2012 PNC Statistical Report
Statistical Review & Match Analysis
ANZ PACIFIC NATIONS CUP 2012 STATISTICAL REVIEW AND MATCH ANALYSIS
IRB MATCH ANALYSIS
Statistical Review & Match Analysis
CONTENTS Commentary Pool Standings & Results Overall Statistical Summary
Page 1 4 5
Statistical Analysis and Match Summary Scoring Try Scoring Tries Kicks at Goal Ball in Play Activity Cycles Restarts Lineouts Scrums Penalties Cards
6 7 8 10 10 12 15 15 16 16 17
The IRB Pacific Nations Cup continues to be a key element of the IRB’s global strategic investment programme. It serves a variety of objectives – it is an integral development tool for the participating unions, and is a vehicle for identifying players capable of performing at the highest levels of the match in the near or distant future. Detailed analysis reports are prepared on such competitions and the report that follows comprises an in-depth statistical analysis of the 2012 Pacific Nations Cup. Each report has similar objectives – it reflects the shape of the match and provides a basis whereby each participating country can compare its performance in major areas of the match with the other teams that played in the competition as well as being used to establish benchmarks and performance indicators for future tournaments.
Pacific Nations Cup 2012
Statistical Analysis & Match Summary
COMMENTARY This commentary is in two sections. The first comprises some observations on the tournament itself while the second comprises assorted data relating to each participating team. The Pacific Nations Cup 2012 produced the most competitive competition, at any senior level, for many years. • •
Samoa, who won all 3 matches had a total winning points margin of just 6. Their biggest winning margin was three points, followed by two points and one point. Japan, who lost all 3 matches had a total losing points margin of just 11. Their biggest defeat was by six points, followed by four points and one point.
Samoa was within one score of losing all their matches while Japan was within one score of winning all theirs. Five of the six matches played in the tournament had margins of six points or less, producing a table that showed the difference between points scored and conceded was minimal for all 4 teams.
Team Samoa Fiji Tonga Japan
Points for average 25 27 20 22
Points against average 23 22 23 25
Difference 2 5 3 3
The tightness of the matches was reflected in the relationship of tries to penalty goals. In 2011, tries exceeded penalty goals by 50% - this year there were more penalty goals than tries. Despite this, the team scoring the most tries won 4 of the 6 matches and in only one match did the team scoring the fewest number of tries win, This did not mean however that all four teams adopted a similar playing strategy. Instead, this year’s competition produced what amounted to a case study in how the game of rugby contains within itself a wide range of playing options and playing shapes. An example of the diverse approaches of Japan and Samoa illustrates this:
PASSES Total no of passes in all 3 matches Total passes made by outside half Total passes made by two centres
SAMOA
JAPAN
Difference
197
555
358
24
126
102
13
61
48
33
4
29
KICKS Total kicks by nos 11,12,13,14,15
Other differences between Japan and the three Pacific Island teams were no less dramatic
120901 IRB MATCH ANALYSIS - 2012 PNC REPORT
PAGE 1
Pacific Nations Cup 2012
Statistical Analysis & Match Summary
JWC 2012 South Africa Japan obtained 54%, 42% and 27%Game more possession than each ofStatistical the other 3 teams. Report IRB Analysis
• •
they played with greater intensity – not only did they pass significantly more, they created three times as many rucks as any other team they made only 18 kicks in the entire tournament - Samoa made 79, Tonga 62 and Fiji 45.
•
There was also one other major difference. In the modern game around 16% to 22% of a team’s passes are made by the forwards. In Japan’s case, the comparable figure was 7%,the lowest percentage recorded, which indicated that the forwards were more providers than distributors. Nevertheless, Japan was the only team whose forwards scored more tries than their backs. The interest in future matches and competitions will be to see the extent to which the various teams, in pursuing success, retain or adapt the approaches that were seen in this year’s Pacific Nations Cup. THE TEAMS The detailed report that follows is a statistical review of all aspects of the game – the data shown below is extracted from that detailed report SAMOA • obtained less possession than opponents in every match • highest kicking team • kicking rate seven times that of Japan • lowest passing team – averaged 66 per game (Fiji 134; Japan 185) • 17 passing movements with more than 2 passes compared to Japan’s 58 • most lineout steals • most penalised team • scored 50% of tries from inside own half • conceded 5 of 7 tries from inside own 22 • kicked 70% of restarts short FIJI • • • • • • • • • •
required less possession than any other team to score a try most effective defence of five tries scored from turnovers in tournament, scored all five scored 50% of tries from inside own half least successful in kicks at goal lost more lineout steals than any other team most successful on opponents lineout least penalised team no yellow cards – in 2011, three yellow and two red cards kicked half as many penalty goals as their opponents
TONGA • kicked most penalty goals • scored fewest number of tries • two thirds of all points came from kicks • needed twice as much possession as Fiji to score a try • only team not to score try from lineout possession • scored 3 of 4 tries from inside own half 120710 IRB MATCH ANALYSIS - 2012 JWC REPORT
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Pacific Nations Cup 2012
•
Statistical Analysis & Match Summary
conceded 6 of 8 tries in second half
JAPAN • obtained more possession than any other team • highest passing team and highest passing rate • made twice as many rucks as any other team • lowest kicking team – kicking rate one seventh of Samoa • 58 passing movements of more than 2 passes • least effective defence – conceded try every 4 minutes of opponent’s possession • only team whose forwards scored more tries than backs • scored no tries from inside own half – six of seven tries from within opponent’s 22 • most successful kick at goal percentage • most successful on own lineout - conceded only one steal • no yellow cards for second year running • only team who kicked most restarts long OVERALL • Not one successful drop goal in the tournament • Not one 22m restart kicked short • 5 tries scored from turnovers – all 5 by Fiji • Over 40% tries scored from inside own half • Almost 90% of tries contained 3 or fewer phases • Almost 50% of tries preceded by 3 or fewer passes • Five of six tries scored by team gaining least possession • 90% of all scrum penalties and free kicks awarded to team putting in ball
120901 IRB MATCH ANALYSIS - 2012 PNC REPORT
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Pacific Nations Cup 2012
Statistical Analysis & Match Summary
JWC 2012 South Africa IRB Game Analysis Statistical Report
POOL STANDINGS P
W D
L
PF
PA
TF
TA
BP
PTS
SAMOA
3
3
0
0
76
70
8
7
0
12
FIJI
3
2
0
1
80
65
10
5
2
10
TONGA
3
1
0
2
59
69
4
8
1
5
JAPAN
3
0
0
3
65
76
7
9
4
4
P=Played W=Won D=Draw L=Lost PF=Points For PA=Points Against TF=Tries For TA=Tries Against BP=Bonus Points PTS=Points
POOL RESULTS SAMOA
20 – 18
TONGA
FIJI
25 – 19
JAPAN
FIJI
26 – 29
SAMOA
JAPAN
20 – 24
TONGA
SAMOA
27 – 26
JAPAN
TONGA
17 – 29
FIJI
120710 IRB MATCH ANALYSIS - 2012 JWC REPORT
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Pacific Nations Cup 2012
Statistical Analysis & Match Summary
OVERALL STATISTICAL SUMMARY The following data comes from the detailed report that follows and reflects, in summary form, the shape of the current as expressed through PNC 2012.
