
29% or 76 tries
19% or 49 tries
UNDER POSTS TRIES
38% RIGHT OF POSTS TRIES
29%
IRB GAME ANALYSIS
PAGE 3
DUBAI SEVENS 2009 STATISTICAL REVIEW AND MATCH ANALYSIS
The following table shows the origin of tries scored (own) and tries conceded (opp) by each team. The teams which scored a high number of tries from their own half were Kenya, Zimbabwe and Russia. The teams which scored few tries from their own half were South Africa and Argentina. OWN HALF
HW – 10m
10m – 22m
22m - TRY
TOT
OWN
OPP
OWN
OPP
OWN
OPP
OWN
OPP
OWN
OPP
NZL
8
3
5
1
9
4
5
0
27
8
WAL
10
7
5
0
8
2
2
2
25
11
SAM
8
6
2
3
10
4
4
3
24
16
ENG
11
4
1
0
4
3
5
2
21
10
AUS
8
4
4
0
7
4
0
5
19
13
RSA
3
5
1
0
5
2
10
2
19
9
FJI
6
4
0
0
7
1
4
5
17
10
ARG
2
9
3
0
9
5
2
2
16
16
ZIM
11
6
0
6
3
7
2
6
16
25
KEN
11
5
1
1
2
6
1
4
15
16
RUS
10
11
0
2
2
3
1
2
13
18
FRA
8
7
1
2
1
7
2
5
12
21
POR
5
8
1
3
2
7
4
1
12
19
USA
4
9
0
3
6
2
1
4
11
18
SCO
5
11
2
1
0
9
2
3
9
24
GLF
1
12
1
4
1
10
4
3
7
29
2.4 BUILD UP TO TRIES Possession of the ball that leads to tries is obtained from a number of sources – and they are listed above. More often than not, OVERALL % Cumulative 2008/09 other actions – second phase, kicks None 61% 61% 63% and passes – then take place before 1 rucks/mauls the try is scored. 26% 87% 86% 2 rucks/mauls 8% 95% 95% 3 + rucks/mauls 5% 100% 100% The table shows how many rucks/mauls preceded each try scored in the tournament. The table shows that 61% of tries were preceded by not one ruck or maul. It shows the total number of passes that preceded each try scored in the tournament.
No passes 1 - 3 passes 4 - 6 passes
The table shows that 57% of tries were preceded by 3 or fewer passes.
IRB GAME ANALYSIS
7 - 9 passes 10+ passes
%
Cumulative
OVERALL 2008/09
9% 48% 26% 13% 4%
9% 57% 83% 96% 100%
12% 58% 83% 94% 100%
PAGE 4
DUBAI SEVENS 2009 STATISTICAL REVIEW AND MATCH ANALYSIS
When the build up to tries on day 1 is compared to day 2, the percentages decrease which shows that teams needed to pass and ruck more in the build up to tries on the second day of the tournament: Day 1: 66% of tries had no r/ms & 60% < 3 passes Day 2: 54% of tries had no r/ms & 51% < 3 passes 3. BALL IN PLAY & POSSESSION DUBAI 2009
OVERALL 2008/09
AVERAGE B-I-P
7m 06s or 51%
6m 58s or 50%
HIGHEST B-I-P
9m 28s
9m 28s
LOWEST B-I-P
5m 12s
4m 53s
HIGHEST POSSESSION TIME
6m 26s
7m 18s
LOWEST POSSESSION TIME
1m 50s
1m 06s
There was a considerable variation between the ball in play figures achieved by the various teams. This is shown in the OWN OPPONENTS following table which gives the % % AVERAGE AVERAGE average possession times POSSESSION POSSESSION achieved by each team WAL 3m 57s 57% 2m 58s 43% throughout the tournament in attack and defence: POR 4m 23s 57% 3m 17s 43% As seen in the table, there SAM 3m 45s 55% 3m 07s 45% were some noticeable differences. Portugal ARG 3m 46s 55% 3m 08s 45% averaged the highest, being KEN the only team to average over 3m 38s 54% 3m 06s 46% 4 minutes possession per FJI 3m 56s 52% 3m 34s 48% game with Zimbabwe averaging the lowest. 10 out RSA 3m 34s 52% 3m 20s 48% of the 16 teams spent more time attacking than defending. ENG 3m 35s 52% 3m 15s 48% Wales and Portugal had a high percentage of possession FRA 3m 46s 52% 3m 28s 48% in their matches. SCO 3m 48s 51% 3m 40s 49%
IRB GAME ANALYSIS
USA
3m 15s
47%
3m 40s
53%
GLF
3m 15s
46%
3m 50s
54%
AUS
3m 02s
45%
3m 44s
55%
NZL
3m 31s
45%
4m 19s
55%
ZIM
2m 35s
41%
3m 41s
59%
RUS
3m 15s
41%
4m 40s
59%
PAGE 5
DUBAI SEVENS 2009 STATISTICAL REVIEW AND MATCH ANALYSIS
4. ACTIVITY 4.1 PASSING The table shows major differences between the teams. Such differences can however partly be explained by the amount of possession obtained by each team – more possession means more passes. If possession is taken into account, therefore the rate at which each country passed the ball is far closer. Scotland had the highest passing rate and Australia had the lowest.
DUBAI 2009
OVERALL 2008/09
AVERAGE PASSES
68
67
HIGHEST PASSING MATCH
109
115
LOWEST PASSING MATCH
44
35
AVERAGE PASSES
PASSING RATE
5+ PASSING
SCO
44
11.6
1 in 3.6
WAL
41
10.4
1 in 6.3
FJI
40
10.3
1 in 3.2
ZIM
27
10.3
1 in 9.3
SAM
38
10.2
1 in 8.8
NZL
35
10.0
1 in 6.5
Most teams fell into this profile – ie around 50% of their passing movements contained 2 or fewer passes. Where major differences arose, these were seen in the more lengthy passing movements. Of all passing movements, 1 in 8 contained 5+ passes. Certain teams were far more inclined to continue passing than others. This is shown in the above table which notes the proportion of 5+ pass movements to total number of passing movements made by each country.
ARG
37
9.8
1 in 7
POR
42
9.6
1 in 7.8
RUS
31
9.6
1 in 6
USA
30
9.3
1 in 5.7
GLF
30
9.1
1 in 6.2
KEN
32
8.9
1 in 8.2
FRA
33
8.6
1 in 6
RSA
29
8.1
1 in 28.7
Fiji made a 5+ passing movement once in 3.2, Wales 1 in 3.6, whereas South Africa 1 in 28.7 and Australia 1 in 30.
