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
The game was a quarter final, not a semi final. Barrett will be here for 6 months, he is no one's replacement at 13. That mantle will most likely ultimately go to Jamie Osborne, though Garry Ringrose has at least 4 more years in him. The long term problem position (in the next 3 years) for Leinster is tighthead prop, though there are a couple of prospects at schools level.
21 Go to commentsSo much for all that hype surrounding the ‘revival’ of Aussie rugby. The Blues were without the likes of regular starters Perofeta, Sullivan, Christie etc… This was a capitulation of the highest order by Australia’s finest. Joe Schmidt definitely has his work cut out for him.
2 Go to commentsYes they can ignore Sotutu. Like Akira Ioane plays OK at Super level but gets lost in tests. Too many chances too many failures.
2 Go to commentsA wallaby front-row of Bell, Blake and Tupou…now that would be hefty
1 Go to comments“But with an exceptional pass accuracy rating “ Which apart from Roigard is not a feature of any of the other 9s in NZ. Kind of basic for a Black 9 dont.you. think? Yet we keep seeing FC and TJ being rated ahead of him? Weird if it’s seen as vital to get our backline beating in your face defences.
1 Go to commentsThanks BeeMc! Looks like many teams need extra time to settle from the quadrennial northern migration. I think generally the quality of the Rugby has held up. Fiji has been fantastic and fun to watch
13 Go to commentsLets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
12 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
10 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
12 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
5 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
25 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
5 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
10 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
37 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
37 Go to comments