Avg POINTS per match Avg TRIES per match Avg PENALTY GOALS per match Avg DROP GOALS per match % of points from TRIES
PNC 2012 47 4.8 5.5 0 in 6 matches 52%
PNC 2011 52 6.0 4.2 0 in 6 matches 58%
% of Tries scored by BACKS % of Tries scored by FORWARDS % of PENALTY TRIES scored
59% 38% 1
56% 44% 1
MATCHES with points margin of 20 or less MATCHES won by team scoring most tries MATCHES where tries were equal MATCHES won by team scoring least tries
6 of 6 4 of 6 1 1
5 of 6 6 of 6 -
CONVERSION success % PENALTY GOAL success % DROP GOAL success %
62% 59% 0 of 7
75% 71% 0 of 0
% of tries scored from LINEOUT % of tries scored from OPPONENTS KICKS % of tries scored from SCRUM % of tries scored from TURNOVER/ERROR % of tries scored from PENALTY/FREE KICKS
32% 20% 17% 17% 14%
25% 13% 22% 29% 11%
Avg PASSES per match Avg KICKS per match Avg RUCKS/MAULS per match RUCK/MAUL success %
240 34 136 93%
217 32 143 94%
Avg BALL IN PLAY TIME
39%
39%
% of all PASSES MADE BY BACKS % of all PASSES MADE BY SCRUM HALF % of all PASSES MADE BY FORWARDS
38% 46% 16%
37% 48% 15%
Avg LINEOUTS per match LINEOUT success % Avg SCRUMS per match SCRUM success %
20 79% 18 93%
24 79%% 16 89%
23 5 yellow – no red
22 7 yellow – 2 red
Avg PENALTIES/FREE KICKS per match Total YELLOW and RED CARDS
120901 IRB MATCH ANALYSIS - 2012 PNC REPORT
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Pacific Nations Cup 2012
Statistical Analysis & Match Summary
JWC 2012 South Africa IRB Game Analysis Statistical Report
1.0 SCORING
There were 280 points scored in the six matches played, giving an average of 47 points per match (PNC 2011 – 52). They were made up as follows: Type of Score
Points Makeup
Total
Points
18 11 33 -
126 55 99 280
Converted Tries Unconverted Tries Penalty Goals Drop Goals Total
% Tries Penalty Goals Conversions Drop Goals
52% 35% 13% -
1.1 WINNING MARGINS The winning margins in each of the six matches fell into the following ranges: Points Difference at PNC 2012 Points Difference 0– 5 6 – 10 11 – 20 21 – 30 40+
No of matches
4 1 1
Cumulative 2012 5 points or less = 67% 10 points or less = 84% 20 points or less = 100%
Points Difference 0–5 6 – 10 11 – 20 21 – 30 40 +
No of matches 1 1 3 1
Cumulative 2011 5 points or less = 17% 10 points or less = 34% 20 points or less = 53% 30 points or less = 100%
Not surprisingly, points scored and conceded varied considerably, with the total and average points scored and conceded by each team shown below: PNC 2012
Points for PNC 2012
PNC 2011
PNC 2012
Points against PNC 2012
PNC 2011
TOTAL
AVERAGE
AVERAGE
TOTAL
AVERAGE
AVERAGE
FIJI
80
27
23
65
22
29
SAMOA
76
25
24
69
23
27
JAPAN
65
22
22
76
25
25
TONGA
59
20
34
70
23
23
1.2 PENALTY GOALS While there was an average of 4.8 tries per match, there were 33 penalty goals kicked in the tournament, giving an average of 5.5 per match. (PCN 2011 – 4.2)
120710 IRB MATCH ANALYSIS - 2012 JWC REPORT
FIJI
Penalties Goals Scored 6
Penalties Goals Conceded 12
Ratio PGs : Tries 0.6 : 1
SAMOA
8
11
1.0 : 1
JAPAN
8
5
1.3 : 1
TONGA
11
5
2.8 : 1
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Pacific Nations Cup 2012
Statistical Analysis & Match Summary
1.3 IMPACT OF THE PENALTY GOAL ON MATCH RESULTS Tries still win matches. In the PNC 2012, the winning team scored the most tries in four of the six matches or in 67% (PNC 2011 – 100%).
Average Tries per match Most Tries in one match Least Tries in one match
PNC 2012 4.8 7 2
PNC 2011 6.0 7 3
In one match, tries were equal, and in one the losing team scored more tries than the winning team.
2.0 TRY SCORING There were 29 tries scored at PNC 2012. The total number of tries, penalty goals and drop goals scored by each country at PNC 2012 was as follows:
6
Penalty Goals 6
Drop Goals -
% of points from Tries 63%
% of points from Kicks 37%
7
3
8
-
54%
46%
SAMOA
8
6
8
-
53%
47%
TONGA
4
3
11
-
34%
66%
Tries
Conversions
FIJI
10
JAPAN
The above table highlights the differences between certain teams. Fiji, for example, scored almost two thirds of their points through tries, while only one third of Tonga’s points came from tries. 2.1 RATE OF TRY SCORING
Total Tries Scored
Try scoring rate PNC 2012
An earlier table shows the number of tries scored by each country.The table 1 try scored every FIJI 10 does not show however, how effective 4min 33secs each team was in scoring tries in SAMOA 8 4min 56secs relation to the possession that it JAPAN 7 8mins 33secs obtained. A team may obtain little possession but still manage to score a TONGA 4 10min 20secs significant number of tries. The following paragraphs consider this and attempt to show how successful each team was in possession into tries.
Try scoring rate PNC 2011 8mins 33secs 10min 20secs 10min 20secs 4min 56secs converting
This was done by adding together the time each team was in possession of the ball in each of the matches played, and then dividing it by the number of tries scored. The result then gave a rate of try scoring – or a measure of how effective each country was in converting possession into tries. Fiji for example, scored one try for every 4min 33secs of possession while Tonga, scored one try for every 10min 20secs of possession. 2.2 RATE OF TRY CONCEDING Following the above exercise, the converse was looked at, i.e. how effective was each team in restricting tries in relation to the possession that their opponents obtained. The following table measures this by illustrating how successful each team was in preventing their opposition from converting possession into tries.
120901 IRB MATCH ANALYSIS - 2012 PNC REPORT
PAGE 7
Pacific Nations Cup 2012
Statistical Analysis & Match Summary
JWC 2012 South Africa IRB Game Report Total tries Analysis Try concedingStatistical rate Try conceding rate
This was done by adding together the total time the conceded PNC 2012 PNC 2011 team’s opponents were in 1 try conceded FIJI 5 4min 25secs possession of the ball and every 9min 41secs then dividing it by the SAMOA 7 7min 14secs 4min 42secs number of tries conceded. TONGA 8 6min 15secs 6min 44secs The result then gave a rate of try scoring by the JAPAN 9 4min 08secs 5min 25secs opposition. There were noticeable contrasts. Fiji’s opponents required twice as much possession as Japan’s opponents to score a try. 2.3 PLAYERS AND TRIES It has been noted above that there were 29 tries scored in the six matches: There were 17 tries, or 59% scored by backs - and 11 tries, or 38%, scored by forwards, There was one penalty try. The breakdown between the four competing teams is shown in the attached table. Japan was the only team whose forwards scored more tries than their backs.
FIJI
Total 10
Tries by Backs 7
Tries by Forwards 3
SAMOA
8
5
3
JAPAN
7
2
4 + 1pt
TONGA
4
3
1
3.0 TRIES 3.1 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 A statistic of note is that of the five tries scored from turnovers, all five were scored by Fiji. The source of possession from which tries were scored was as follows:
Lineout – Own Scrum –Own Turnover/Handling Error Opponents Kick Penalty/Free Kick Restart – own and opp Lineout - Opp Scrum – Opp
FIJI
Total Scored 10
SAMOA
8
3
1
1
JAPAN
7
4
2
1
TONGA
4
Lineout
Scrum
2
Pen/ FK 2
Kick
Turnover
1
5
2
2
PNC 2012 8 5 5 5 4 1 1 -
PNC 2011 7 7 9 5 4 1 2 1
Restart
1
2
The next table shows the possession source from which their opponent’s tries came:
FIJI
Total Conceded 5
SAMOA
7
3
TONGA
8
2
JAPAN
9
4
Lineout
Scrum
Pen/ FK
2 1 2
120710 IRB MATCH ANALYSIS - 2012 JWC REPORT
Kick
Turnover
2
Restart 1
2
1
2
1
3
1
2
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Pacific Nations Cup 2012
Statistical Analysis & Match Summary
3.2 ORIGIN OF TRIES The try origin is that point on the pitch where the team scoring last obtained possession before scoring a try. 41% of the tries originated in the scoring team’s own half. 7% of tries were from between the opponent’s halfway to 10-metre line. 14% of tries were from between the opponent’s 10-metre to 22-metre line. 38% of tries were from between the opponent’s 22-metre line to try line. The following table provides the try origin data for each team’s tries. While 38% of tries were scored from possession obtained from within the opponent’s 22metre line, in Japan’s case it was 86%.
The following the converse (i.e. it shows, the origin conceded).