ENG
29
8.0
1 in 21
AUS
22
7.4
1 in 30
Passes came in passing sequences of which there were just over 1000. Of these passing sequences: 26% comprised 1 pass 27% comprised 2 passes 21% comprised 3 passes 12% comprised 4 passes 14% comprised 5+ passes
IRB GAME ANALYSIS
PAGE 6
DUBAI SEVENS 2009 STATISTICAL REVIEW AND MATCH ANALYSIS
4.2 KICKS Kicks include all kicks made in general play inc. punts, chips, ground and grubber kicks. Surprisingly, the highest kicking match was between New Zealand and Fiji. DUBAI 2009
OVERALL 2008/09
AVERAGE KICKS
4
4
HIGHEST KICKING MATCH
12
16
LOWEST KICKING MATCH
0
0
KICK REGAIN RATE
1 in 2.6
1 in 3
As can be seen in the table Fiji and England kicked far more often than any other team. Scotland and France, on the other hand, kicked very little. A high percentage of England’s kick were ground kicks (i.e. football kicks). Of the total kicks made by teams in open play, the attached table shows how many were regained. The overall kick regain rate was 1 in 2.6. Of all the kicks, 29% were chip kicks, 25% were punt kicks, 31% were ground kicks and 15% were grubber kicks. TOTAL KICKS
KICKS REGAINED
% CHIP
% PUNT
% GROUND
% GRUBBER
FJI
3.4
1 in 2.4
24%
18%
35%
24%
ENG
3.0
1 in 1.9
20%
7%
60%
13%
AUS
2.7
1 in 2.3
19%
44%
13%
25%
POR
2.5
1 in 2.1
27%
13%
53%
7%
RUS
2.3
1 in 2.8
36%
14%
36%
14%
ARG
2.2
1 in 3.7
45%
36%
18%
0%
GLF
2.2
1 in 3.7
18%
36%
9%
36%
RSA
1.8
1 in 3.7
36%
36%
27%
0%
SAM
1.8
1 in 2.8
55%
27%
9%
9%
NZL
1.3
1 in 2.7
25%
38%
13%
25%
ZIM
1.3
1 in 2.7
38%
50%
0%
13%
WAL
1.2
1 in 3.5
14%
14%
57%
14%
USA
1.2
1 in 3.0
50%
0%
50%
0%
KEN
1.0
1 in 1.7
20%
20%
20%
40%
SCO
0.8
0 in 4
25%
0%
75%
0%
FRA
0.4
1 in 2.0
0%
50%
50%
0%
IRB GAME ANALYSIS
PAGE 7
DUBAI SEVENS 2009 STATISTICAL REVIEW AND MATCH ANALYSIS
4.3 RUCKS & MAULS DUBAI 2009
OVERALL 2008/09
AVERAGE RUCKS/MAULS
17
16
HIGHEST RUCKING MATCH
28
31
LOWEST RUCKING MATCH
6
4
SUCCESS %
79%
79%
The table below shows major differences in the average number of rucks/mauls created by each team. Some of this can be explained by the amount of possession obtained by each team. If this is taken into account, the rate at which each country rucked and mauled is far closer, as also shown in the table. This expresses rucks/mauls as ‘rucks/mauls per minute possession ‘. South Africa had the highest rucking rate and Fiji had the lowest. At the breakdown, the team taking in the ball retained possession by either winning the ball or being awarded a penalty on 79% of occasions. The percentage success rate of each team in attack and defence is also shown in the table below: AVERAGE RUCKS
RUCKING RATE
SUCCESS % OWN RUCKS
SUCCESS % OPP RUCKS
RSA
12
3.4
83%
32%
POR
13
2.9
84%
24%
GLF
9
2.9
79%
17%
AUS
8
2.7
80%
16%
KEN
10
2.7
70%
28%
ARG
10
2.6
78%
19%
SCO
9
2.5
74%
4%
FRA
9
2.4
74%
10%
USA
8
2.4
69%
20%
RUS
7
2.2
84%
16%
ENG
8
2.1
92%
16%
SAM
8
2.0
76%
24%
NZL
7
1.9
83%
26%
WAL
7
1.8
84%
29%
ZIM
4
1.4
91%
13%
FJI
4
1.0
58%
30%
England and Zimbabwe had the high success percentage in attack, while Fiji had the least – 58%. In defence, Kenya, Wales, Fiji and South Africa won possession from opponents on a number of occasions. Scotland only had a 4% success rate at opposition rucks.
IRB GAME ANALYSIS
PAGE 8
DUBAI SEVENS 2009 STATISTICAL REVIEW AND MATCH ANALYSIS
There are over 500 breakdowns in a tournament - and a breakdown occurs when at least one player from each side is on his feet at or over the ball. When the tackler is on his feet and an opponent joins in, then there is a breakdown. When the tackler is not on his feet, a breakdown occurs when at least one player from each side joins in. What became immediately noticeable was that there were clear differences in the approach of the various countries in committing players to the breakdown. While certain teams frequently committed few additional players, other countries consistently committed more. The extent of the differences between each team’s approach is illustrated by an exercise that looked at how many players were committed to the breakdown (1) in attack and (2) in defence. (1) ATTACK 1 PLAYER
2+ PLAYERS
POR
77%
23%
RUS
77%
WAL
(2) DEFENCE NO PLAYER
1 PLAYER
2+ PLAYERS
SCO
54%
46%
0%
23%
FJI
40%
47%
14%
77%
23%
FRA
33%
50%
17%
ZIM
77%
23%
RSA
30%
57%
13%
FJI
74%
26%
ZIM
30%
53%
17%
SAM
69%
31%
ENG
27%
47%
27%
NZL
68%
32%
AUS
25%
50%
25%
SCO
68%
32%
RUS
25%
59%
16%
ARG
68%
32%
POR
24%
60%
16%
RSA
63%
38%
USA
24%
54%
22%
USA
62%
38%
NZL
21%
50%
29%
GLF
53%
47%
SAM
21%
36%
42%
AUS
52%
48%
ARG
17%
56%
27%
ENG
50%
50%
GLF
14%
77%
9%
KEN
46%
54%
KEN
14%
58%
28%
FRA
43%
57%
WAL
11%
69%
20%
It can be seen that, in Attack, 4 teams committed only one player on 77% of occasions while England, Kenya and France were 50% or below. In Defence, Scotland (54%) and Fiji (40%) committed no extra players on a number of occasions, whereas Wales only 11%. Quite a few teams committed 2+ extra players in defence regularly, especially Samoa whom committed 2+ players on 42% of occasions.
