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Exeter and Wasps dominate 2020's Premiership stats
The rugby world may never experience a year quite like 2020 again. The Covid-19 pandemic threw unprecedented amounts of disruption at the sport across the globe, as it did with all aspects of life, and Gallagher Premiership Rugby was no different.
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But out of the darkness came some great competition with fantastic battles and thrilling entertainment on show in the top tier of English club rugby.
And, as we now embark upon the final day of a year like no other, it’s the perfect chance to reflect on what has been a Gallagher Premiership Rugby season like never before.
We may have missed five months of action during the middle of the year, but there are plenty of remarkable feats to look back on with a whole host of statistics to sift through. In all, across the 113 matches that were played a total of 5447 points were scored – including a mammoth 682 tries.
Players from 28 different nations took part in the premier domestic rugby competition as a total of 669 men donned their respective clubs colours and went to battle in the Gallagher Premiership.
Of them, 245 were internationally capped players from 17 different countries – showcasing the breadth of high-quality talent which graced the competition in 2020.
It was a record-breaking year for Exeter Chiefs of course, as they secured their second Gallagher Premiership Rugby crown before then becoming European champions for the very first time by beating Racing 92 in the Heineken Champions Cup final.
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And that was driven, in part, by the phenomenal standards of Chiefs back-row Sam Simmonds.
The 26-year-old has long been one of the hottest commodities in European rugby but went to another level during 2020 as he racked up a mammoth 17 tries from just 16 appearances across the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons.
And alongside Sam, his brother Joe, the imperious club captain and fly-half has been as reliable with his kicking as you could possibly want.
He showed just how deadly he is from the boot, and his all-round brilliance, when registering 25 of his side’s 30 points courtesy of three penalties, three conversions and two tries in Exeter’s 34-30 defeat to Harlequins in last season’s Round 12 thriller.
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But if one fly-half doesn’t get you, the other will with Gareth Steenson registering the best kicking rate across the year of 89.7%.
The Gallagher Premiership Rugby stalwart marked his final season in the professional game in 2020 in fine style, ending with the figures of 290 appearances and over 2,500 points for his club side.
And lock Jannes Kirsten symbolises Chiefs dominance across the year, having won more Gallagher Premiership Rugby matches than anyone else with 15 to his name.
Wasps also enjoyed a fantastic 2020, reaching the Gallagher Premiership Rugby Final and pushing eventual champions Exeter all the way in a memorable Twickenham tussle.
The vibrant Wasps side, led first by Dai Young before Lee Blackett took temporary charge in February and then became the permanent appointment two months later, set the rugby world alight with their brand of attacking rugby.
Winger Zach Kibirige was at the heart of his side’s flair and he was an ever-present, registering the most minutes played in 2020 with 1,348.
And they duly registered the most points as a team across the year, notching up an incredible 678.
Much of that was driven by their classy Kiwi fly-half Jimmy Gopperth, who scored 190 points in 2020 – the most of any individual player.
And the 37-year-old is showing no signs of stopping yet either, having featured in all four of Wasps’ Gallagher Premiership Rugby fixtures so far this season.
Indeed, he has certainly got around in 2020 having made the most appearances of any player with 20 while, at 37 years and 181 days old, his most recent appearance against Sale Sharks on 27 December made him the oldest player to feature this year.
RUMOUR MILL: There could be some substance to the rumour that is currently doing the rounds online. https://t.co/Z8uFws9Ukw
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) December 31, 2020
While Gopperth continues to belie his advancing years, back row Ethan Staddon also showed that age is just a number as he became Bath Rugby’s youngest ever Premiership Rugby player when he featured against Worcester Warriors on 5 December.
At 18 years and 155 days Staddon was also the youngest player to feature in the Gallagher Premiership in 2020 and is certainly one to look out for in the future.
Defending champions Saracens were relegated from the Gallagher Premiership but continued to show off their pedigree as they racked up the most points in a game by a team.
On 4 January, they welcomed in 2020 by putting 62 points past Worcester at Allianz Park, crossing the whitewash a sensational ten times!
2020 in stats:
Most tries: 17 – Sam Simmonds (in 16 appearances)
Most points by player: 190 – Jimmy Gopperth (Wasps)
Most points by a team: 678 – Wasps
Most points in a game by player: 25 – Joe Simmonds (Exeter Chiefs v Harlequins, 29 February)
Most points in a game by team: 62 – Saracens (vs Worcester Warriors, 4 January)
Best kicking rate: 89.7% Gareth Steenson (Exeter Chiefs) – more than ten attempts at goal
Youngest and oldest player: 18y 155d Ethan Staddon (Bath Rugby v Worcester Warriors on 5 December) and 37y 181d Jimmy Gopperth (Wasps v Sale Sharks, 27 December)
Most appearances by one player: 20 Jimmy Gopperth (Wasps)
Most minutes played: 1348 Zach Kibirige (Wasps)
Most wins: 15 Jannes Kirsten (Exeter Chiefs)
Total number of matches: 113 (not including cancelled matches)
Total number of points: 5,447
Total number of tries: 682
Players born in 28 different nations played
A total of 669 players featured plus ten more who were on the bench but did not get on.
