Sharpshooters: Super Rugby's goal-kicking top-dogs
Although there may be teams that can buck the tend from time to time, it’s a safe claim to suggest that it’s considerably more difficult to win a game of rugby if your kickers aren’t on form.
Last weekend, Curwin Bosch kicked seven penalties to earn the Sharks an unlikely draw against the Crusaders. The Crusaders may have outscored the Sharks three tries to zero, but Bosch’s accurate kicking kept the Sharks in the game.
Contrast that to the first round of the season where the Chiefs lined up against the Highlanders with no recognised goal-kicker on the field. Between Brad Weber and Shaun Stevenson, the Chiefs only succeeded in two of their five attempts on goal while the Highlander’s Josh Ioane was successful in five of his six attempts. The Highlanders came out trumps in that game, 30 – 27, even though the Chiefs outscored the Highlanders four tries to three.
Goal kicking wins matches, there’s no disputing it. So how have Super Rugby’s goal-kickers been performing in 2019?
Hayden Parker, of the Sunwolves, is once again leading the pack. Parker has missed only twice this season – one conversion and one penalty – which lands him a 95% kick accuracy. The average accuracy for the regular goal-kickers sits at about 77% in 2019, which puts Parker way above the norm.
Next in line are the Kiwi pair of Josh Ioane and Damian McKenzie who are both on 86%. The Highlanders obviously won the kicking duel in round one of the season, with Ioane’s accuracy cementing his team the win. McKenzie was notably absent from that match. The young first-five-cum-fullback has a number of strings to his bow, but his under-appreciated goal-kicking could well have been enough on its own to sway the match in the Chiefs favour.
With McKenzie out for the rest of the season due to a ruptured ACL, the goalkicking duties in the Waikato have fallen to his older brother, Marty (who also missed the match against the Highlanders). Marty’s strike-rate of 57% is the lowest of the current first-choice goal-kickers and could prove problematic for the Chiefs moving forward. Coincidentally or not, the Chiefs are also attempting fewer penalty shots at goals now that the younger McKenzie is out, suggesting that a less favourable game-plan has had to be adopted.
The Red’s Bryce Hegarty is the most accurate goal-kicker in Australia at present with an 85% return rate. Hegarty was scarcely used by the Waratahs in 2018, prompting the transfer to Queensland. This relocation has evidently done Hegarty a world of good and has given him the opportunity for regular game time.
Hegarty’s fellow Australians aren’t performing particularly well on the goal-kicking front this season. Both Incumbent Wallaby first-five Bernard Foley and the man many hope will take that berth, Quade Cooper, are sitting on 75%.
Foley has been known to have bad days off the tee – usually at the least opportune times for Waratahs and Wallabies fans – while Quade Cooper is more known for his creativity on the field than his goal-kicking precision. Less than amazing accuracy in the past has never hampered either player’s selection at the top level and probably won’t have an impact in 2019 either.
South Africa has the fifth and sixth best goal-kickers in 2019’s edition of Super Rugby, in the forms of Handre Pollard and Curwin Bosch.
Pollard’s 82% accuracy has played a significant role in the Bulls’ successes this season, with the Pretorians always comfortable taking any penalty opportunities on offer. With 39 shots to his name, Pollard has attempted more than twice as many penalties as any player in the competition. He is easily the top points scorer this season, sitting on 136. Parker is next best and he’s yet to crack the 100-mark.
Bosch’s usefulness has already been documented, but it’s interesting to note that he was not used as a regular goal-kicker at all last year, only attempting eight shots at goal. Instead, Robert du Preez was the first-choice for the Sharks and he’s only hitting the ball over at a 71% accuracy in 2019.
The Jaguares have utilised both Domingo Miotti and Joaquín Díaz Bonilla at 10 this season since regular first-five Nicolas Sanchez departed at the end of 2018. The younger Miotti has wrestled the jersey off Díaz Bonilla in recent weeks and is kicking at just under 80% – though Díaz Bonilla’s 75% accuracy is not terrible either.