3.3
table provides to the above for each team, of all tries
FIJI
Total Scored 10
Own Half 5
SAMOA
8
4
JAPAN
7
TONGA
4
Halfway to 10m 2
10m to 22m 2
22m to Try-line 1
1
3
1
6
3
FIJI
Total Conceded 5
Opp Half 4
SAMOA
7
1
TONGA
8
3
JAPAN
9
4
1 Halfway to 10m
10m to 22m
22m to Try-line 1
1
5
1
2
2
3
2
BUILD-UP TO TRIES
Possession of the ball that leads to tries is obtained from a number of sources. More often than not, other actions – second phase, kicks and passes – take place before the try is scored. The tables below show the number of rucks and mauls (second phase) and the number of passes that preceded each of the 29 tries scored in PNC 2012. The first table shows that 87% of tries were preceded by three or fewer second phases. The second table shows that 46% of tries were preceded by three or fewer passes. The above percentages were not figures that were consistently seen throughout all teams, e.g. there was not a single phase in any of Tonga’s 4 tries. Build Up to Tries – Ruck /Mauls
0 R/Ms 1 R/Ms 2 R/Ms 3 R/Ms 4 R/Ms 5 R/Ms 6 R/Ms 7+ R/Ms Total
Number
%
15 6 2 2 3
52 20 7 7 11
1 29
3 100%
Cumulative % 52 72 79 86%
120901 IRB MATCH ANALYSIS - 2012 PNC REPORT
Build Up to Tries – Passes
0 pass 1 pass 2 passes 3 passes 4 passes 5 passes 6 passes 7+ passes Total
Number
%
4 5 2 2 3 3 3 7 29
14 18 7 7 10 10 11 23 100%
Cumulative % 14 32 39 46%
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Pacific Nations Cup 2012
Statistical Analysis & Match Summary
JWC 2012 South Africa IRB Game Analysis Statistical Report
3.5 TIMING OF SCORES
There was a difference between the time when tries were scored and the time when penalty goals were kicked. While 45% of tries were scored in the first half, the first-half penalty goal count was 58%. All 3 teams other than Fiji scored the same number of tries in the first as the second.
The following table breaks down these figures further and shows the halves in which teams scored tries and penalty goals, and the halves which they conceded tries and penalty goals. st
nd
2
Half Tries scored 6
Tries st 1 Half Tries conceded 2
nd
2
st
Half Tries conceded 2
1 Half PGs Scored 2
Penalty goals st Half 1 Half PGs PGs Scored conceded 4 8 nd
nd
FIJI
1 Half Tries scored 4
2
SAMOA
4
4
3
4
4
4
7
4
JAPAN
3
3
6
3
6
2
1
4
TONGA
2
2
2
6
7
4
3
2
The kicking success for penalty goals, conversions and drop goals of each of the participating countries is shown below.
Half PGs conceded 4
PNC 2012
PNC 2011
Conversions
62%
75%
Penalty goals
59%
71%
Drop goals
none
none
4.0 KICKS AT GOAL Kicking success rates were as follows:
2
The table gives the kicking success rate of each participating team. However, the percentages should only be regarded as indicative since success depends on a number of factors. Some tries are scored near the touchline – others under the post. Conversion Penalty Overall Drop goal Furthermore, when few kicks at Success Success Success % Success goal are taken, the success, or 0 of 0 JAPAN 3 of 7 8 of 10 65% failure, of relatively few can have a disproportionate effect on 0 of 2 TONGA 3 of 4 11 0f 18 64% percentages. Certain teams may 0 of 4 SAMOA 6 of 8 8 of 15 61% take tap penalties, scrums and lineouts instead of kickable FIJI 6 of 10 6 of 13 52% 0 of 1 penalties. Other teams may choose to kick for goal whenever three points are more or less guaranteed. The table should therefore be looked at within such potential constraints. There were no successful drop goals from 7 attempts.
5.0 BALL IN PLAY In percentage terms, PNC 2012 matches produced an average ball in play time of 31mins 02secs (39%) compared with 31mins 08secs (39%) in 2011 – a difference of just 6 seconds. PNC 2012 Average B-I-P per match
39% = 31mins 02secs
PNC 2011 39% = 31m08s
Highest B-I-P in one match Lowest B-I-Pin one match
45% =35mins 36secs 35% = 27mins 42secs
43% = 34m45s 33% = 26m20s
120710 IRB MATCH ANALYSIS - 2012 JWC REPORT
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Pacific Nations Cup 2012
Statistical Analysis & Match Summary
The following table shows the ball in play percentage and time for each match and it also includes how much possession (%) was obtained by each team in the six matches. It can be seen that the winning team had most possession in just one - as highlighted in orange below. BALL IN PLAY % 45% 41% 38% 38% 36% 35%
BALL IN PLAY TIME 35min 36s 32min 48s 30min 51s 30min 38s 28min 37s 37min 42s
WINNING TEAM Fiji Tonga Samoa Samoa Samoa Fiji
The table attached is a summary of the previous table, showing the overall average possession time obtained by all four teams. It shows that Japan obtained 50% more possession than Samoa - and Samoa won the Championship.
120901 IRB MATCH ANALYSIS - 2012 PNC REPORT
% 36% 41% 45% 44% 43% 56%
LOSING TEAM Japan Japan Tonga Fiji Japan Tonga
% 64% 59% 55% 56% 57% 44%
JAPAN
PNC 2012 19min 56s
PNC 2011 15m 55s
FIJI
15min 10s
16m 08s
TONGA
13min 47s
14m 30s
SAMOA
13min 09s
15m 42s
PAGE 11
Pacific Nations Cup 2012
Statistical Analysis & Match Summary
JWC 2012 South Africa IRB Game Analysis Statistical Report
6.0 ACTIVITY CYCLES
PNC 2012 240 136 34
Activity cycles comprise passes, ruck/mauls, and kicks. Passes Rucks/Mauls Kicks
6.1 PASSING
PNC 2011 217 143 32
Matches, on average, contained 240 passes (PNC 2011 – 217). PNC 2012
PNC 2011
Average Passes per match
240
217
Most Passes in one match Least Passes in one match
297 186
258 159
The next tables show the average passes per match per team. Again, there were noticeable differences between the four teams, with Japan making almost 180% more passes than Samoa or 119 more per match.. However, a team may make more passes than another because it had more possession and this was the case when comparing Japan with Samoa. Apart from having more possession, Japan also passed at a far higher rate, i.e. they made more passes per minute’s possession. As well as showing the average number of passes, the tables show the average number of passes per minute’s possession, i.e. the rate of passing. Average Passes PNC PNC 2012 2011 185 121
JAPAN
JAPAN
Passes per Minute PNC PNC 2012 2011 9.3 7.6
FIJI
134
121
FIJI
8.9
7.5
TONGA
95
73
TONGA
6.9
5.0
SAMOA
66
120
SAMOA
5.0
7.6
The following table shows the average number of passes per country per match, together with the most in a match and the least in a match - and the difference between the most and the least. Average
Most
Least
Difference between most and least
JAPAN
185
196
173
23
FIJI
134
168
101
TONGA
95
112
73
67 39
SAMOA
66
74
61
13
It can be seen from the table that there were noticeable contrasts between the highs and lows of certain teams. Fiji, for example, made 101 passes in one match but 168 in another giving a difference of 67..
6.2 PLAYER PASSING Total passes made in the Championship were broken down into three groups: • Passes made by forwards • Passes made by the scrum half • Passes made by backs
Percentage made by forwards Percentage made by scrum half Percentage made by backs
120710 IRB MATCH ANALYSIS - 2012 JWC REPORT
PNC 2012 16% 46% 38%
PNC 2011 15% 48% 37%
PAGE 12
Pacific Nations Cup 2012
Statistical Analysis & Match Summary
Overall, the percentages for each of the three groups are shown in the table below. All the passes made by each country at PNC 2012 have been divided into these three groups, and are shown in the adjacent table.
JAPAN
Total Passes 555
Passes by Forwards 37
Passes by Scrum half 302
Passes by Backs 216
FIJI
403
96
133
174
TONGA
286 197
57
130
99
40
94
63
SAMOA
What the above table shows is the number of passes made by the three groups of players. It simply shows how active they were in passing the ball. Fiji’s forwards, for example, made over twice as many passes as Samoa’s. The following table takes this further. It shows the proportion of a team’s passes made by each group. In other words, of all the passes made by a team, what proportion were made by the forwards, what proportion by the scrum half, and what proportion by the backs? Such tables can show if certain teams use forwards more as suppliers of the ball for onward transmission by the backs, rather than the forwards themselves being more involved in the distribution process. % by % by % by Forwards Scrum Half Backs The table shows that the forwards of all three Pacific Island teams made proportionately three 33% 43% FIJI 24% times more passes than Japan’s forwards. 20% 45% 35% TONGA 20% 48% 32% SAMOA JAPAN
7%
54%
39%
The next table shows the number of times PNC PNC each countries’ forwards had the ball in 2012 2011 their hands and then notes the number of 1 pass in 2.3 1 pass in 3.7 times they passed it. This is expressed as FIJI possessions possessions a ratio so that if a team’s forwards passed TONGA 1 in 3 1 in 3.7 the ball 20 times having received it 100 times, the ratio would be expressed as SAMOA 1 in 3.9 1 in 3.3 one to five, i.e. one pass for every five JAPAN 1 in 6 1 in 4.7 possessions. Again, the table shows the differences between various countries, with Fiji’s forwards being the forwards most likely to pass the ball and Japan’s the least likely to pass the ball.
