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Of Six Nations, Super 14 and ELVs

Wednesday 20th February 2008

It's not a fair comparison because of climatic differences but it is convenient as the two competitions are running concurrently - the Six Nations without ELVs and the Super 14 with some ELVs.

Before the Super 14 started, there were some condemning the ELVs (and the Super 14) as a product inferior to the Six Nations and some lauding the ELVs (and the Super 14) as a better product than the Six Nations. They probably have not changed their mind.

There has so far been one weekend of Super 14 and two weekends of Six Nations but Six Nations is an extension of what we are used to.

These are just statistics. They do not tell the whole story.

For one thing the number of free kicks at the tackle can be misleading. They are not necessarily free kicks which replaced what used to be penalties but free kicks which used to be scrums - in some cases.

They also do not take into account the time taken to produce some of them. The situation has been compared to rugby league's "play the ball". But "play the ball" is usually immediate on the tackle. The free kick can take some time to evolve as the pile-up happens and then takes time to unravel, slowing the process down.

The point made by Rassie Erasmus of the Stormers has some value - that the free kick needs to be immediate and should be able to be immediate. Two players are involved in a tackle and the ball is meant to be immediately available. If it is not, somebody has infringed.

One team simply folded over the tackled player and waited for the free kick in their favour when the tackled player was found guilty of holding on, though he had no earthly hop of releasing the ball.

In none of the seven matches was there a penalty for deliberately killing the ball and no single instance of a penalty for repeated infringement even though in the Newlands matches there were 21 free kicks at the tackle. How many make repeated infringement? In all in the first week of Super 14 rugby there were 93 free kicks at tackles. and no repeated infringement and no deliberate ("cynical") infringement. Over 13 per match.

We have taken totals from the six Six nations matches and the seven Super 14 matches and worked out an average.

The huge and most obvious difference is in the number of free kicks.

Penalties

Six Nations: 91 - average: 15,1
Super 14: 82 - average: 11,7

Free kicks

Six Nations: 15 - average: 2,5
Super 14: 126 - average: 18

Scrums

Six Nations: 127 - average: 21,2
Super 14: 105 - average: 17,5

Line-outs

Six Nations: 105- average: 17,5
Super 14: 121- average: 17,3

Stoppages

Six Nations: 439 - average: 72,7
Super 14: 488 - average: 69,7

Tries

Six Nations: 18 - average: 3
Super 14: 26- average: 3,7

Penalties goaled

Six Nations: 33 - average: 6,5
Super 14: 26 - average: 3,7

Match Totals

Penalties conceded per Match

Super 14

Crusaders vs Brumbies: 10
Reds vs Highlanders: 14
Sharks vs Western Force: 9
Blues vs Chiefs: 15
Waratahs vs Hurricanes: 9
Stormers vs Bulls: 13
Cheetahs vs Lions: 12

Six Nations

Ireland vs Italy: 11 + 8 = 19
England vs Wales: 7 + 7 = 14
Scotland vs France: 10 + 7 = 17
Wales vs Scotland: 10 + 6 = 16
France vs Ireland: 8 + 1 = 9
Italy vs England: 6 + 10 = 16

Free Kicks per Match

Super 14

Crusaders vs Brumbies: 15
Reds vs Highlanders: 16
Sharks vs Western Force: 20
Blues vs Chiefs: 17
Waratahs vs Hurricanes: 21
Stormers vs Bulls: 26
Cheetahs vs Lions: 11

Six Nations

Ireland vs Italy: 4
England vs Wales: 2
Scotland vs France: 3
Wales vs Scotland: 2
France vs Ireland: 1
Italy vs England: 3

Scrums per Match

Super 14:

Crusaders vs Brumbies: 22
Reds vs Highlanders: 17
Sharks Western Force: 17
Blues vs Chiefs: 18
Waratahs vs Hurricanes: 16
Stormers vs Bulls: 14
Cheetahs vs Lions: 17

Six Nations

Ireland vs Italy: 15
England vs Wales: 17
Scotland vs France: 22
Wales vs Scotland: 17
France vs Ireland: 18
Italy vs England: 16

Line-outs per Match

Super 14:

Crusaders vs Brumbies: 27
Reds vs Highlanders: 20
Sharks Western Force: 34
Blues vs Chiefs: 17
Waratahs vs Hurricanes: 21
Stormers vs Bulls: 18
Cheetahs vs Lions: 25

Six Nations

Ireland vs Italy: 37
England vs Wales: 23
Scotland vs France: 23
Wales vs Scotland: 32
France vs Ireland: 25
Italy vs England: 28

Stoppages per match

Super 14

Crusaders vs Brumbies: 82
Reds vs Highlanders: 78
Sharks Western Force: 80
Blues vs Chiefs: 65
Waratahs vs Hurricanes: 67
Stormers vs Bulls: 52
Cheetahs vs Lions: 64

Six Nations

Ireland vs Italy: 80
England vs Wales: 67
Scotland vs France: 73
Wales vs Scotland: 73
France vs Ireland: 68
Italy vs England: 78

Tries per Match

Super 14

Crusaders vs Brumbies: 4 + 0 = 4
Reds vs Highlanders: 3 + 1 = 4
Sharks vs Western Force: 2 + 1 = 3
Blues vs Chiefs: 4 + 1 = 5
Waratahs vs Hurricanes: 3 + 0 = 3
Stormers vs Bulls: 0 + 1 = 1
Cheetahs vs Lions: 3 + 3 = 6

Six Nations

Ireland vs Italy: 1 + 1 = 2
England vs Wales: 1 + 2 = 3
Scotland vs France: 3 + 0 = 3
Wales vs Scotland: 3 + 0 = 3
France vs Ireland: 3 + 1 = 4
Italy vs England: 1 + 2 = 3

Penalties goaled per Match

Super 14

Crusaders vs Brumbies: 2 + 1 = 3
Reds vs Highlanders: 1 + 3 = 4
Sharks vs Western Force: 1 + 1 = 2
Blues vs Chiefs: 2 + 3 = 5
Waratahs vs Hurricanes: 1 + 1 = 2
Stormers vs Bulls: 3 + 3 = 6
Cheetahs vs Lions: 1 + 3 = 4

Six Nations

Ireland vs Italy: 3 + 2 = 5
England vs Wales: 1 + 2 = 3
Scotland vs France: 3 + 4 = 7
Wales vs Scotland: 3 + 5 = 8
France vs Ireland: 0 + 3 = 3
Italy vs England: 4 + 3 = 7