IRB GAME ANALYSIS
PAGE 9
DUBAI SEVENS 2009 STATISTICAL REVIEW AND MATCH ANALYSIS
5. SET PIECE Set piece includes Restarts, Scrums and Lineouts. RESTARTS
OVERALL 2008/09
SCRUMS
OVERALL 2008/09
LINEOUTS
OVERALL 2008/09
AVERAGE
7
7
4
4
2
3
HIGHEST IN A MATCH
10
11
8
10
7
7
LOWEST IN A MATCH
2
3
0 4 matches
0 7 matches
0 2 matches
0 30 matches
SUCCESS %
39%
35%
79%
85%
82%
75%
Restarts were classified into 2 types, contestable and not contestable. 75% of restarts were kicked contestable 25% of restarts were kicked not contestable There were 17 restart errors (Dubai 2008 – 17) Lack of success at the restart is not always the result of successful challenge. Certain teams can intentionally kick long (not contestable) on more occasions than others. Retention rates reflect the number of times that possession was retained at contestable restarts – they varied considerably. Of all contestable restarts, the kicking team regained 39% or 1 in 2.6. REGAINING RESTARTS NOT CONTESTABLE CONTESTABLE
RECEIVING RESTARTS REGAIN SUCCESS
CONTESTABLE
NOT CONTESTABLE
REGAIN SUCCESS
SAM
96%
4%
60%
FJI
77%
23%
90%
ARG
89%
11%
59%
ARG
83%
17%
87%
KEN
100%
0%
59%
RSA
60%
40%
83%
FJI
90%
10%
50%
WAL
40%
60%
83%
USA
60%
40%
44%
KEN
67%
33%
75%
AUS
43%
57%
40%
RUS
85%
15%
71%
POR
94%
6%
40%
AUS
88%
12%
67%
ZIM
83%
17%
33%
FRA
83%
17%
65%
RUS
84%
16%
31%
POR
76%
24%
63%
WAL
78%
22%
29%
SAM
38%
62%
63%
ENG
78%
22%
28%
ZIM
69%
31%
61%
RSA
73%
27%
25%
ENG
73%
27%
55%
FRA
85%
15%
18%
NZL
100%
0%
54%
NZL
50%
50%
7%
SCO
96%
4%
52%
GLF
22%
78%
0%
USA
80%
20%
50%
SCO
80%
20%
0%
GLF
83%
17%
44%
IRB GAME ANALYSIS
PAGE 10
DUBAI SEVENS 2009 STATISTICAL REVIEW AND MATCH ANALYSIS
Samoa, Argentina and Kenya were the most successful in regaining own short restarts and Fiji and Argentina the most successful in receiving opposition short restarts. Scotland and Arabian Gulf were the least successful at regaining own short restarts and receiving opposition short restarts. Overall Scrum success was 79% and overall Lineout success was 82%. The following table shows the success rate for each team on own put/throw in and opposition put/throw in: SCRUM OWN
OPP
WAL
13/13
4/7
NZL
7/7
ENG
LINEOUT OWN
OPP
POR
6/6
1/13
3/9
ARG
5/5
0/5
7/7
1/7
ENG
4/4
1/6
ARG
6/6
3/9
FJI
4/4
0/6
ZIM
9/10
5/17
SAM
4/4
0/5
POR
7/8
2/10
KEN
3/3
1/6
USA
11/13
1/5
WAL
3/3
5/9
RSA
9/11
4/16
NZL
8/9
0/5
SAM
9/11
0/13
ZIM
6/7
3/6
KEN
7/9
0/6
RUS
6/7
1/7
GLF
7/9
3/13
SCO
4/5
0/1
SCO
8/11
2/6
RSA
10/12
1/9
AUS
13/17
1/13
FRA
3/5
1/5
RUS
5/9
2/12
GLF
2/4
1/6
FJI
8/13
0/14
USA
5/8
0/2
FRA
4/10
3/7
AUS
7/11
2/6
Argentina, New Zealand, England and Wales won possession on everyone of their own scrum put in’s and 7 teams won everyone of their lineouts. Wales and Kenya only had 3 lineouts in the entire tournament. Wales won 4 of the 7 opposition scrum put in’s and managed to steal 5 of the 9 opposition lineouts. There were 12 quick throws or 1 in 12. 8. PENALTIES & FREE KICKS PENALTIES & FREE KICKS
OVERALL 2008/09
AVERAGE
5
6
HIGHEST IN A MATCH
12
14
LOWEST IN A MATCH
1
0 (2 matches)
IRB GAME ANALYSIS
PAGE 11
DUBAI SEVENS 2009 STATISTICAL REVIEW AND MATCH ANALYSIS
The average number of penalties and free kicks per game was 5 (Dubai 2008 – 6). What needs to be noted that absolute statistics and averages do not necessarily reflect the true degree of discipline or ill-discipline of a particular team. The number of penalties can, for example, vary from match to match. Some referees penalise more than others. A better and probably more accurate indicator, therefore, is the proportion of penalties conceded by a team in all their matches compared with their opponents. Each team’s proportion % for and against can be seen in the following table together with the totals and averages per game: PENS & FKS FOR
PENS & FKS AGAINST
TOTAL
AVERAGE
%
TOTAL
AVERAGE
%
RSA
29
4.8
69%
13
2.2
31%
SCO
16
3.2
62%
10
2.0
38%
ARG
19
3.8
61%
12
2.4
39%
FJI
11
2.2
55%
9
1.8
45%
FRA
13
2.6
54%
11
2.2
46%
POR
21
3.5
54%
18
3.0
46%
WAL
21
3.5
54%
18
3.0
46%
GLF
16
3.2
53%
14
2.8
47%
AUS
18
3.0
49%
19
3.2
51%
USA
14
2.8
47%
16
3.2
53%
ENG
10
2.0
45%
12
2.4
55%
NZL
13
2.2
46%
15
2.5
54%
RUS
15
2.5
45%
18
3.0
55%
ZIM
8
1.3
36%
14
2.3
64%
SAM
8
1.3
33%
16
2.7
67%
KEN
6
1.2
21%
23
4.6
79%
Of the penalties and free kicks awarded 64% were awarded at the breakdown. 83% of Penalties and Free kicks were tap kicks and 17% were kicks to touch – there was only 1 Penalty Goal attempt. The average number of penalties and the total number of cards awarded by the 8 participating referees was as follows:
HIRABAYASHI DOYLE HODGES HOFFMAN CARDONA FALZONE JAFTHA McMENEMY
IRB GAME ANALYSIS
MATCHES
AVERAGE PENS & FKS PER GAME
TOTAL YELLOW/ RED CARDS
6 6 6 6 5 5 5 5
7.2 + 8 6.7 6.3 5.7 5.6 4.8 3.8 2.6
1 1 1 PAGE 12
DUBAI SEVENS 2009 STATISTICAL REVIEW AND MATCH ANALYSIS
9. CARDS YELLOW CARDS
RED CARDS
AUS
1
-
WAL
1
-
KEN
1
-
SAM
-
-
ARG
-
-
DUBAI 2009
SCO
-
-
TRIPPING
1
NZL
-
-
DANGEROUS CHARGING
1
RSA
-
-
REPEATED INFRINGEMENTS
1
FJI
-
-
TOTAL
3
USA
-
-
ENG
-
-
GLF
-
-
FRA
-
-
ZIM
-
-
POR
-
-
RUS
-
-
There were 3 yellow cards and 0 red cards issued in Dubai 2009. (Dubai 7s 2008 = 12 + 0) This year, 3 of the 16 teams conceded at least one card, as seen in the table. The offences for which they were awarded were as follows:
The following table shows the number of yellow and red cards awarded at each leg of the IRB Sevens: YELLOW CARDS 2009/10
YELLOW CARDS 2008/09
3+0
12 + 0
DUBAI GEORGE
18 + 1
WELLINGTON
23 + 1
USA
15 + 0
HONG KONG
14 + 0
ADELAIDE
9+0
LONDON
6+0
SCOTLAND
11 + 1
OVERALL
108 + 3
IRB GAME ANALYSIS
PAGE 13
STATISTICAL REVIEW DUBAI 2009
IRB GAME ANALYSIS
This is a report on the DUBAI leg of the IRB Sevens World Series 2009/10.
