Rugby Stats
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One reason why teams should keep their statistics to themselves is that anything that is a measure will be gamed.
So if you tell players to raise their tackle statistic, they will make more tackles. They may well be useless tackles, but that is the cost of using statistics as a measure. Tell them they need to make more dominant tackles, and they will make more dominant tackles, but possibly fall off more simple ones trying too hard to make them dominant. The person using the statistics needs to say "X isn't tackling as well as we would expect" and the coach then work on their tackling in general.
Don't use statistics as a measure of success, well rather, not a measure that the target knows. And one way to ensure that is not publish them.
Except fitness statistics. Which I suspect is the one measure that professional coaches all care deeply about.
@Chester-Draws said in Rugby Stats:
One reason why teams should keep their statistics to themselves is that anything that is a measure will be gamed.
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Don't use statistics as a measure of success, well rather, not a measure that the target knows. And one way to ensure that is not publish them.
This is an interesting discussion and @Chester-Draws point resonates. Players will optimize for whatever coaches measure and value. In my limited experience that can be useful.
Most of us loosely judge our performance on whatever we idealize as the key part of our game: “I took 2 tightheads”, “made a heap of turnovers”, “caught that ruck rat a few times, eh.?” And of course “ran 40 yards through 16 defenders and scored a beauty.”
Your more fanatical teammates might even have logged simple stats like tackles, turnovers & lineouts won, tries scored. More rarely knock ons, penalties given away, tackles missed.
But it’s eye-opening to see detailed, team-wide stats week on week. Especially when you’re forced to face your two turnovers against 3 breakdown penalties. Or tries v points directly conceded.
And really useful to motivate players to work harder on the hard graft v flash stuff. Hilarious to see props and centres bragging about first arrivals at rucks.
And especially for kids it’s a good way to encourage them to appreciate all the work that needs to be done to create a try and get them keen to do it.
If you’re coaching youngsters try getting the subs to keep simple stats on the game and then ask them what they see that should be a focus at halftime. Takes a few games, but soon enough they’ll start delivering pretty solid insights.
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@Chester-Draws said in Rugby Stats:
One reason why teams should keep their statistics to themselves is that anything that is a measure will be gamed.
…
Don't use statistics as a measure of success, well rather, not a measure that the target knows. And one way to ensure that is not publish them.
This is an interesting discussion and @Chester-Draws point resonates. Players will optimize for whatever coaches measure and value. In my limited experience that can be useful.
Most of us loosely judge our performance on whatever we idealize as the key part of our game: “I took 2 tightheads”, “made a heap of turnovers”, “caught that ruck rat a few times, eh.?” And of course “ran 40 yards through 16 defenders and scored a beauty.”
Your more fanatical teammates might even have logged simple stats like tackles, turnovers & lineouts won, tries scored. More rarely knock ons, penalties given away, tackles missed.
But it’s eye-opening to see detailed, team-wide stats week on week. Especially when you’re forced to face your two turnovers against 3 breakdown penalties. Or tries v points directly conceded.
And really useful to motivate players to work harder on the hard graft v flash stuff. Hilarious to see props and centres bragging about first arrivals at rucks.
And especially for kids it’s a good way to encourage them to appreciate all the work that needs to be done to create a try and get them keen to do it.
If you’re coaching youngsters try getting the subs to keep simple stats on the game and then ask them what they see that should be a focus at halftime. Takes a few games, but soon enough they’ll start delivering pretty solid insights.
@Smuts I am sure with the software available, they have all the stats they need for the specific positions, but I guess how many dominant scrum hits, TH losing his grip on impact, two handed lineout takes, successful ruck protection, static pass vs moving pass etc dont make for great stats like tackle busts, turnovers, metres gained or missed tackles.
That said, I'd love to have a bigger range of stats.
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As a fan the stats I’m most interested in at the moment are scrum resets/collapses to penalties, scrum collapses on own ball v opponents’ ball & broken down by field position.
I’d also like to see rucks that ended with no offensive player on their feet per team…
We can dream
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As a fan the stats I’m most interested in at the moment are scrum resets/collapses to penalties, scrum collapses on own ball v opponents’ ball & broken down by field position.
I’d also like to see rucks that ended with no offensive player on their feet per team…
We can dream
@Smuts said in Rugby Stats:
I’d also like to see rucks that ended with no offensive player on their feet per team
that one is easy, just look at the total ruck stats
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I was reading today that Sevu Reece's try against the Reds now means he has 100 tries in first class rugby. He is one of 5 current NZ players who have achieved that feat. That got me thinking of who were the other four. I've worked out two of them (see below) but some of the other likely candidates are short of 100 tries. Maybe I am forgetting about an obvious player, or there are some non-ABs with a lot of NPC tries.
Julian Savea
Rieko IoaneDoes anyone know who the other two players are?
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I was reading today that Sevu Reece's try against the Reds now means he has 100 tries in first class rugby. He is one of 5 current NZ players who have achieved that feat. That got me thinking of who were the other four. I've worked out two of them (see below) but some of the other likely candidates are short of 100 tries. Maybe I am forgetting about an obvious player, or there are some non-ABs with a lot of NPC tries.
Julian Savea
Rieko IoaneDoes anyone know who the other two players are?
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I was reading today that Sevu Reece's try against the Reds now means he has 100 tries in first class rugby. He is one of 5 current NZ players who have achieved that feat. That got me thinking of who were the other four. I've worked out two of them (see below) but some of the other likely candidates are short of 100 tries. Maybe I am forgetting about an obvious player, or there are some non-ABs with a lot of NPC tries.
Julian Savea
Rieko IoaneDoes anyone know who the other two players are?
Will Jordan 22 NPC, 38 SR, 42 Rep sides
https://www.rugbydatabase.co.nz/player/index.php?playerId=172
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I was reading today that Sevu Reece's try against the Reds now means he has 100 tries in first class rugby. He is one of 5 current NZ players who have achieved that feat. That got me thinking of who were the other four. I've worked out two of them (see below) but some of the other likely candidates are short of 100 tries. Maybe I am forgetting about an obvious player, or there are some non-ABs with a lot of NPC tries.
Julian Savea
Rieko IoaneDoes anyone know who the other two players are?
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Will Jordan 22 NPC, 38 SR, 42 Rep sides
https://www.rugbydatabase.co.nz/player/index.php?playerId=172
@Duluth said in Rugby Stats:
Will Jordan 22 NPC, 38 SR, 42 Rep sides
https://www.rugbydatabase.co.nz/player/index.php?playerId=172
Snap! Is that the data?
Turns out TJ is short then.
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Will Jordan 22 NPC, 38 SR, 42 Rep sides
https://www.rugbydatabase.co.nz/player/index.php?playerId=172
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@Duluth OK, I had assumed first class meant senior rugby, so wasn't including Jordan for that reason. Who is the other then?