The Crusaders, who are comfortably top of the table, are the one team who have performed to a consistently high standard in all facets of the game except one: goal-kicking. Although it is so often the downfall for a team, goal-kicking has not hindered the Crusader’s march towards Super Rugby supremacy.
Playmaker Richie Mo’unga, who many believe deserves to be starting at first-five for the All Blacks, is the main culprit for the Crusaders’ poor kicking performance. His 69% accuracy is well below what should be expected for a Super Rugby player – let alone an international 10. Last year’s 78% was a considerably better return for the young Cantabrian but is still a little below what you would hope for from your primary goal-kicker.
As a whole, the current crop of goal-kickers are performing slightly worse in 2019 compared to previous years. This season’s kickers who were also operating last year are hitting at 77% this season compared to 81% last year. This difference may be small, but in a competition as close as what’s being served up in 2019, small numbers can make all the difference.
Comments on RugbyPass
True Jordie could earn a lot more in Japan. But by choosing Leinster he’ll be playing with 1 of the best clubs in the world and can win a champions cup and URC…..
6 Go to commentsThanks for that Marshy, noticed you didn't say who is gonna win it. We know who ain't gonna win it - your Crusaders outfit. They've gone from having arguably the best Super Rugby first five ever, to having a clutch of rookies. Hurricanes all the way!
1 Go to commentsGeez you really have to question the NRLs ability to produce players of quality. Its pathetic. Dont the 25mil in Aus produce enough quality womens players. Sad.
1 Go to commentsBulls fan here, and agree 100% with the conclusion (and little else) of this article. SA sides should absolutely f-off from the champs cup until we get fair scheduling, equal support for travel arrangements and home semis. You know, like all the european teams get.
21 Go to commentsI’m yet to see why Grace would be an ABs contender. He’s pedestrian and lacks the dominance required of a top flight 8.
10 Go to commentsGee my Highlanders were terrible. They have gone backwards since the start of the season. The trouble began when we left Millar behind to prep as the 10 against the Brumbies and he was disconnected from the team that came back from Aussie. We rested Patchell for that game and we blew an avalanche of ball in good attacking positions in the 1st half. Against the Rebels we seem to of gone into a pod system with forwards hanging off from the breakdown leaving Fakatava to secure our ball!
78 Go to commentsPot Kettle, the English and French teams have done it for years.
21 Go to commentsHas virtually played every minute of previous games. Back row of Li Lo Willie , Grace and Blackadder would be the 1. Crusaders issue is a very average 1st 5 who cannot run. Kicking in general play is also below par They need to put Yong Kemara in. He must have so.e talent for them to bring him down from Waikato. Hoehepa would struggle to play in so.e club sided
10 Go to commentsI hope this a good thing making all these changes!
2 Go to commentsThe Hurricanes are good, especially with a decent coach now. However, let’s be real, the Crusaders and Chiefs are clearly a good degree weaker without the players they’ve lost overseas now. The Canes lost one player. It’s also why the aussie teams ‘seem’ to be stronger.
9 Go to commentsOr you could develop your own players instead of constantly taking from the SH competition and weakening it in the process? With all the player and financial resources these unions have compared to SH countries you’d think they could manage that, or is weakening the SH comps and their national sides an added bonus? Probably.
3 Go to commentsNot so fast Aaron, we might need you in black yet lol. God knows he’d be a lot less nerve-racking than hot and (very) cold players like Perofeta. It’s really a shame Reuben Love isn’t playing 10, we’ve got enough 15 options.
4 Go to commentsAnd those from the NH still seem to be puzzled (and delighted) why NZ’s depth isn’t what it once was. Over 600 NZ players overseas, that’s insane. This sort of deal is why Super Rugby coaches have admitted they struggle now to find enough quality to fill out their squads.
6 Go to commentsArticle intéressant ! La question devrait régulièrement se poser pour les jeunes français originaires de Nouvelle-Calédonie, Wallis-et-Futuna et de Polynésie entre la Nouvelle-Zélande et la Métropole… Difficile pour la fédération française de rugby de se positionner : soit le choix est fait de dénicher les jeunes talents et de les faire venir très tôt en Métropole, au risque de les déraciner, soit on prend le risque de se les faire “piller” par les All Blacks qui, telle une araignée, essaye de récupérer tous les talents des îles du Pacifique… À la France de se défendre en développant l’aura du XV de France et des clubs français dans ses collectivités d’Outre-mer !