This difference between the forwards of each country is even more graphically illustrated when the forwards are broken down into the three groups of front row, second row and back row. This time the relationship between passes and possession is expressed in percentage terms, so that if a group of forwards received the ball 20 times and passed it six times, it means they passed it on 30% of occasions. The front row, second row and back row passing percentages for each team are shown in the following tables: Front Row 2012 2011 FIJI
45%
26%
Second Row 2012 2011 FIJI
45%
22%
Back Row 2012 2011 FIJI
41%
30%
TONGA
33%
15%
TONGA
14%
24%
TONGA
30%
35%
SAMOA
29%
19%
SAMOA
17%
30%
SAMOA
27%
39%
JAPAN
14%
25%
JAPAN
12%
22%
JAPAN
19%
21%
120901 IRB MATCH ANALYSIS - 2012 PNC REPORT
PAGE 13
Pacific Nations Cup 2012
Statistical Analysis & Match Summary
JWC 2012 South Africa IRB Game Analysis Statistical Report
6.3 PASSING MOVEMENTS
Passes are grouped into passing movements, i.e. one pass movement, two pass movements and so on. The data shows that some 81% of all passing movements contained two passes or less. There were, however, clear differences between the various countries as shown in the table The data also shows that Samoa had a total of 17 passing movements with more than two passes. Japan had 58.
FIJI
% of passing movements with 2 or fewer passes PNC 2012 74%
JAPAN
82%
TONGA
83% 88%
SAMOA
PNC 2012
PNC 2011
Average R/Ms per match
136
143
Most R/Ms in one match Least R/Ms in one match
181 94
166 99
6.4 RUCKS/MAULS Matches, on average, contained 136 rucks/mauls (PNC 2011 – 143).
The adjacent table indicates the total number of rucks/mauls created by each team in the competition expressed as an average per match.
Just as in the case of passes, however, the number of rucks and mauls made by one team may be constrained because it obtained only limited possession of the ball. In order to address this, an alternative calculation has been made which relates the number of rucks/mauls to the share of ball-in-play time won by each team. This is expressed in the number of rucks created for every minutes’ possession obtained by a team and is also shown in the second table below. This table shows, for example, that while Japan made almost 100% more rucks than Japan, their rate of rucking was only 43%% more.
JAPAN
Average Rucks PNC PNC 2012 2011 110 68
JAPAN
Ruck/mauls per minute PNC PNC 2012 2011 5.7 4.3
FIJI
56
87
FIJI
3.7
5.4
TONGA
56
57
TONGA
4.0
3.9
SAMOA
50
73
SAMOA
3.8
4.7
FIJI
PNC 2012 95%
PNC 2011 92%
SAMOA
94%
94%
JAPAN
92%
92%
TONGA
91%
98%
6.5 BREAKDOWN RETENTION At the breakdown, the team taking in the ball retained possession by either winning the ball or being awarded a penalty on 93% of occasions. The percentage success rate for almost all teams was very similar and is shown in the adjacent table.
6.6 KICKING Each country’s average is shown in the table below.
Average Kicks per match Most Kicks in one match Least Kicks in one match
120710 IRB MATCH ANALYSIS - 2012 JWC REPORT
PNC 2012 34 64 17
PNC 2011 32 46 19
PAGE 14
Pacific Nations Cup 2012
Statistical Analysis & Match Summary
When an adjustment is made to take account of possession obtained by each team, then the kicking table changes slightly. It shows that while Samoa averaged just over four times as many kicks per match as Japan, their kicking rate was almost 7 times greater.
SAMOA
Average Kicks PNC PNC 2012 2011 26 20
Kicks per minute PNC PNC 2012 2011 2.0 1.3
SAMOA
TONGA
21
20
TONGA
1.5
1.4
FIJI
15
11
FIJI
1.0
0.7
JAPAN
6
12
JAPAN
0.3
0.8
7.0 RESTARTS Of 50-metre restarts, 39% were kicked long while 61% were kicked short and were contestable (2011 – 40% & 60%). When restarts were kicked short, the kicking team regained possession on one in seven occasions (2011 – one in three). The table shows the type of restart kicked by each team at 50-metre and retention rates of short restarts.
JAPAN
12
5
Retention rate 0 in 5
FIJI
8
12
2 in 12
TONGA
4
11
2 in 11
Long
Short
SAMOA 4 16 2 in 16 It can be seen that there was a major contrast between some of the teams. While the three Pacific Island teams kicked short far more often than long, 70% of Japan’s restarts were kicked long. The effectiveness of teams in retaining short restarts is also shown.
All 22m restarts were kicked long.
8.0 LINEOUTS The average number of lineouts per match was 20 (2011 – 24). The most line-outs in a match was 26, the least 14.
Average no per match Percentage competed Possession retained
PNC 2012 20 46% 79%
PNC 2011 24 43% 79%
All teams had high success rates on their own throw while rates of success on opponents throw-ins showed more variation. Lineout success on own throw and opposition throw are shown in the following table. It also highlights lineout steals, i.e. those lost on own throw-in and those won on opponent’s throw-in.
Success %
Lineout Steals
Not straight / Pen/FK / Knock-on Own Opp Throw Throw 5 1
JAPAN
Own Throw 84%
Opp Throw 16%
Lost on Own Throw 1
Won on Opp Throw 3
FIJI
78%
28%
6
2
-
-
SAMOA
77%
24%
5
5
2
3
TONGA
74%
18%
2
4
5
3
120901 IRB MATCH ANALYSIS - 2012 PNC REPORT
PAGE 15
Pacific Nations Cup 2012
Statistical Analysis & Match Summary
JWC 2012 South Africa IRB Game Analysis Statistical Report
9.0 SCRUMS
The average number of scrums per match was 18. Average no per match Possession retained
The most scrums in a match was 23, the least 12.
PNC 2012 18 93%
PNC 2011 16 89%
Scrum ball retention was relatively high for all teams, Japan and Tonga retained possession on all but one of their put-ins. With such high percentage of possession retained, it is no surprise that heels against the head were few and far between. In total there were two in 105 scrums or one in 53. The table below shows the tight heads won and lost by each country.
TONGA
Scrum Success % Own Opposition Feed Feed 96% 0%
Heels against the head Lost on Own Won on Feed Opposition Feed 1
JAPAN
95%
10%
SAMOA
93%
4%
1
FIJI
90%
10%
1
1
Of all scrum penalties, almost 90% were awarded to the team putting in the ball.
10.0 PENALTIES / FREE KICKS In PNC 2012, the average number of penalties and free kicks awarded in a match was 23. This reflected a spread of between 25 and 19 per match.
Average no per match Most Pens/FKs in one match Least Pens/FKs in one match
PNC 2012 23 25 19
PNC 2011 22 25 20
The following table comprises the total penalties awarded to, and conceded by, each team. However, because the number of penalties can vary from match to match, a better measure is the proportion of penalties conceded by a team in all their matches compared with their opponents. This shows that Fiji were the least penalised team in relation to their opponents while Samoa was the most penalised.
FIJI
Pens/FKs For and Against Pen/FK Pen/FK For Against 36 29
Proportion of Pens/FKs % Pen/FK % Pen/FK For Against 55% 45%
TONGA
35
32
52%
48%
JAPAN
35
40
47%
53%
SAMOA
30
35
46%
54%
Of the penalties and free kicks awarded, teams took some 18% as tap penalties. The differences between the teams, however, were noticeable. Fiji took 12 – the other three teams took a total of 8 between them.
120710 IRB MATCH ANALYSIS - 2012 JWC REPORT
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Pacific Nations Cup 2012
Statistical Analysis & Match Summary
10.1 CATEGORIES OF OFFENCES PENALISED The following table groups the penalties awarded into eight categories and these are as follows:
11.0 CARDS – YELLOW & RED
Ruck/tackle on ground Scrum Offside Obstruction Dangerous tackle Maul Other Lineout + 10m Foul play
% 52% 21% 11% 4% 4% 4% 2% 1% 1% -
There were no red cards issued (PNC 2011 – two). There were five yellow cards issued during the Championship, an average of just under one per match. This was two fewer than last year. Of the 6 matches, there were 4 which contained at least one card, meaning 2 of all matches did not contain a single yellow card. PNC PNC Yellow Card Reasons 2012 2011 The most yellow cards in a 2 x Charging 1 x Ruck SAMOA 3 1 match was two (SAM v JAP). 1 x Charging 1 x Obstruction TONGA 2 3 The table adjacent shows the FIJI 3 +2 red breakdown of yellow cards JAPAN per team, including reasons. Overall, the reasons for yellow cards were as follows:
Dangerous Charging Obstruction Ruck/Tackle Total
120901 IRB MATCH ANALYSIS - 2012 PNC REPORT
PNC 2012 3 1 1 5
PAGE 17
ANZ PACIFIC NATIONS CUP 2012 STATISTICAL REVIEW AND MATCH ANALYSIS
IRB MATCH ANALYSIS
Statistical Review & Match Analysis
CONTENTS Commentary Pool Standings & Results Overall Statistical Summary
Page 1 4 5
Statistical Analysis and Match Summary Scoring Try Scoring Tries Kicks at Goal Ball in Play Activity Cycles Restarts Lineouts Scrums Penalties Cards
6 7 8 10 10 12 15 15 16 16 17
The IRB Pacific Nations Cup continues to be a key element of the IRB’s global strategic investment programme. It serves a variety of objectives – it is an integral development tool for the participating unions, and is a vehicle for identifying players capable of performing at the highest levels of the match in the near or distant future. Detailed analysis reports are prepared on such competitions and the report that follows comprises an in-depth statistical analysis of the 2012 Pacific Nations Cup. Each report has similar objectives – it reflects the shape of the match and provides a basis whereby each participating country can compare its performance in major areas of the match with the other teams that played in the competition as well as being used to establish benchmarks and performance indicators for future tournaments.