CONTENTS CURRENT STANDINGS
It comprises a quantitative analysis of all elements of play together with the approach to, and performance of, all participating teams in various aspects of the game.
RESULTS PLAYER STATIISTICS STATISTICAL SUMMARY – OVERALL
The report looks, therefore, at such areas as: STATISTICAL REVIEW – TEAMS • • • • • • • •
Scoring and the effectiveness of each team in attack and defence The source, origin and build up of tries The effectiveness of teams in retaining possession Each country’s passes and rate of passing Each country’s second phases and rate of second phase play Each team’s approach and success at the breakdown Each country’s performance on its own restarts Plus data on scrums, lineouts, penalties, refereeing and temporary suspensions.
PAGE 1 SCORING & CONCEDING POINTS PAGE 2 TRY SCORING PAGE 4 BALL IN PLAY & POSSESSION PAGE 5 ACTIVITY PAGE 9 SET PIECE PAGE 10 PENALTIES & FREE KICKS PAGE 12 CARDS
CURRENT STANDINGS DUB
GEO
NZL
USA
HKG
AUS
LON
SCO
TOT
NZL
24
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
24
SAM
20
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
20
ENG
16
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
16
FJI
16
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
16
AUS
12
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
12
RSA
8
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
8
ARG
6
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
6
KEN
6
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
6
WAL
4
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
4
DUBAI 2009 RESULTS NO.
TEAM
SCORE
TEAM
Cup Final Plate Final Bowl Final Shield Final Cup S/F Cup S/F Plate S/F Plate S/F Bowl S/F Bowl S/F Shield S/F Shield S/F Cup Q/F Cup Q/F Cup Q/F Cup Q/F Bowl Q/F Bowl Q/F Bowl Q/F Bowl Q/F Pool Pool Pool Pool Pool Pool Pool Pool Pool Pool Pool Pool Pool Pool Pool Pool Pool Pool Pool Pool Pool Pool Pool Pool
NEW ZEALAND SOUTH AFRICA WALES PORTUGAL ENGLAND FIJI ARGENTINA SOUTH AFRICA FRANCE WALES RUSSIA SCOTLAND SAMOA ENGLAND NEW ZEALAND SOUTH AFRICA ZIMBABWE RUSSIA PORTUGAL WALES SOUTH AFRICA NEW ZEALAND ENGLAND FIJI WALES PORTUGAL UNITED STATES SCOTLAND AUSTRALIA SOUTH AFRICA ARGENTINA NEW ZEALAND KENYA ENGLAND SAMOA FIJI AUSTRALIA SOUTH AFRICA ARGENTINA NEW ZEALAND KENYA ENGLAND SAMOA FIJI
24 - 12 0-7 38 - 7 14 - 17 19 - 28 0 - 19 12 - 26 19 - 14 14 - 27 33 - 12 26 - 12 5 - 29 28 - 27 17 - 12 17 - 14 5 - 17 28 - 19 21 - 22 0-5 19 - 12 29 - 0 38 - 10 27 - 10 12 - 12 50 - 0 24 - 14 12 - 14 17 - 17 14 - 7 36 - 7 40 - 7 33 - 10 31 - 26 28 - 0 36 - 7 31 - 14 47 - 7 28 - 14 22 - 12 34 - 0 26 - 5 40 - 12 40 - 5 47 - 12
SAMOA AUSTRALIA ZIMBABWE RUSSIA SAMOA NEW ZEALAND AUSTRALIA KENYA ZIMBABWE UNITED STATES ARABIAN GULF PORTUGAL AUSTRALIA ARGENTINA KENYA FIJI ARABIAN GULF FRANCE UNITED STATES SCOTLAND AUSTRALIA ARGENTINA KENYA SAMOA ARABIAN GULF FRANCE RUSSIA ZIMBABWE WALES ARABIAN GULF PORTUGAL FRANCE UNITED STATES RUSSIA SCOTLAND ZIMBABWE ARABIAN GULF WALES FRANCE PORTUGAL RUSSIA UNITED STATES ZIMBABWE SCOTLAND
DUBAI 2009 PLAYER STATISTICS POINTS SCORED DUBAI 2009 AUS
CLINTON SILLS
9
NZL
SHERWIN STOWERS
9
RUS
VASILY ARTEMYEV
8
SAM
MIKAELE PESAMINO
8
RSA
RYNO BENJAMIN
7
WAL
ALEX CUTHBERT
7
ARG
NICOLAS BRUZZONE
6
KEN
COLLINS INJERA
6
KEN
HUMPHREY KAYANGE
6
TRIES SCORED DUBAI 2009 SAM
LOLO LUI
49
ENG
BEN GOLLINGS
46
AUS
CLINTON SILLS
45
NZL
SHERWIN STOWERS
45
RUS
VASILY ARTEMYEV
40
FJI
WILLIAM RYDER
40
SAM
MIKAELE PESAMINO
40
RSA
MZWANDILE STICK
40
STATISTICAL SUMMARY - OVERALL DUBAI 2009 44
OVERALL 2008/09 365
POINTS (average per game)
37
36
TRIES (average per game)
6
6
CONVERSION SUCCESS (%)
63%
62%
PENALTY GOALS (total)
0
6
DROP GOALS (total)
0
2
MATCHES WON by team scoring most tries
91%
90%
SOURCE OF TRIES - Pens/FKs (%)
29%
29%
SOURCE OF TRIES - Turnover/Opp Error (%)
23%
22%
ORIGIN OF TRIES - Own Half (%)
42%
42%
BUILD UP TO TRIES - No Rucks/Mauls
61%
63%
BUILD UP TO TRIES - 3 Or Fewer Passes
57%
59%
51%
50%
PASSES (average per game)
68
67
RUCKS/MAULS (average per game)
17
16
RUCK/MAUL RETENTION (%)
79%
79%
KICKS (average per game)
4
4
75%
74%
39% or 1 in 2.6 17 or 1 in 19
35% or 1 in 2.8 156 or 1 in 15
SCRUMS (average per game)
4
4
SCRUMS possession retained (%)
79%
85%
LINEOUTS (average per game)
2
3
LINEOUTS possession retained (%)
82%
75%
QUICK THROWS (Total)
12 or 1 in 8
106 or 1 in 8
PENALTIES (average per game)
5
6
CARDS (Total)
3
108 + 3
MATCHES SCORING
TRY SCORING
BALL IN PLAY BALL IN PLAY (%) ACTIVITY
SET PIECE CONTESTABLE RESTARTS (%) CONTESTABLE RESTARTS REGAINED (%) RESTART ERRORS (Total)
PENALTIES/FREE KICKS & CARDS
DUBAI SEVENS 2009 STATISTICAL REVIEW AND MATCH ANALYSIS
STATISTICAL SUMMARY – TEAMS 1. SCORING & CONCEDING POINTS The average number of points scored in a game was 37. The average number of points scored/conceded by a team was 18.5 but, not surprisingly, there were major variations around this average. The Cup winners New Zealand for example, scored an average of 28 points per game while Arabian Gulf managed just 9. With regard to points conceded South Africa, for example, conceded an average of 10 points per game while Scotland conceded 30. The figures do not show, however, how effective each team was in scoring points in relation to the possession that it obtained and also, the figures do not show, how effective each team was in restricting points in relation to the possession that their opponents obtained. A team may, for example, obtain little possession but still manage to score a significant number of tries conversely a team may concede very few tries in the face of considerable opposition possession. Scoring rates are calculated (a) by dividing the total possession obtained by a team by the number of tries scored (b) by dividing the total possession obtained by a team opponents by the total number of tries conceded. The following table gives the relevant figures for each participating team. New Zealand had the best try scoring rate (47 secs per try scored) and the best try conceding rate (194 secs per try conceded). MATCHES PLAYED