245 of those were capped players from 17 different countries
Statistics from Stuart Farmer Media Services
Comments on RugbyPass
Sabbaticals have helped keep NZ’s very best talent in the country on long term deals - this fact has been left out of this article. Much like the articles calling to allow overseas players to be selected, yet can only name one player currently not signed to NZR who would be selected for the ABs. And in the entire history of NZ players leaving to play overseas, literally only 4 or 5 have left in their prime as current ABs. (Piatau, Evans, Hayman, Mo’unga,?) Yes Carter got an injury while playing in France 16 years ago, but he also got a tournament ending injury at the 2011 World Cup while taking mid-week practice kicks at goal. Maybe Jordie gets a season-ending injury while playing in Ireland, maybe he gets one next week against the Brumbies. NZR have many shortcomings, but keeping the very best players in the country and/or available for ABs selection is not one of them. Likewise for workload management - players missing 2 games out of 14 is hardly a big deal in the grand scheme of things. Again let’s use some facts - did it stop the Crusaders winning SR so many times consecutively when during any given week they would be missing 2 of their best players? The whole idea of the sabbatical is to reward your best players who are willing to sign very long term deals with some time to do whatever they want. They are not handed out willy-nilly, and at nowhere near the levels that would somehow devalue Super Rugby. In this particular example JB is locked in with NZR for what will probably (hopefully) be the best years of his career, hard to imagine him not sticking around for a couple more after for a Lions tour and one more world cup. He has the potential to become the most capped AB of all time. A much better outcome than him leaving NZ for a minimum of 3 years at the age of 27, unlikely to ever play for the ABs again, which would be the likely alternative.
1 Go to commentsJake White talks more sense than anything I've read in the last 5 years. Hope someone's listening.
9 Go to commentsThe Springboks tried going down the road of only picking home-based players and it was an unmitigated disaster in 2016 and 2017. Picking overseas-based players has been one of the main reason the Boks have done so well since 2018, not only because of the quality Rassie could call on, but because of the knowledge and experience those players brought into camp from England, France and Japan. With some of the big names playing abroad it also gave younger players in SA the chance to break through at franchise level. Would we have seen the emergence of a Ruan Nortje if RG and Lood were still at the Bulls? Not so sure. I understand why Jake would want to block players leaving since his job depends on good results but it’s an approach that would take Bok rugby back to the bad old days and no South African wants to see that.
9 Go to commentsExeter were thumped by 38 points. And they only had to hop on a train.
36 Go to commentsI am De Groot.
1 Go to commentsHad hoped you might write an article on this game, Nick. It’s a good one. Things have not gone as smoothly for ROG since beating Leinster last year at the Aviva in the CC final. LAR had the Top 14 Final won till Raymond Rhule missed a simple tackle on the excellent Ntamack, and Toulouse reaped the rewards of just staying in the fight till the death. Then the disruption of the RWC this season. LAR have not handled that well, but they were not alone, and we saw Pau heading the Top 14 table at one stage early season. I would think one of the reasons for the poor showing would have to be that the younger players coming through, and the more mature amongst the group outside the top 25/30, are not as strong as would be hoped for. I note that Romain Sazy retired at the end of last season. He had been with LAR since 2010, and was thus one of their foundation players when they were promoted to Top 14. Records show he ended up with 336 games played with LAR. That is some experience, some rock in the team. He has been replaced for the most part by Ultan Dillane. At 30, Dillane is not young, but given the chances, he may be a fair enough replacement for Sazy. But that won’be for more than a few years. I honestly know little of the pathways into the LAR setup from within France. I did read somewhere a couple of years ago that on the way up to Top 14, the club very successfully picked up players from the academies of other French teams who were not offered places by those teams. These guys were often great signings…can’t find the article right now, so can’t name any….but the Tadgh Beirne type players. So all in all, it will be interesting to see where the replacements for all the older players come from. Only Lleyd’s and Rhule from SA currently, both backs. So maybe a few SA forwards ?? By contrast, Leinster have a pretty clear line of good players coming through in the majority of positions. Props maybe a weak spot ? And they are very fleet footed and shrewd in appointing very good coaches. Or maybe it is also true that very good coaches do very well in the Leinster setup. So, Nick, I would fully concurr that “On the evidence of Saturday’s semi-final between the two clubs, the rebuild in the Bay of Biscay is going to take longer than it is on the east coast of Ireland”
11 Go to commentsWhat was the excuse for the other knockout blowouts then? Does the result not prove the Saints were just so much better? Wise call to put your eggs in one basket when you’ve got 2 comps simultaneously finishing.