Pacific Nations Cup 2012
Statistical Analysis & Match Summary
COMMENTARY This commentary is in two sections. The first comprises some observations on the tournament itself while the second comprises assorted data relating to each participating team. The Pacific Nations Cup 2012 produced the most competitive competition, at any senior level, for many years. • •
Samoa, who won all 3 matches had a total winning points margin of just 6. Their biggest winning margin was three points, followed by two points and one point. Japan, who lost all 3 matches had a total losing points margin of just 11. Their biggest defeat was by six points, followed by four points and one point.
Samoa was within one score of losing all their matches while Japan was within one score of winning all theirs. Five of the six matches played in the tournament had margins of six points or less, producing a table that showed the difference between points scored and conceded was minimal for all 4 teams.
Team Samoa Fiji Tonga Japan
Points for average 25 27 20 22
Points against average 23 22 23 25
Difference 2 5 3 3
The tightness of the matches was reflected in the relationship of tries to penalty goals. In 2011, tries exceeded penalty goals by 50% - this year there were more penalty goals than tries. Despite this, the team scoring the most tries won 4 of the 6 matches and in only one match did the team scoring the fewest number of tries win, This did not mean however that all four teams adopted a similar playing strategy. Instead, this year’s competition produced what amounted to a case study in how the game of rugby contains within itself a wide range of playing options and playing shapes. An example of the diverse approaches of Japan and Samoa illustrates this:
PASSES Total no of passes in all 3 matches Total passes made by outside half Total passes made by two centres
SAMOA
JAPAN
Difference
197
555
358
24
126
102
13
61
48
33
4
29
KICKS Total kicks by nos 11,12,13,14,15
Other differences between Japan and the three Pacific Island teams were no less dramatic
120901 IRB MATCH ANALYSIS - 2012 PNC REPORT
PAGE 1
Pacific Nations Cup 2012
Statistical Analysis & Match Summary
JWC 2012 South Africa Japan obtained 54%, 42% and 27%Game more possession than each ofStatistical the other 3 teams. Report IRB Analysis
• •
they played with greater intensity – not only did they pass significantly more, they created three times as many rucks as any other team they made only 18 kicks in the entire tournament - Samoa made 79, Tonga 62 and Fiji 45.
•
There was also one other major difference. In the modern game around 16% to 22% of a team’s passes are made by the forwards. In Japan’s case, the comparable figure was 7%,the lowest percentage recorded, which indicated that the forwards were more providers than distributors. Nevertheless, Japan was the only team whose forwards scored more tries than their backs. The interest in future matches and competitions will be to see the extent to which the various teams, in pursuing success, retain or adapt the approaches that were seen in this year’s Pacific Nations Cup. THE TEAMS The detailed report that follows is a statistical review of all aspects of the game – the data shown below is extracted from that detailed report SAMOA • obtained less possession than opponents in every match • highest kicking team • kicking rate seven times that of Japan • lowest passing team – averaged 66 per game (Fiji 134; Japan 185) • 17 passing movements with more than 2 passes compared to Japan’s 58 • most lineout steals • most penalised team • scored 50% of tries from inside own half • conceded 5 of 7 tries from inside own 22 • kicked 70% of restarts short FIJI • • • • • • • • • •
required less possession than any other team to score a try most effective defence of five tries scored from turnovers in tournament, scored all five scored 50% of tries from inside own half least successful in kicks at goal lost more lineout steals than any other team most successful on opponents lineout least penalised team no yellow cards – in 2011, three yellow and two red cards kicked half as many penalty goals as their opponents
TONGA • kicked most penalty goals • scored fewest number of tries • two thirds of all points came from kicks • needed twice as much possession as Fiji to score a try • only team not to score try from lineout possession • scored 3 of 4 tries from inside own half 120710 IRB MATCH ANALYSIS - 2012 JWC REPORT
PAGE 2
Pacific Nations Cup 2012
•
Statistical Analysis & Match Summary
conceded 6 of 8 tries in second half
JAPAN • obtained more possession than any other team • highest passing team and highest passing rate • made twice as many rucks as any other team • lowest kicking team – kicking rate one seventh of Samoa • 58 passing movements of more than 2 passes • least effective defence – conceded try every 4 minutes of opponent’s possession • only team whose forwards scored more tries than backs • scored no tries from inside own half – six of seven tries from within opponent’s 22 • most successful kick at goal percentage • most successful on own lineout - conceded only one steal • no yellow cards for second year running • only team who kicked most restarts long OVERALL • Not one successful drop goal in the tournament • Not one 22m restart kicked short • 5 tries scored from turnovers – all 5 by Fiji • Over 40% tries scored from inside own half • Almost 90% of tries contained 3 or fewer phases • Almost 50% of tries preceded by 3 or fewer passes • Five of six tries scored by team gaining least possession • 90% of all scrum penalties and free kicks awarded to team putting in ball
120901 IRB MATCH ANALYSIS - 2012 PNC REPORT
PAGE 3
Pacific Nations Cup 2012
Statistical Analysis & Match Summary
JWC 2012 South Africa IRB Game Analysis Statistical Report
POOL STANDINGS P
W D
L
PF
PA
TF
TA
BP
PTS
SAMOA
3
3
0
0
76
70
8
7
0
12
FIJI
3
2
0
1
80
65
10
5
2
10
TONGA
3
1
0
2
59
69
4
8
1
5
JAPAN
3
0
0
3
65
76
7
9
4
4
P=Played W=Won D=Draw L=Lost PF=Points For PA=Points Against TF=Tries For TA=Tries Against BP=Bonus Points PTS=Points
POOL RESULTS SAMOA
20 – 18
TONGA
FIJI
25 – 19
JAPAN
FIJI
26 – 29
SAMOA
JAPAN
20 – 24
TONGA
SAMOA
27 – 26
JAPAN
TONGA
17 – 29
FIJI
120710 IRB MATCH ANALYSIS - 2012 JWC REPORT
PAGE 4
Pacific Nations Cup 2012
Statistical Analysis & Match Summary
OVERALL STATISTICAL SUMMARY The following data comes from the detailed report that follows and reflects, in summary form, the shape of the current as expressed through PNC 2012.