Av POINTS SCORED
TRY SCORING RATE
Av POINTS CONCEDED
TRY CONCEDING RATE
NZL
6
28
47 secs
NZL
8
194 secs
ENG
5
26
51 secs
RSA
10
133 secs
SAM
6
26
56 secs
FJI
12
107 secs
WAL
6
27
57 secs
AUS
14
104 secs
ZIM
6
16
58 secs
ENG
12
98 secs
AUS
6
20
58 secs
WAL
13
97 secs
RSA
6
20
68 secs
RUS
19
94 secs
FJI
5
21
69 secs
SAM
16
70 secs
ARG
5
19
71 secs
POR
19
62 secs
KEN
5
19
73 secs
USA
24
61 secs
USA
5
13
89 secs
ARG
20
59 secs
RUS
6
14
90 secs
KEN
19
58 secs
FRA
5
14
94 secs
ZIM
27
53 secs
SCO
5
11
127 secs
FRA
25
50 secs
POR
6
12
132 secs
SCO
30
46 secs
GLF
5
9
140 secs
GLF
37
40 secs
IRB GAME ANALYSIS
PAGE 1
DUBAI SEVENS 2009 STATISTICAL REVIEW AND MATCH ANALYSIS
0 penalty goals or drop goals were kicked - The overall conversion success rate was 63%. CONVERSION SUCCESS %
There were noticeable variations in the percentage success rates as seen in the attached table. Because of the relatively few tries scored, applying percentages can, at this stage, only be regarded as indicative. In addition, the location of the score can be a significant factor in achieving a s uccessful conversion. This is the reason that the attached table has assigned a percentage success rate only to those teams that scored 16 tries or more.
CONVERSION SUCCESS %
SAM
75%
KEN
10/15
WAL
72%
RUS
9/13
AUS
68%
POR
7/12
FJI
65%
FRA
6/12
ENG
62%
USA
6/11
RSA
58%
SCO
5/9
ZIM
56%
GLF
6/7
NZL
56%
ARG
50%
2. TRY SCORING There were 263 tries scored in the tournament making an average of 6.0 per game. (Dubai 7s 2008 = 225 tries) On Day 1 there were 154 tries scored (average – 6.4) and on Day 2 there were 109 tries scored (average – 5.5) 2.1 IMPACT OF TRIES With no penalty goals or no drop goals and a conversion success rate of 63%, it was inevitable that tries would determine the winning team in the vast majority of cases – and this proved to be the case. Of the 44 matches, 40 (or 91%) were won by the team scoring the most tries. There were 2 drawn matches and 2 were won because of conversions (USA v RUS and SAM v AUS). 2.2 POSSESSION SOURCE OF TRIES The teams scoring the tries obtained possession of the ball prior to the scoring of the try from a variety of sources. This is shown: It can be seen that the most fruitful source of tries is penalties/free kicks (29%). Of all the tries scored from penalties/free kicks, 76% (or 58 tries) of the tries were pen/ fk taps taken under 10 seconds of being awarded and 24% (18 tries) of the tries were taken 10 seconds or over.
DUBAI 2009
OVERALL 2008/09
PENALTY/FREE KICK
29%
29%
RESTART
26%
18%
TURNOVER (Gen Play or Ruck)
23%
22%
SCRUM
11%
14%
LINEOUT
8%
11%
KICK RECEIPT
3%
6%
The following table on the next page shows the possession source of tries scored (own) and tries conceded (opp) by each team:
IRB GAME ANALYSIS
PAGE 2
DUBAI SEVENS 2009 STATISTICAL REVIEW AND MATCH ANALYSIS
PEN & FK
T/OVER & ERROR
SCRUM
LINEOUT
RESTART
KICK
TOTAL
OWN
OPP
OWN
OPP
OWN
OPP
OWN
OPP
OWN
OPP
OWN
OPP
OWN
OPP
NZL
5
2
10
1
4
2
4
1
3
2
1
0
27
8
WAL
11
3
4
4
3
3
6
0
1
1
0
0
25
11
SAM
3
6
9
3
10
5
0
1
2
0
0
1
24
16
ENG
4
3
6
2
6
4
2
0
2
1
1
0
21
10
AUS
6
5
4
2
5
2
2
1
2
2
0
1
19
13
RSA
10
3
4
1
1
2
1
1
2
2
1
0
19
9
FJI
5
2
4
3
5
0
1
4
1
1
1
0
17
10
ARG
6
4
3
4
4
4
1
2
2
0
0
2
16
16
ZIM
1
9
2
5
7
6
4
2
2
2
0
1
16
25
KEN
4
5
3
7
4
2
2
1
1
1
1
0
15
16
RUS
2
5
2
3
6
4
1
2
2
2
0
2
13
18
FRA
4
3
1
8
6
5
0
5
1
0
0
0
12
21
POR
3
5
3
5
2
5
3
0
0
4
1
0
12
19
USA
1
6
3
5
5
4
0
2
1
1
1
0
11
18
SCO
5
5
2
6
1
9
1
4
0
0
0
0
9
24
GLF
6
10
1
2
0
12
0
2
0
3
0
0
7
29
2.3 ORIGIN & LOCATION OF TRIES Tries originate from various parts of the pitch and are scored all across the try line. The following diagram shows the location on the pitch of where the attacking team obtained possession from which they eventually scored and where they were scored along try line. 42% of all tries originated in the try scoring team’s own half and 38% were scored under the posts. LEFT OF POSTS TRIES
33% OWN HALF
42% or 111 tries
HW to 10m
10m to 22m
22m to TRY
10% or 27 tries
29% or 76 tries
19% or 49 tries
UNDER POSTS TRIES
38% RIGHT OF POSTS TRIES
29%
IRB GAME ANALYSIS
PAGE 3
DUBAI SEVENS 2009 STATISTICAL REVIEW AND MATCH ANALYSIS
The following table shows the origin of tries scored (own) and tries conceded (opp) by each team. The teams which scored a high number of tries from their own half were Kenya, Zimbabwe and Russia. The teams which scored few tries from their own half were South Africa and Argentina. OWN HALF
HW – 10m
10m – 22m
22m - TRY
TOT
OWN
OPP
OWN
OPP
OWN
OPP
OWN
OPP
OWN
OPP
NZL
8
3
5
1
9
4
5
0
27
8
WAL
10
7
5
0
8
2
2
2
25
11
SAM
8
6
2
3
10
4
4
3
24
16
ENG
11
4
1
0
4
3
5
2
21
10
AUS
8
4
4
0
7
4
0
5
19
13
RSA
3
5
1
0
5
2
10
2
19
9
FJI
6
4
0
0
7
1
4
5
17
10
ARG
2
9
3
0
9
5
2
2
16
16
ZIM
11
6
0
6
3
7
2
6
16
25
KEN
11
5
1
1
2
6
1
4
15
16
RUS
10
11
0
2
2
3
1
2
13
18
FRA
8
7
1
2
1
7
2
5
12
21
POR
5
8
1
3
2
7
4
1
12
19
USA
4
9
0
3
6
2
1
4
11
18
SCO
5
11
2
1
0
9
2
3
9
24
GLF
1
12
1
4
1
10
4
3
7
29
2.4 BUILD UP TO TRIES Possession of the ball that leads to tries is obtained from a number of sources – and they are listed above. More often than not, OVERALL % Cumulative 2008/09 other actions – second phase, kicks None 61% 61% 63% and passes – then take place before 1 rucks/mauls the try is scored. 26% 87% 86% 2 rucks/mauls 8% 95% 95% 3 + rucks/mauls 5% 100% 100% The table shows how many rucks/mauls preceded each try scored in the tournament. The table shows that 61% of tries were preceded by not one ruck or maul. It shows the total number of passes that preceded each try scored in the tournament.
