South Africa Super Rugby's best travellers but Kiwi pocket rocket takes the cake
New Zealand may have dominated Super Rugby for the last decade, but South African forwards proved to be the best ‘travellers’.
SANZAAR has punched the numbers and select a Team of the Decade – based on away performances.
New Zealand teams have won seven of the 10 titles since 2001, with their backs providing the bulk of the Away Team of the Decade.
There are eight Kiwis in the teams, six of them among the backs.
The picture looks very different among the forwards.
South Africa, despite having only one title in that period, provides four players – three of them among the forwards.
And all three were key players in the South African pack that dominated England in the World Cup Final (winning 32-12) in Yokohama last November.
That confirms the suggestion that South African forwards generally travel well.
The pack includes two current Springbok World Cup-winning front row forwards in Stormers prop Steven Kitshoff and Lions hooker Malcolm Marx – who between them made 506 tackles.
The mighty Marx gained an average of 23 metres per game in that stretch – the most of any tight forward to play at least 20 away games in that period.
The lock pairing is Rudolph Snyman (Bulls) and Brodie Retallick (Chiefs).
They won 301 line-outs between them. Snyman made 162 carries from his 25 appearances, while Retallick crossed for eight tries, made 487 tackles, and 336 carries from 53 games on the road.
The fourth Springbok is aggressive Bulls centre Jan Serfontein – who made 10+ carries and 10+ tackles in a game from inside centre on five occasions.
Team of the decade – away form:
15 Damian McKenzie (Chiefs)
Has scored 20+ points in an away game on seven occasions in Super Rugby since debuting in 2015 – more than any other player – and he has been directly involved in 24 tries in his last 18 games away from home in the competition (10 tries, 14 try assists).
14 James Lowe (Chiefs)
Scored 13 tries in 28 games away from home, as well as making 48 clean breaks and 38 offloads – he also gained the most metres per game (76) of any wing to play at least 20 games on the road.
13 Charles Piutau (Blues)
Gained an average of 79 metres per game away from home in the last decade of Super Rugby – the second-most of any player (min. 10 games in that stretch.
12 Jan Serfontein (Bulls)
He’s made 10+ carries and 10+ tackles in a game from inside centre on five occasions, the second-most of any player in the last decade of Super Rugby (Kyle Godwin – 7).
11 Nemani Nadolo (Crusaders)
No Crusaders player has scored multiple tries in an away game more times in the last decade than Nadolo (three); his hat-trick against the Cheetahs in Round 9, 2014 is unbeaten by Crusaders players in such fixtures.
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10 Beauden Barrett (Hurricanes)
He’s scored 9.5 points per game away from home in the last decade of Super Rugby, the most of any of the 71 players to have played at least 50 games in that time.
9 TJ Perenara (Hurricanes)
He’s scored 30 tries away from home in Super Rugby – only one player has scored more in the last decade (Israel Folau – 31); he’s also made 48 clean breaks, and 56 offloads in that span.
8 Amanaki Mafi (Rebels/Sunwolves)
Mafi is the only forward to have made 20+ carries in an away game on multiple occasions in the last decade of Super Rugby; he’s done so three times.
7 Luke Braid (Blues)
Braid has made 329 carries and 350 tackles in his 36 games away from home in Super Rugby in the last 10 years, as well as having made 45 offloads and winning 40 turnovers.
6 Sean McMahon (Rebels)
McMahon has beaten an average of 3.6 defenders per game away from home in the last decade of Super Rugby – the most of any forward to have played at least 10 away games in that span.
5 Brodie Retallick (Chiefs)
He’s won 182 line-outs (including steals) in the last decade of Super Rugby when playing away from home, as well as crossing for eight tries, making 487 tackles, and 336 carries from 53 games on the road.
4 RG Snyman (Bulls)
He’s won 119 line-outs (including steals), made 43 offloads, and made 162 carries from his 25 appearances away from home in the last decade of Super Rugby.
3 Allan Alaalatoa (Brumbies)
He’s made 10+ tackles in six of his last seven Super Rugby games played away from home including a tally of 17 against the Stormers in Round 10, 2019.
2 Malcolm Marx (Lions)
Made 202 carries from his 29 games away from home, gaining an average of 23 metres per game in that stretch – the most of any tight-five forward to play at least 20 away games in that period.
1 Steven Kitshoff (Stormers)
Has made 304 tackles, won 15 turnovers, and made 22 carries from his 47 games away from home in the last decade of Super Rugby.
– with Super Rugby
Comments on RugbyPass
Bar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
9 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
35 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
2 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
35 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
35 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
35 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. All the Kiwis sticking up for this unprincipled individual because they can't accept justified criticism, he has zero credibility or integrity. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
35 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
35 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
2 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
35 Go to commentsArdie’s preferred position 7? Where do they get these writers from? I've no idea where he's playing in Japan, but the previous two seasons he wore the 7 jersey exactly twice.
18 Go to comments