Avg POINTS per match Avg TRIES per match Avg PENALTY GOALS per match Avg DROP GOALS per match % of points from TRIES
PNC 2012 47 4.8 5.5 0 in 6 matches 52%
PNC 2011 52 6.0 4.2 0 in 6 matches 58%
% of Tries scored by BACKS % of Tries scored by FORWARDS % of PENALTY TRIES scored
59% 38% 1
56% 44% 1
MATCHES with points margin of 20 or less MATCHES won by team scoring most tries MATCHES where tries were equal MATCHES won by team scoring least tries
6 of 6 4 of 6 1 1
5 of 6 6 of 6 -
CONVERSION success % PENALTY GOAL success % DROP GOAL success %
62% 59% 0 of 7
75% 71% 0 of 0
% of tries scored from LINEOUT % of tries scored from OPPONENTS KICKS % of tries scored from SCRUM % of tries scored from TURNOVER/ERROR % of tries scored from PENALTY/FREE KICKS
32% 20% 17% 17% 14%
25% 13% 22% 29% 11%
Avg PASSES per match Avg KICKS per match Avg RUCKS/MAULS per match RUCK/MAUL success %
240 34 136 93%
217 32 143 94%
Avg BALL IN PLAY TIME
39%
39%
% of all PASSES MADE BY BACKS % of all PASSES MADE BY SCRUM HALF % of all PASSES MADE BY FORWARDS
38% 46% 16%
37% 48% 15%
Avg LINEOUTS per match LINEOUT success % Avg SCRUMS per match SCRUM success %
20 79% 18 93%
24 79%% 16 89%
23 5 yellow – no red
22 7 yellow – 2 red
Avg PENALTIES/FREE KICKS per match Total YELLOW and RED CARDS
120901 IRB MATCH ANALYSIS - 2012 PNC REPORT
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Pacific Nations Cup 2012
Statistical Analysis & Match Summary
JWC 2012 South Africa IRB Game Analysis Statistical Report
1.0 SCORING
There were 280 points scored in the six matches played, giving an average of 47 points per match (PNC 2011 – 52). They were made up as follows: Type of Score
Points Makeup
Total
Points
18 11 33 -
126 55 99 280
Converted Tries Unconverted Tries Penalty Goals Drop Goals Total
% Tries Penalty Goals Conversions Drop Goals
52% 35% 13% -
1.1 WINNING MARGINS The winning margins in each of the six matches fell into the following ranges: Points Difference at PNC 2012 Points Difference 0– 5 6 – 10 11 – 20 21 – 30 40+
No of matches
4 1 1
Cumulative 2012 5 points or less = 67% 10 points or less = 84% 20 points or less = 100%
Points Difference 0–5 6 – 10 11 – 20 21 – 30 40 +
No of matches 1 1 3 1
Cumulative 2011 5 points or less = 17% 10 points or less = 34% 20 points or less = 53% 30 points or less = 100%
Not surprisingly, points scored and conceded varied considerably, with the total and average points scored and conceded by each team shown below: PNC 2012
Points for PNC 2012
PNC 2011
PNC 2012
Points against PNC 2012
PNC 2011
TOTAL
AVERAGE
AVERAGE
TOTAL
AVERAGE
AVERAGE
FIJI
80
27
23
65
22
29
SAMOA
76
25
24
69
23
27
JAPAN
65
22
22
76
25
25
TONGA
59
20
34
70
23
23
1.2 PENALTY GOALS While there was an average of 4.8 tries per match, there were 33 penalty goals kicked in the tournament, giving an average of 5.5 per match. (PCN 2011 – 4.2)
120710 IRB MATCH ANALYSIS - 2012 JWC REPORT
FIJI
Penalties Goals Scored 6
Penalties Goals Conceded 12
Ratio PGs : Tries 0.6 : 1
SAMOA
8
11
1.0 : 1
JAPAN
8
5
1.3 : 1
TONGA
11
5
2.8 : 1
PAGE 6
Pacific Nations Cup 2012
Statistical Analysis & Match Summary
1.3 IMPACT OF THE PENALTY GOAL ON MATCH RESULTS Tries still win matches. In the PNC 2012, the winning team scored the most tries in four of the six matches or in 67% (PNC 2011 – 100%).
Average Tries per match Most Tries in one match Least Tries in one match
PNC 2012 4.8 7 2
PNC 2011 6.0 7 3
In one match, tries were equal, and in one the losing team scored more tries than the winning team.
2.0 TRY SCORING There were 29 tries scored at PNC 2012. The total number of tries, penalty goals and drop goals scored by each country at PNC 2012 was as follows:
6
Penalty Goals 6
Drop Goals -
% of points from Tries 63%
% of points from Kicks 37%
7
3
8
-
54%
46%
SAMOA
8
6
8
-
53%
47%
TONGA
4
3
11
-
34%
66%
Tries
Conversions
FIJI
10
JAPAN
The above table highlights the differences between certain teams. Fiji, for example, scored almost two thirds of their points through tries, while only one third of Tonga’s points came from tries. 2.1 RATE OF TRY SCORING
Total Tries Scored
Try scoring rate PNC 2012
An earlier table shows the number of tries scored by each country.The table 1 try scored every FIJI 10 does not show however, how effective 4min 33secs each team was in scoring tries in SAMOA 8 4min 56secs relation to the possession that it JAPAN 7 8mins 33secs obtained. A team may obtain little possession but still manage to score a TONGA 4 10min 20secs significant number of tries. The following paragraphs consider this and attempt to show how successful each team was in possession into tries.
Try scoring rate PNC 2011 8mins 33secs 10min 20secs 10min 20secs 4min 56secs converting
This was done by adding together the time each team was in possession of the ball in each of the matches played, and then dividing it by the number of tries scored. The result then gave a rate of try scoring – or a measure of how effective each country was in converting possession into tries. Fiji for example, scored one try for every 4min 33secs of possession while Tonga, scored one try for every 10min 20secs of possession. 2.2 RATE OF TRY CONCEDING Following the above exercise, the converse was looked at, i.e. how effective was each team in restricting tries in relation to the possession that their opponents obtained. The following table measures this by illustrating how successful each team was in preventing their opposition from converting possession into tries.
120901 IRB MATCH ANALYSIS - 2012 PNC REPORT
PAGE 7
Pacific Nations Cup 2012
Statistical Analysis & Match Summary
JWC 2012 South Africa IRB Game Report Total tries Analysis Try concedingStatistical rate Try conceding rate
This was done by adding together the total time the conceded PNC 2012 PNC 2011 team’s opponents were in 1 try conceded FIJI 5 4min 25secs possession of the ball and every 9min 41secs then dividing it by the SAMOA 7 7min 14secs 4min 42secs number of tries conceded. TONGA 8 6min 15secs 6min 44secs The result then gave a rate of try scoring by the JAPAN 9 4min 08secs 5min 25secs opposition. There were noticeable contrasts. Fiji’s opponents required twice as much possession as Japan’s opponents to score a try. 2.3 PLAYERS AND TRIES It has been noted above that there were 29 tries scored in the six matches: There were 17 tries, or 59% scored by backs - and 11 tries, or 38%, scored by forwards, There was one penalty try. The breakdown between the four competing teams is shown in the attached table. Japan was the only team whose forwards scored more tries than their backs.
FIJI
Total 10
Tries by Backs 7
Tries by Forwards 3
SAMOA
8
5
3
JAPAN
7
2
4 + 1pt
TONGA
4
3
1
3.0 TRIES 3.1 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 A statistic of note is that of the five tries scored from turnovers, all five were scored by Fiji. The source of possession from which tries were scored was as follows:
Lineout – Own Scrum –Own Turnover/Handling Error Opponents Kick Penalty/Free Kick Restart – own and opp Lineout - Opp Scrum – Opp
FIJI
Total Scored 10
SAMOA
8
3
1
1
JAPAN
7
4
2
1
TONGA
4
Lineout
Scrum
2
Pen/ FK 2
Kick
Turnover
1
5
2
2
PNC 2012 8 5 5 5 4 1 1 -
PNC 2011 7 7 9 5 4 1 2 1
Restart
1
2
The next table shows the possession source from which their opponent’s tries came:
FIJI
Total Conceded 5
SAMOA
7
3
TONGA
8
2
JAPAN
9
4
Lineout
Scrum
Pen/ FK
2 1 2
120710 IRB MATCH ANALYSIS - 2012 JWC REPORT
Kick
Turnover
2
Restart 1
2
1
2
1
3
1
2
PAGE 8
Pacific Nations Cup 2012
Statistical Analysis & Match Summary
3.2 ORIGIN OF TRIES The try origin is that point on the pitch where the team scoring last obtained possession before scoring a try. 41% of the tries originated in the scoring team’s own half. 7% of tries were from between the opponent’s halfway to 10-metre line. 14% of tries were from between the opponent’s 10-metre to 22-metre line. 38% of tries were from between the opponent’s 22-metre line to try line. The following table provides the try origin data for each team’s tries. While 38% of tries were scored from possession obtained from within the opponent’s 22metre line, in Japan’s case it was 86%.
The following the converse (i.e. it shows, the origin conceded).
