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Calling all stats fans...all you need to know ahead of the new Top 14 season
It was only June 2 when Castres completed their unlikely run to the Top 14 crown yet it is already time for a new domestic season to get underway in France.
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The opening round of fixtures in the 2018-19 campaign pits the defending champions against Montpellier, the team they defeated to claim the title at the Stade de France (get your full RugbyPass Top 14 preview here).
Racing 92 – who lost the European Champions Cup final to Leinster in Bilbao – will be keen for domestic success, while big-spending Stade Francais have bolstered their squad by signing Argentina international Nicolas Sanchez and France duo Yoann Maestri – who backed out of a move to La Rochelle to head to Paris – and Gael Fickou, buying the latter out of the last year of his contract at Toulouse.
There are a host of new names joining the competition, including Julian Savea and Simon Zebo, while a familiar team returns after 2009 champions Perpignan sealed promotion back to the top tier.
Ahead of the first weekend, and with help from Opta, we have picked out some of the best statistics surrounding the competition.
– Montpellier and Castres meet on the opening day after facing each other in last season’s final, the third time this has happened in the Top 14 era (Stade v Clermont Auvergne in 2007 & Clermont v Perpignan in 2010).
– Castres triumphed in the play-offs last season despite ending up in sixth position in the league, the lowest finish by an eventual Top 14 champion. In fact, four of the last six champions have now finished outside the top three, while the last team to finish top of the league and win the title was Toulon in 2013-14.
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– World Cup winner Savea is set to feature in the Top 14 this season after signing for Toulon. Only Doug Howlett (49) has scored more Test tries for New Zealand than Savea (46), who impressively averaged one every 88 minutes for the All Blacks.
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– Toulon scored 52 tries in the first half of games last season, the only side to reach a half-century in the opening 40 minutes of matches. Montpellier (56) and Lyon (50) were the only sides to cross for 50 or more second-half tries.
– There was an average of 53 points scored in games involving relegated Oyonnax last season, the most of any side, while matches involving Racing saw the fewest points on average (42).
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– French duo Morgan Parra (53 out of 58) and Lionel Beauxis (61 out of 67) each slotted over 91 per cent of their kicks at goal last season, making them the only players to attempt 15 or more and maintain a success rate of 90 per cent or better.
– Lyon scrum-half Baptiste Couilloud scored 10 tries and assisted a further 11, making him the only player to reach double figures in both categories.
– Chris Ashton scored 24 tries in his solitary season with Toulon, a record in a single campaign. The winger – who has returned to England with Sale Sharks – also made 41 clean breaks, eight more than any other player.
24 – @ChrisAshton1 broke the @top14rugby try scoring record in his first season in the competition (24), while he also made 41 clean breaks, 8 more than any other player. Splash. pic.twitter.com/mW5PDvy0UP
— OptaJonny (@OptaJonny) August 2, 2018
Comments on RugbyPass
Pick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
15 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
4 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
4 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
26 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
15 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
26 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
15 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
84 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
4 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
15 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
14 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
15 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
15 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
15 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to comments