Sunday Read: The Stats That Show How Each URC Team Plays
Crunching last season's numbers to understand the game-plans of each team
The URC is back! The league is really tarting to mature into a product fans are invested in and thankfully, the change from last season to this has been minimal. We are set for renewed rivalries and character development across the board.
What this also means is that we can use last season’s data to tell us about what we can expect this season. So, using Opta’s movement stat’s and Oval Insights’ URC database, we can create a picture of each team’s philosophy and their relative strengths and weaknesses.
The Irish
Connacht Kick from hand the least of anyone in the URC and pass the most, showing they want to keep the ball in play as much as possible and go through long spells of possession. Their movement is mostly close to mid, reflecting the fact they like to pass once or twice between phases.
Leinster are an extremely well rounded team, equally adept at running, passing or kicking. Their high ranking in each area shows how much possession they tend to have. They either move close or wide, varying their attack nicely to stretch opponents.
Munster are another team who love to have long spell of possession over multiple phases. They play tighter than Leinster or Connacht but also don’t mind going wide. A halfway between Leinster and Connacht.
Ulster are one of the few teams to have changed their coach this season so we can expect a change in their stats. Under their former coach they barely went wide, using close movement more than any other team.
The Scottish/Italians
Benetton Kick the 2nd most of any URC, showing they like to control territory and are comfortable without the ball. They don’t like to play tight or close, instead going mid more than anyone else, perhaps reflecting the talent they have in their backline.
Edinburgh are middling in most areas, perhaps suggesting they lacked a definitive identify in attack last year. The played tight a lot and their stats suggest they tend to have a lot of possession. They Don’t get the ball as wide as you would think, given the talent they have in the back 3.
Glasgow are another team who like to have high ball in play time, but similar to Leinster they can stretch teams by going tight or by going wide - something they did more than anyone else in the URC last year. They will always back their fitness.
Zebra struggle to hold the ball, which is why their passing and carrying stats are so low. They play tight more than anyone, but also sent the ball wide a lot. This could be due to how much they play in their own half, meaning they are usually trying to exit.
The South Africans
Stormers play with surprisingly little possession, the ball in play time for their games is quite low. With the likes of Lubbock, Willemse and Sacha FM in their ranks it is no surprise kicking is one of their main strategies. Their movement is slightly muddled, showcasing their disorganised attack last season.
Lions play surprisingly close, but their strategy is to counter attack, meaning they try to avoid phase play. The more carries they make, the more likely they seem to lose.
Sharks are the opposite to lions in that they played surprisingly wide, despite their riches of talent amongst the forward pack. They passed the ball a lot, so pressure will be on the likes of Masuku go get the backline firing again this season.
Bulls prefer to kick, they love to turn opposition. You won’t often see them go through a high number of phases. They are equally comfortable giving the ball to their mammoth pack to carry or getting it to their rapid wingers to try and beat teams with pace.
The Welsh
Cardiff kick the most of any URC team; it is their most important attacking strategy. Sheedy’s adeptness at this tactic will define them this season. Their other main tactic is to get the ball to the wings who are both paces and physical.
Dragons are another team who really struggle for possession, carrying the least of anyone last year. Similar to Zebra they are trying to exit most of the time and struggle to move the ball.
Ospreys kick the most and play tight the second most of any URC team, reflecting their conservative attack. One of their biggest issues is they pass too much, meaning the ball is slow to get to the attackers which allows defences to close them down. Hence, despite having the 5th most passes they move wide the least.
Scarlets were tactically poor last season, hence their movement is somewhat muddled with no stand out area. They kicked very little, preferring to attack from deep, which rarely was successful. They want to move the ball but need to start keeping hold of it longer.
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