3.3
table provides to the above for each team, of all tries
FIJI
Total Scored 10
Own Half 5
SAMOA
8
4
JAPAN
7
TONGA
4
Halfway to 10m 2
10m to 22m 2
22m to Try-line 1
1
3
1
6
3
FIJI
Total Conceded 5
Opp Half 4
SAMOA
7
1
TONGA
8
3
JAPAN
9
4
1 Halfway to 10m
10m to 22m
22m to Try-line 1
1
5
1
2
2
3
2
BUILD-UP TO TRIES
Possession of the ball that leads to tries is obtained from a number of sources. More often than not, other actions – second phase, kicks and passes – take place before the try is scored. The tables below show the number of rucks and mauls (second phase) and the number of passes that preceded each of the 29 tries scored in PNC 2012. The first table shows that 87% of tries were preceded by three or fewer second phases. The second table shows that 46% of tries were preceded by three or fewer passes. The above percentages were not figures that were consistently seen throughout all teams, e.g. there was not a single phase in any of Tonga’s 4 tries. Build Up to Tries – Ruck /Mauls
0 R/Ms 1 R/Ms 2 R/Ms 3 R/Ms 4 R/Ms 5 R/Ms 6 R/Ms 7+ R/Ms Total
Number
%
15 6 2 2 3
52 20 7 7 11
1 29
3 100%
Cumulative % 52 72 79 86%
120901 IRB MATCH ANALYSIS - 2012 PNC REPORT
Build Up to Tries – Passes
0 pass 1 pass 2 passes 3 passes 4 passes 5 passes 6 passes 7+ passes Total
Number
%
4 5 2 2 3 3 3 7 29
14 18 7 7 10 10 11 23 100%
Cumulative % 14 32 39 46%
PAGE 9
Pacific Nations Cup 2012
Statistical Analysis & Match Summary
JWC 2012 South Africa IRB Game Analysis Statistical Report
3.5 TIMING OF SCORES
There was a difference between the time when tries were scored and the time when penalty goals were kicked. While 45% of tries were scored in the first half, the first-half penalty goal count was 58%. All 3 teams other than Fiji scored the same number of tries in the first as the second.
The following table breaks down these figures further and shows the halves in which teams scored tries and penalty goals, and the halves which they conceded tries and penalty goals. st
nd
2
Half Tries scored 6
Tries st 1 Half Tries conceded 2
nd
2
st
Half Tries conceded 2
1 Half PGs Scored 2
Penalty goals st Half 1 Half PGs PGs Scored conceded 4 8 nd
nd
FIJI
1 Half Tries scored 4
2
SAMOA
4
4
3
4
4
4
7
4
JAPAN
3
3
6
3
6
2
1
4
TONGA
2
2
2
6
7
4
3
2
The kicking success for penalty goals, conversions and drop goals of each of the participating countries is shown below.
Half PGs conceded 4
PNC 2012
PNC 2011
Conversions
62%
75%
Penalty goals
59%
71%
Drop goals
none
none
4.0 KICKS AT GOAL Kicking success rates were as follows:
2
The table gives the kicking success rate of each participating team. However, the percentages should only be regarded as indicative since success depends on a number of factors. Some tries are scored near the touchline – others under the post. Conversion Penalty Overall Drop goal Furthermore, when few kicks at Success Success Success % Success goal are taken, the success, or 0 of 0 JAPAN 3 of 7 8 of 10 65% failure, of relatively few can have a disproportionate effect on 0 of 2 TONGA 3 of 4 11 0f 18 64% percentages. Certain teams may 0 of 4 SAMOA 6 of 8 8 of 15 61% take tap penalties, scrums and lineouts instead of kickable FIJI 6 of 10 6 of 13 52% 0 of 1 penalties. Other teams may choose to kick for goal whenever three points are more or less guaranteed. The table should therefore be looked at within such potential constraints. There were no successful drop goals from 7 attempts.
5.0 BALL IN PLAY In percentage terms, PNC 2012 matches produced an average ball in play time of 31mins 02secs (39%) compared with 31mins 08secs (39%) in 2011 – a difference of just 6 seconds. PNC 2012 Average B-I-P per match
39% = 31mins 02secs
PNC 2011 39% = 31m08s
Highest B-I-P in one match Lowest B-I-Pin one match
45% =35mins 36secs 35% = 27mins 42secs
43% = 34m45s 33% = 26m20s
120710 IRB MATCH ANALYSIS - 2012 JWC REPORT
PAGE 10
Pacific Nations Cup 2012
Statistical Analysis & Match Summary
The following table shows the ball in play percentage and time for each match and it also includes how much possession (%) was obtained by each team in the six matches. It can be seen that the winning team had most possession in just one - as highlighted in orange below. BALL IN PLAY % 45% 41% 38% 38% 36% 35%
BALL IN PLAY TIME 35min 36s 32min 48s 30min 51s 30min 38s 28min 37s 37min 42s
WINNING TEAM Fiji Tonga Samoa Samoa Samoa Fiji
The table attached is a summary of the previous table, showing the overall average possession time obtained by all four teams. It shows that Japan obtained 50% more possession than Samoa - and Samoa won the Championship.
120901 IRB MATCH ANALYSIS - 2012 PNC REPORT
% 36% 41% 45% 44% 43% 56%
LOSING TEAM Japan Japan Tonga Fiji Japan Tonga
% 64% 59% 55% 56% 57% 44%
JAPAN
PNC 2012 19min 56s
PNC 2011 15m 55s
FIJI
15min 10s
16m 08s
TONGA
13min 47s
14m 30s
SAMOA
13min 09s
15m 42s
PAGE 11
Pacific Nations Cup 2012
Statistical Analysis & Match Summary
JWC 2012 South Africa IRB Game Analysis Statistical Report
6.0 ACTIVITY CYCLES
PNC 2012 240 136 34
Activity cycles comprise passes, ruck/mauls, and kicks. Passes Rucks/Mauls Kicks
6.1 PASSING
PNC 2011 217 143 32
Matches, on average, contained 240 passes (PNC 2011 – 217). PNC 2012
PNC 2011
Average Passes per match
240
217
Most Passes in one match Least Passes in one match
297 186
258 159
The next tables show the average passes per match per team. Again, there were noticeable differences between the four teams, with Japan making almost 180% more passes than Samoa or 119 more per match.. However, a team may make more passes than another because it had more possession and this was the case when comparing Japan with Samoa. Apart from having more possession, Japan also passed at a far higher rate, i.e. they made more passes per minute’s possession. As well as showing the average number of passes, the tables show the average number of passes per minute’s possession, i.e. the rate of passing. Average Passes PNC PNC 2012 2011 185 121
JAPAN
JAPAN
Passes per Minute PNC PNC 2012 2011 9.3 7.6
FIJI
134
121
FIJI
8.9
7.5
TONGA
95
73
TONGA
6.9
5.0
SAMOA
66
120
SAMOA
5.0
7.6
The following table shows the average number of passes per country per match, together with the most in a match and the least in a match - and the difference between the most and the least. Average
Most
Least
Difference between most and least
JAPAN
185
196
173
23
FIJI
134
168
101
TONGA
95
112
73
67 39
SAMOA
66
74
61
13
It can be seen from the table that there were noticeable contrasts between the highs and lows of certain teams. Fiji, for example, made 101 passes in one match but 168 in another giving a difference of 67..
6.2 PLAYER PASSING Total passes made in the Championship were broken down into three groups: • Passes made by forwards • Passes made by the scrum half • Passes made by backs
Percentage made by forwards Percentage made by scrum half Percentage made by backs
120710 IRB MATCH ANALYSIS - 2012 JWC REPORT
PNC 2012 16% 46% 38%
PNC 2011 15% 48% 37%
PAGE 12
Pacific Nations Cup 2012
Statistical Analysis & Match Summary
Overall, the percentages for each of the three groups are shown in the table below. All the passes made by each country at PNC 2012 have been divided into these three groups, and are shown in the adjacent table.
JAPAN
Total Passes 555
Passes by Forwards 37
Passes by Scrum half 302
Passes by Backs 216
FIJI
403
96
133
174
TONGA
286 197
57
130
99
40
94
63
SAMOA
What the above table shows is the number of passes made by the three groups of players. It simply shows how active they were in passing the ball. Fiji’s forwards, for example, made over twice as many passes as Samoa’s. The following table takes this further. It shows the proportion of a team’s passes made by each group. In other words, of all the passes made by a team, what proportion were made by the forwards, what proportion by the scrum half, and what proportion by the backs? Such tables can show if certain teams use forwards more as suppliers of the ball for onward transmission by the backs, rather than the forwards themselves being more involved in the distribution process. % by % by % by Forwards Scrum Half Backs The table shows that the forwards of all three Pacific Island teams made proportionately three 33% 43% FIJI 24% times more passes than Japan’s forwards. 20% 45% 35% TONGA 20% 48% 32% SAMOA JAPAN
7%
54%
39%
The next table shows the number of times PNC PNC each countries’ forwards had the ball in 2012 2011 their hands and then notes the number of 1 pass in 2.3 1 pass in 3.7 times they passed it. This is expressed as FIJI possessions possessions a ratio so that if a team’s forwards passed TONGA 1 in 3 1 in 3.7 the ball 20 times having received it 100 times, the ratio would be expressed as SAMOA 1 in 3.9 1 in 3.3 one to five, i.e. one pass for every five JAPAN 1 in 6 1 in 4.7 possessions. Again, the table shows the differences between various countries, with Fiji’s forwards being the forwards most likely to pass the ball and Japan’s the least likely to pass the ball.