No passes 1 - 3 passes 4 - 6 passes
The table shows that 57% of tries were preceded by 3 or fewer passes.
IRB GAME ANALYSIS
7 - 9 passes 10+ passes
%
Cumulative
OVERALL 2008/09
9% 48% 26% 13% 4%
9% 57% 83% 96% 100%
12% 58% 83% 94% 100%
PAGE 4
DUBAI SEVENS 2009 STATISTICAL REVIEW AND MATCH ANALYSIS
When the build up to tries on day 1 is compared to day 2, the percentages decrease which shows that teams needed to pass and ruck more in the build up to tries on the second day of the tournament: Day 1: 66% of tries had no r/ms & 60% < 3 passes Day 2: 54% of tries had no r/ms & 51% < 3 passes 3. BALL IN PLAY & POSSESSION DUBAI 2009
OVERALL 2008/09
AVERAGE B-I-P
7m 06s or 51%
6m 58s or 50%
HIGHEST B-I-P
9m 28s
9m 28s
LOWEST B-I-P
5m 12s
4m 53s
HIGHEST POSSESSION TIME
6m 26s
7m 18s
LOWEST POSSESSION TIME
1m 50s
1m 06s
There was a considerable variation between the ball in play figures achieved by the various teams. This is shown in the OWN OPPONENTS following table which gives the % % AVERAGE AVERAGE average possession times POSSESSION POSSESSION achieved by each team WAL 3m 57s 57% 2m 58s 43% throughout the tournament in attack and defence: POR 4m 23s 57% 3m 17s 43% As seen in the table, there SAM 3m 45s 55% 3m 07s 45% were some noticeable differences. Portugal ARG 3m 46s 55% 3m 08s 45% averaged the highest, being KEN the only team to average over 3m 38s 54% 3m 06s 46% 4 minutes possession per FJI 3m 56s 52% 3m 34s 48% game with Zimbabwe averaging the lowest. 10 out RSA 3m 34s 52% 3m 20s 48% of the 16 teams spent more time attacking than defending. ENG 3m 35s 52% 3m 15s 48% Wales and Portugal had a high percentage of possession FRA 3m 46s 52% 3m 28s 48% in their matches. SCO 3m 48s 51% 3m 40s 49%
IRB GAME ANALYSIS
USA
3m 15s
47%
3m 40s
53%
GLF
3m 15s
46%
3m 50s
54%
AUS
3m 02s
45%
3m 44s
55%
NZL
3m 31s
45%
4m 19s
55%
ZIM
2m 35s
41%
3m 41s
59%
RUS
3m 15s
41%
4m 40s
59%
PAGE 5
DUBAI SEVENS 2009 STATISTICAL REVIEW AND MATCH ANALYSIS
4. ACTIVITY 4.1 PASSING The table shows major differences between the teams. Such differences can however partly be explained by the amount of possession obtained by each team – more possession means more passes. If possession is taken into account, therefore the rate at which each country passed the ball is far closer. Scotland had the highest passing rate and Australia had the lowest.
DUBAI 2009
OVERALL 2008/09
AVERAGE PASSES
68
67
HIGHEST PASSING MATCH
109
115
LOWEST PASSING MATCH
44
35
AVERAGE PASSES
PASSING RATE
5+ PASSING
SCO
44
11.6
1 in 3.6
WAL
41
10.4
1 in 6.3
FJI
40
10.3
1 in 3.2
ZIM
27
10.3
1 in 9.3
SAM
38
10.2
1 in 8.8
NZL
35
10.0
1 in 6.5
Most teams fell into this profile – ie around 50% of their passing movements contained 2 or fewer passes. Where major differences arose, these were seen in the more lengthy passing movements. Of all passing movements, 1 in 8 contained 5+ passes. Certain teams were far more inclined to continue passing than others. This is shown in the above table which notes the proportion of 5+ pass movements to total number of passing movements made by each country.
ARG
37
9.8
1 in 7
POR
42
9.6
1 in 7.8
RUS
31
9.6
1 in 6
USA
30
9.3
1 in 5.7
GLF
30
9.1
1 in 6.2
KEN
32
8.9
1 in 8.2
FRA
33
8.6
1 in 6
RSA
29
8.1
1 in 28.7
Fiji made a 5+ passing movement once in 3.2, Wales 1 in 3.6, whereas South Africa 1 in 28.7 and Australia 1 in 30.