36 Go to commentsReally hope Kuruvoli and his partner rock the Canes.
1 Go to commentsI wonder what impact Samson has had on their attack, as the team seems less prone to trundle it up the middle, take the tackle and then trundle it up again. I lost faith in the coach last year as the Rebelss looked like a 2nd/3rd rate South African team. I also disliked Gordon standing back, often ignored as the forward battle went on and on. Maybe its our Aussie way of not getting off our A***’s until the enemy is at the gate.
86 Go to commentsThanks for the write up. Great to see the Rebs winning, I am a little interested in how they will go against the remaining kiwi teams, I think they’ve only played Hurricanes and Highlanders but how great to see these players performing!! I also see Parling has a job beyond June 30! A good move by RA? Also how do you fix the Rebels previously scratchy defence?
86 Go to commentsbe smart - go black
13 Go to commentsNext week the Crusaders hopefully have Scott Barrett back. Will be great to have the captain back. Hopefully he will be the All Black captain as well.
12 Go to commentsExciting place to be for the young fella. I expected he was French Polynesian when I saw him included in the France 6N squad (after seeing him in NZs), and therefor be strong grounds we might loose him to rugby down here. Good, in that he is good enough to warrant such a profile, and from a journalism’s fan interaction aspect, to finally get a back ground story on the fella. Hope he has settled into NZ OK and that at least one rugby country will fit with him to help his development, which, if so, he should surely continue for a few years, and then that he can experience France to it’s fullest with a bit more maturity and less reliance on family than you would have at his current age. A good 3 or 4 years before he would be ready for International duty if he wanted to wait. Of course he already sounds good enough to accept a call up, and to cap himself, in the more immediate future (he’d have to be very very good in the case of the ABs), and he’ll get a great taste of that being with the Canes who have a bunch who are just a few years further into their career and looking likely Internationals themselves.
13 Go to commentsI remember towards the end of the original broadcasting deal for Super rugby with Newscorp that there was talk about the competition expanding to improve negotiations for more money - more content, more cash. Professional rugby was still in its infancy then and I held an opposing view that if Super rugby was a truly valuable competition then it should attract more broadcasters to bid for the rights, thereby increasing the value without needing to add more teams and games. Unfortunately since the game turned professional, the tension between club, talent and country has only grown further. I would argue we’re already at a point in time where the present is the future. The only international competitions that matter are 6N, RC and RWC. The inter-hemisphere tours are only developmental for those competitions. The games that increasingly matter more to fans, sponsors and broadcasters are between the clubs. Particularly for European fans, there are multiple competitions to follow your teams fortunes every week. SA is not Europe but competes in a single continental competition, so the travel component will always be an impediment. It was worse in the bloated days of Super rugby when teams traversed between four continents - Africa, America, Asia and Australia. The percentage of players who represent their country is less than 5% of the professional player base, so the sense of sacrifice isn’t as strong a motivation for the rest who are more focused on playing professional rugby and earning as much from their body as they can. Rugby like cricket created the conundrum it’s constantly fighting a losing battle with.
9 Go to commentsOh wow… “But as La Rochelle proved in winning in Cape Town this season, a cross-continental away assignment need not spell the end of days.” La Rochelle actually proved quite the opposite. After traveling to Cape town and back they (back-to-back and current champs) got mercilessly thumped the next week. If travel is not the reason, why else would a full-strength powerhouse like La Rochelle get dumped on their @r$e$ one week later?
36 Go to commentsYou know he can land a winning conversion after the full time siren is up. (Even if it takes two attempts.)
5 Go to commentsA very insightful article from Jake. I would love to know how South African’s feel about their move to Europe. Do you prefer playing in Europe or want to go back to Super Rugby?
9 Go to commentspure fire
1 Go to commentsA very well thought out summary of all the relevant complications…agree with your ”refer the Cricket Test versus 20/20 comparison”. More also definitely doesn't necessarily mean better!
9 Go to commentsMust be something when you are only 19 y.o and both NZ and France want you. Btw he wasn’t the only new caledonian in french U20 as Robin Couly also lived in Noumea until 17. Hope he’s successful wherever he chooses to play.
13 Go to comments