This difference between the forwards of each country is even more graphically illustrated when the forwards are broken down into the three groups of front row, second row and back row. This time the relationship between passes and possession is expressed in percentage terms, so that if a group of forwards received the ball 20 times and passed it six times, it means they passed it on 30% of occasions. The front row, second row and back row passing percentages for each team are shown in the following tables: Front Row 2012 2011 FIJI
45%
26%
Second Row 2012 2011 FIJI
45%
22%
Back Row 2012 2011 FIJI
41%
30%
TONGA
33%
15%
TONGA
14%
24%
TONGA
30%
35%
SAMOA
29%
19%
SAMOA
17%
30%
SAMOA
27%
39%
JAPAN
14%
25%
JAPAN
12%
22%
JAPAN
19%
21%
120901 IRB MATCH ANALYSIS - 2012 PNC REPORT
PAGE 13
Pacific Nations Cup 2012
Statistical Analysis & Match Summary
JWC 2012 South Africa IRB Game Analysis Statistical Report
6.3 PASSING MOVEMENTS
Passes are grouped into passing movements, i.e. one pass movement, two pass movements and so on. The data shows that some 81% of all passing movements contained two passes or less. There were, however, clear differences between the various countries as shown in the table The data also shows that Samoa had a total of 17 passing movements with more than two passes. Japan had 58.
FIJI
% of passing movements with 2 or fewer passes PNC 2012 74%
JAPAN
82%
TONGA
83% 88%
SAMOA
PNC 2012
PNC 2011
Average R/Ms per match
136
143
Most R/Ms in one match Least R/Ms in one match
181 94
166 99
6.4 RUCKS/MAULS Matches, on average, contained 136 rucks/mauls (PNC 2011 – 143).
The adjacent table indicates the total number of rucks/mauls created by each team in the competition expressed as an average per match.
Just as in the case of passes, however, the number of rucks and mauls made by one team may be constrained because it obtained only limited possession of the ball. In order to address this, an alternative calculation has been made which relates the number of rucks/mauls to the share of ball-in-play time won by each team. This is expressed in the number of rucks created for every minutes’ possession obtained by a team and is also shown in the second table below. This table shows, for example, that while Japan made almost 100% more rucks than Japan, their rate of rucking was only 43%% more.
JAPAN
Average Rucks PNC PNC 2012 2011 110 68
JAPAN
Ruck/mauls per minute PNC PNC 2012 2011 5.7 4.3
FIJI
56
87
FIJI
3.7
5.4
TONGA
56
57
TONGA
4.0
3.9
SAMOA
50
73
SAMOA
3.8
4.7
FIJI
PNC 2012 95%
PNC 2011 92%
SAMOA
94%
94%
JAPAN
92%
92%
TONGA
91%
98%
6.5 BREAKDOWN RETENTION At the breakdown, the team taking in the ball retained possession by either winning the ball or being awarded a penalty on 93% of occasions. The percentage success rate for almost all teams was very similar and is shown in the adjacent table.
6.6 KICKING Each country’s average is shown in the table below.
Average Kicks per match Most Kicks in one match Least Kicks in one match
120710 IRB MATCH ANALYSIS - 2012 JWC REPORT
PNC 2012 34 64 17
PNC 2011 32 46 19
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Pacific Nations Cup 2012
Statistical Analysis & Match Summary
When an adjustment is made to take account of possession obtained by each team, then the kicking table changes slightly. It shows that while Samoa averaged just over four times as many kicks per match as Japan, their kicking rate was almost 7 times greater.
SAMOA
Average Kicks PNC PNC 2012 2011 26 20
Kicks per minute PNC PNC 2012 2011 2.0 1.3
SAMOA
TONGA
21
20
TONGA
1.5
1.4
FIJI
15
11
FIJI
1.0
0.7
JAPAN
6
12
JAPAN
0.3
0.8
7.0 RESTARTS Of 50-metre restarts, 39% were kicked long while 61% were kicked short and were contestable (2011 – 40% & 60%). When restarts were kicked short, the kicking team regained possession on one in seven occasions (2011 – one in three). The table shows the type of restart kicked by each team at 50-metre and retention rates of short restarts.
JAPAN
12
5
Retention rate 0 in 5
FIJI
8
12
2 in 12
TONGA
4
11
2 in 11
Long
Short
SAMOA 4 16 2 in 16 It can be seen that there was a major contrast between some of the teams. While the three Pacific Island teams kicked short far more often than long, 70% of Japan’s restarts were kicked long. The effectiveness of teams in retaining short restarts is also shown.
All 22m restarts were kicked long.
8.0 LINEOUTS The average number of lineouts per match was 20 (2011 – 24). The most line-outs in a match was 26, the least 14.
Average no per match Percentage competed Possession retained
PNC 2012 20 46% 79%
PNC 2011 24 43% 79%
All teams had high success rates on their own throw while rates of success on opponents throw-ins showed more variation. Lineout success on own throw and opposition throw are shown in the following table. It also highlights lineout steals, i.e. those lost on own throw-in and those won on opponent’s throw-in.
Success %
Lineout Steals
Not straight / Pen/FK / Knock-on Own Opp Throw Throw 5 1
JAPAN
Own Throw 84%
Opp Throw 16%
Lost on Own Throw 1
Won on Opp Throw 3
FIJI
78%
28%
6
2
-
-
SAMOA
77%
24%
5
5
2
3
TONGA
74%
18%
2
4
5
3
120901 IRB MATCH ANALYSIS - 2012 PNC REPORT
PAGE 15
Pacific Nations Cup 2012
Statistical Analysis & Match Summary
JWC 2012 South Africa IRB Game Analysis Statistical Report
9.0 SCRUMS
The average number of scrums per match was 18. Average no per match Possession retained
The most scrums in a match was 23, the least 12.
PNC 2012 18 93%
PNC 2011 16 89%
Scrum ball retention was relatively high for all teams, Japan and Tonga retained possession on all but one of their put-ins. With such high percentage of possession retained, it is no surprise that heels against the head were few and far between. In total there were two in 105 scrums or one in 53. The table below shows the tight heads won and lost by each country.
TONGA
Scrum Success % Own Opposition Feed Feed 96% 0%
Heels against the head Lost on Own Won on Feed Opposition Feed 1
JAPAN
95%
10%
SAMOA
93%
4%
1
FIJI
90%
10%
1
1
Of all scrum penalties, almost 90% were awarded to the team putting in the ball.
10.0 PENALTIES / FREE KICKS In PNC 2012, the average number of penalties and free kicks awarded in a match was 23. This reflected a spread of between 25 and 19 per match.
Average no per match Most Pens/FKs in one match Least Pens/FKs in one match
PNC 2012 23 25 19
PNC 2011 22 25 20
The following table comprises the total penalties awarded to, and conceded by, each team. However, because the number of penalties can vary from match to match, a better measure is the proportion of penalties conceded by a team in all their matches compared with their opponents. This shows that Fiji were the least penalised team in relation to their opponents while Samoa was the most penalised.
FIJI
Pens/FKs For and Against Pen/FK Pen/FK For Against 36 29
Proportion of Pens/FKs % Pen/FK % Pen/FK For Against 55% 45%
TONGA
35
32
52%
48%
JAPAN
35
40
47%
53%
SAMOA
30
35
46%
54%
Of the penalties and free kicks awarded, teams took some 18% as tap penalties. The differences between the teams, however, were noticeable. Fiji took 12 – the other three teams took a total of 8 between them.
120710 IRB MATCH ANALYSIS - 2012 JWC REPORT
PAGE 16
Pacific Nations Cup 2012
Statistical Analysis & Match Summary
10.1 CATEGORIES OF OFFENCES PENALISED The following table groups the penalties awarded into eight categories and these are as follows:
11.0 CARDS – YELLOW & RED
Ruck/tackle on ground Scrum Offside Obstruction Dangerous tackle Maul Other Lineout + 10m Foul play
% 52% 21% 11% 4% 4% 4% 2% 1% 1% -
There were no red cards issued (PNC 2011 – two). There were five yellow cards issued during the Championship, an average of just under one per match. This was two fewer than last year. Of the 6 matches, there were 4 which contained at least one card, meaning 2 of all matches did not contain a single yellow card. PNC PNC Yellow Card Reasons 2012 2011 The most yellow cards in a 2 x Charging 1 x Ruck SAMOA 3 1 match was two (SAM v JAP). 1 x Charging 1 x Obstruction TONGA 2 3 The table adjacent shows the FIJI 3 +2 red breakdown of yellow cards JAPAN per team, including reasons. Overall, the reasons for yellow cards were as follows:
Dangerous Charging Obstruction Ruck/Tackle Total
120901 IRB MATCH ANALYSIS - 2012 PNC REPORT
PNC 2012 3 1 1 5
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