ENG
29
8.0
1 in 21
AUS
22
7.4
1 in 30
Passes came in passing sequences of which there were just over 1000. Of these passing sequences: 26% comprised 1 pass 27% comprised 2 passes 21% comprised 3 passes 12% comprised 4 passes 14% comprised 5+ passes
IRB GAME ANALYSIS
PAGE 6
DUBAI SEVENS 2009 STATISTICAL REVIEW AND MATCH ANALYSIS
4.2 KICKS Kicks include all kicks made in general play inc. punts, chips, ground and grubber kicks. Surprisingly, the highest kicking match was between New Zealand and Fiji. DUBAI 2009
OVERALL 2008/09
AVERAGE KICKS
4
4
HIGHEST KICKING MATCH
12
16
LOWEST KICKING MATCH
0
0
KICK REGAIN RATE
1 in 2.6
1 in 3
As can be seen in the table Fiji and England kicked far more often than any other team. Scotland and France, on the other hand, kicked very little. A high percentage of England’s kick were ground kicks (i.e. football kicks). Of the total kicks made by teams in open play, the attached table shows how many were regained. The overall kick regain rate was 1 in 2.6. Of all the kicks, 29% were chip kicks, 25% were punt kicks, 31% were ground kicks and 15% were grubber kicks. TOTAL KICKS
KICKS REGAINED
% CHIP
% PUNT
% GROUND
% GRUBBER
FJI
3.4
1 in 2.4
24%
18%
35%
24%
ENG
3.0
1 in 1.9
20%
7%
60%
13%
AUS
2.7
1 in 2.3
19%
44%
13%
25%
POR
2.5
1 in 2.1
27%
13%
53%
7%
RUS
2.3
1 in 2.8
36%
14%
36%
14%
ARG
2.2
1 in 3.7
45%
36%
18%
0%
GLF
2.2
1 in 3.7
18%
36%
9%
36%
RSA
1.8
1 in 3.7
36%
36%
27%
0%
SAM
1.8
1 in 2.8
55%
27%
9%
9%
NZL
1.3
1 in 2.7
25%
38%
13%
25%
ZIM
1.3
1 in 2.7
38%
50%
0%
13%
WAL
1.2
1 in 3.5
14%
14%
57%
14%
USA
1.2
1 in 3.0
50%
0%
50%
0%
KEN
1.0
1 in 1.7
20%
20%
20%
40%
SCO
0.8
0 in 4
25%
0%
75%
0%
FRA
0.4
1 in 2.0
0%
50%
50%
0%
IRB GAME ANALYSIS
PAGE 7
DUBAI SEVENS 2009 STATISTICAL REVIEW AND MATCH ANALYSIS
4.3 RUCKS & MAULS DUBAI 2009
OVERALL 2008/09
AVERAGE RUCKS/MAULS
17
16
HIGHEST RUCKING MATCH
28
31
LOWEST RUCKING MATCH
6
4
SUCCESS %
79%
79%
The table below shows major differences in the average number of rucks/mauls created by each team. Some of this can be explained by the amount of possession obtained by each team. If this is taken into account, the rate at which each country rucked and mauled is far closer, as also shown in the table. This expresses rucks/mauls as ‘rucks/mauls per minute possession ‘. South Africa had the highest rucking rate and Fiji had the lowest. At the breakdown, the team taking in the ball retained possession by either winning the ball or being awarded a penalty on 79% of occasions. The percentage success rate of each team in attack and defence is also shown in the table below: AVERAGE RUCKS
RUCKING RATE
SUCCESS % OWN RUCKS
SUCCESS % OPP RUCKS
RSA
12
3.4
83%
32%
POR
13
2.9
84%
24%
GLF
9
2.9
79%
17%
AUS
8
2.7
80%
16%
KEN
10
2.7
70%
28%
ARG
10
2.6
78%
19%
SCO
9
2.5
74%
4%
FRA
9
2.4
74%
10%
USA
8
2.4
69%
20%
RUS
7
2.2
84%
16%
ENG
8
2.1
92%
16%
SAM
8
2.0
76%
24%
NZL
7
1.9
83%
26%
WAL
7
1.8
84%
29%
ZIM
4
1.4
91%
13%
FJI
4
1.0
58%
30%
England and Zimbabwe had the high success percentage in attack, while Fiji had the least – 58%. In defence, Kenya, Wales, Fiji and South Africa won possession from opponents on a number of occasions. Scotland only had a 4% success rate at opposition rucks.
IRB GAME ANALYSIS
PAGE 8
DUBAI SEVENS 2009 STATISTICAL REVIEW AND MATCH ANALYSIS
There are over 500 breakdowns in a tournament - and a breakdown occurs when at least one player from each side is on his feet at or over the ball. When the tackler is on his feet and an opponent joins in, then there is a breakdown. When the tackler is not on his feet, a breakdown occurs when at least one player from each side joins in. What became immediately noticeable was that there were clear differences in the approach of the various countries in committing players to the breakdown. While certain teams frequently committed few additional players, other countries consistently committed more. The extent of the differences between each team’s approach is illustrated by an exercise that looked at how many players were committed to the breakdown (1) in attack and (2) in defence. (1) ATTACK 1 PLAYER
2+ PLAYERS
POR
77%
23%
RUS
77%
WAL
(2) DEFENCE NO PLAYER
1 PLAYER
2+ PLAYERS
SCO
54%
46%
0%
23%
FJI
40%
47%
14%
77%
23%
FRA
33%
50%
17%
ZIM
77%
23%
RSA
30%
57%
13%
FJI
74%
26%
ZIM
30%
53%
17%
SAM
69%
31%
ENG
27%
47%
27%
NZL
68%
32%
AUS
25%
50%
25%
SCO
68%
32%
RUS
25%
59%
16%
ARG
68%
32%
POR
24%
60%
16%
RSA
63%
38%
USA
24%
54%
22%
USA
62%
38%
NZL
21%
50%
29%
GLF
53%
47%
SAM
21%
36%
42%
AUS
52%
48%
ARG
17%
56%
27%
ENG
50%
50%
GLF
14%
77%
9%
KEN
46%
54%
KEN
14%
58%
28%
FRA
43%
57%
WAL
11%
69%
20%
It can be seen that, in Attack, 4 teams committed only one player on 77% of occasions while England, Kenya and France were 50% or below. In Defence, Scotland (54%) and Fiji (40%) committed no extra players on a number of occasions, whereas Wales only 11%. Quite a few teams committed 2+ extra players in defence regularly, especially Samoa whom committed 2+ players on 42% of occasions.
