New Zealand scored more tries than South Africa, made more line breaks, missed fewer tackles and were more clinical in the 22 across four Tests of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry, and lost the series 3-1.
Run the same numbers over the Six Nations and the Nations Championship and the pattern repeats, which tells you the statistics we argue about on a Sunday morning aren’t the ones that decide Test matches. Kick metres, rucks, turnovers, penalties, carry metres and 22 entries: here are the six that do, and the evidence from a year of rugby that they work.
The three minutes in Baltimore
Read the full article from Planet Rugby here.