3 Go to commentsWrong bay. He needs to come to the REAL BAY which is Bay Of Plenty and have a crack at making the Chiefs.
3 Go to commentsIs Barrett going play full back??? They already have all the centers…
16 Go to commentsForgive my ignorance, I might not fully understand so would appreciate clarification: Didn’t the Bulls have to fly with three different carriers, paid for by the South African Rugby Union, whilst Edinburgh got a chartered flight sponsored by EPCR? Also, as far as I understand it South African teams don’t yet share in the revenue from the competition and are not allowed to host Semi-finals or Finals at home. Surely if everyone wants South Africans to “take the competition seriously” then they must make South Africans feel welcome, allow them to share in the revenue, and give them the same levels of access as the teams from the other countries. Just a reminder that South Africa has a large and passionate Rugby audience. Just by virtue of our teams being a part of these competitions means that more of us are likely to watch the knockout games, even if our teams haven’t qualified. It would be silly to alienate such a large audience by making them feel unwelcome.
21 Go to commentsFirst of all. This guy is very much behind the curve. All the bleating, whingeing, whining and moaning took place days ago already. Not adding anything to the topic other than more bleating, whingeing, whining and moaning. 🍼 Second of all, not one mention of the fact that South African teams can’t get home semi finals or finals. The tournament was undermined and devalued by the administrators. 🤡 Thirdly, football teams often have to juggle selections in mid week games, premier games, champions league games etc. and will from time to time prioritize certain titles over others. 🐒 And lastly FEK Neil, and anyone else for that matter, for insisting on telling teams how to manage themselves. If they make what is largely a business decision that suits them and doesn’t suit you - tough shite. 💩 It’s not rocket science as to why the Bulls did what they did. If this guy is too slow to figure it out (and is deliberately not mentioning one of the key reasons why) then he isn’t a journalist. He should join the rest of us pundit plebs in comments section. 🥴
21 Go to commentsSo the first door to knock on Rob is Parliament followed by HMRC. The Irish Revenue deliver a 40% tax relief rebate on the HIGHEST EARNING TEN YEARS of every pro Irish rugby players contract earnings at retirement. That goes a long way to both retaining their best talent and freeing up wages for marquee players. Who knows, if that had been in place in the UK, you might not have been able to poach Hoggy and Jonny Gray from Glasgow…!!!
3 Go to comments1. True, if that “free” ticket means access to all but the prized exhibit - EVIP only. SA cannot host semis, even if they’ve earned it (see Sharks vs ASM Clermont Auvergne at… Twickenham Stoop). 2. Why no selective outrage over Lyon doing the exact same thing a week earlier? Out of all the countries France send the most “B teams”, why nobody talking about “disrespect” and “prioritising domestic leagues” and “kicking them out”? 3. Why no mention of the Sharks fielding all of their Springboks for the second rate Challenge cup QF? No commitment? 4. Why no mention of all the SA teams qualifying for respective euro knock out comps in the two seasons they’ve been in it? How many euro teams have qualified for KO’s in their history? Can’t compete? 5. Why no mention of SA teams beating French and English giants La Rochelle and Saracens? How many euro teams have done that in their history? Add no quality? The fact is that SA teams are only in their second season in europe, with no status and a fraction of the resources. Since joining the URC, SA has seen a repatriation of a number of players, and this will only grow once SA start sharing in the profits of competing in these comps, meaning bigger squads with greater depth and quality, meaning they don’t have to prioritise comps as they have to now - they don’t have imports from Pacifica and South America and everywhere else in between like “European” teams have - also less “Saffas” in Prem and T14, that’s what we want right? 'If the South Africans are in, they need to be all in' True, and we have to ensure we give them the same status and resources as we give everyone else to do just that. A small compromise on scheduling will go a long way in avoiding these situations, but guess what, France and England wont compromise on scheduling because they ironically… prioritise their domestic comps, go figure!
21 Go to comments