IRB GAME ANALYSIS
PAGE 9
DUBAI SEVENS 2009 STATISTICAL REVIEW AND MATCH ANALYSIS
5. SET PIECE Set piece includes Restarts, Scrums and Lineouts. RESTARTS
OVERALL 2008/09
SCRUMS
OVERALL 2008/09
LINEOUTS
OVERALL 2008/09
AVERAGE
7
7
4
4
2
3
HIGHEST IN A MATCH
10
11
8
10
7
7
LOWEST IN A MATCH
2
3
0 4 matches
0 7 matches
0 2 matches
0 30 matches
SUCCESS %
39%
35%
79%
85%
82%
75%
Restarts were classified into 2 types, contestable and not contestable. 75% of restarts were kicked contestable 25% of restarts were kicked not contestable There were 17 restart errors (Dubai 2008 – 17) Lack of success at the restart is not always the result of successful challenge. Certain teams can intentionally kick long (not contestable) on more occasions than others. Retention rates reflect the number of times that possession was retained at contestable restarts – they varied considerably. Of all contestable restarts, the kicking team regained 39% or 1 in 2.6. REGAINING RESTARTS NOT CONTESTABLE CONTESTABLE
RECEIVING RESTARTS REGAIN SUCCESS
CONTESTABLE
NOT CONTESTABLE
REGAIN SUCCESS
SAM
96%
4%
60%
FJI
77%
23%
90%
ARG
89%
11%
59%
ARG
83%
17%
87%
KEN
100%
0%
59%
RSA
60%
40%
83%
FJI
90%
10%
50%
WAL
40%
60%
83%
USA
60%
40%
44%
KEN
67%
33%
75%
AUS
43%
57%
40%
RUS
85%
15%
71%
POR
94%
6%
40%
AUS
88%
12%
67%
ZIM
83%
17%
33%
FRA
83%
17%
65%
RUS
84%
16%
31%
POR
76%
24%
63%
WAL
78%
22%
29%
SAM
38%
62%
63%
ENG
78%
22%
28%
ZIM
69%
31%
61%
RSA
73%
27%
25%
ENG
73%
27%
55%
FRA
85%
15%
18%
NZL
100%
0%
54%
NZL
50%
50%
7%
SCO
96%
4%
52%
GLF
22%
78%
0%
USA
80%
20%
50%
SCO
80%
20%
0%
GLF
83%
17%
44%
IRB GAME ANALYSIS
PAGE 10
DUBAI SEVENS 2009 STATISTICAL REVIEW AND MATCH ANALYSIS
Samoa, Argentina and Kenya were the most successful in regaining own short restarts and Fiji and Argentina the most successful in receiving opposition short restarts. Scotland and Arabian Gulf were the least successful at regaining own short restarts and receiving opposition short restarts. Overall Scrum success was 79% and overall Lineout success was 82%. The following table shows the success rate for each team on own put/throw in and opposition put/throw in: SCRUM OWN
OPP
WAL
13/13
4/7
NZL
7/7
ENG
LINEOUT OWN
OPP
POR
6/6
1/13
3/9
ARG
5/5
0/5
7/7
1/7
ENG
4/4
1/6
ARG
6/6
3/9
FJI
4/4
0/6
ZIM
9/10
5/17
SAM
4/4
0/5
POR
7/8
2/10
KEN
3/3
1/6
USA
11/13
1/5
WAL
3/3
5/9
RSA
9/11
4/16
NZL
8/9
0/5
SAM
9/11
0/13
ZIM
6/7
3/6
KEN
7/9
0/6
RUS
6/7
1/7
GLF
7/9
3/13
SCO
4/5
0/1
SCO
8/11
2/6
RSA
10/12
1/9
AUS
13/17
1/13
FRA
3/5
1/5
RUS
5/9
2/12
GLF
2/4
1/6
FJI
8/13
0/14
USA
5/8
0/2
FRA
4/10
3/7
AUS
7/11
2/6
Argentina, New Zealand, England and Wales won possession on everyone of their own scrum put in’s and 7 teams won everyone of their lineouts. Wales and Kenya only had 3 lineouts in the entire tournament. Wales won 4 of the 7 opposition scrum put in’s and managed to steal 5 of the 9 opposition lineouts. There were 12 quick throws or 1 in 12. 8. PENALTIES & FREE KICKS PENALTIES & FREE KICKS
OVERALL 2008/09
AVERAGE
5
6
HIGHEST IN A MATCH
12
14
LOWEST IN A MATCH
1
0 (2 matches)
IRB GAME ANALYSIS
PAGE 11
DUBAI SEVENS 2009 STATISTICAL REVIEW AND MATCH ANALYSIS
The average number of penalties and free kicks per game was 5 (Dubai 2008 – 6). What needs to be noted that absolute statistics and averages do not necessarily reflect the true degree of discipline or ill-discipline of a particular team. The number of penalties can, for example, vary from match to match. Some referees penalise more than others. A better and probably more accurate indicator, therefore, is the proportion of penalties conceded by a team in all their matches compared with their opponents. Each team’s proportion % for and against can be seen in the following table together with the totals and averages per game: PENS & FKS FOR
PENS & FKS AGAINST
TOTAL
AVERAGE
%
TOTAL
AVERAGE
%
RSA
29
4.8
69%
13
2.2
31%
SCO
16
3.2
62%
10
2.0
38%
ARG
19
3.8
61%
12
2.4
39%
FJI
11
2.2
55%
9
1.8
45%
FRA
13
2.6
54%
11
2.2
46%
POR
21
3.5
54%
18
3.0
46%
WAL
21
3.5
54%
18
3.0
46%
GLF
16
3.2
53%
14
2.8
47%
AUS
18
3.0
49%
19
3.2
51%
USA
14
2.8
47%
16
3.2
53%
ENG
10
2.0
45%
12
2.4
55%
NZL
13
2.2
46%
15
2.5
54%
RUS
15
2.5
45%
18
3.0
55%
ZIM
8
1.3
36%
14
2.3
64%
SAM
8
1.3
33%
16
2.7
67%
KEN
6
1.2
21%
23
4.6
79%
Of the penalties and free kicks awarded 64% were awarded at the breakdown. 83% of Penalties and Free kicks were tap kicks and 17% were kicks to touch – there was only 1 Penalty Goal attempt. The average number of penalties and the total number of cards awarded by the 8 participating referees was as follows:
HIRABAYASHI DOYLE HODGES HOFFMAN CARDONA FALZONE JAFTHA McMENEMY
IRB GAME ANALYSIS
MATCHES
AVERAGE PENS & FKS PER GAME
TOTAL YELLOW/ RED CARDS
6 6 6 6 5 5 5 5
7.2 + 8 6.7 6.3 5.7 5.6 4.8 3.8 2.6
1 1 1 PAGE 12
DUBAI SEVENS 2009 STATISTICAL REVIEW AND MATCH ANALYSIS
9. CARDS YELLOW CARDS
RED CARDS
AUS
1
-
WAL
1
-
KEN
1
-
SAM
-
-
ARG
-
-
DUBAI 2009
SCO
-
-
TRIPPING
1
NZL
-
-
DANGEROUS CHARGING
1
RSA
-
-
REPEATED INFRINGEMENTS
1
FJI
-
-
TOTAL
3
USA
-
-
ENG
-
-
GLF
-
-
FRA
-
-
ZIM
-
-
POR
-
-
RUS
-
-
There were 3 yellow cards and 0 red cards issued in Dubai 2009. (Dubai 7s 2008 = 12 + 0) This year, 3 of the 16 teams conceded at least one card, as seen in the table. The offences for which they were awarded were as follows:
The following table shows the number of yellow and red cards awarded at each leg of the IRB Sevens: YELLOW CARDS 2009/10
YELLOW CARDS 2008/09
3+0
12 + 0
DUBAI GEORGE
18 + 1
WELLINGTON
23 + 1
USA
15 + 0
HONG KONG
14 + 0
ADELAIDE
9+0
LONDON
6+0
SCOTLAND
11 + 1
OVERALL
108 + 3
IRB GAME ANALYSIS
PAGE 13
