The Numbers Game: The Sharks Are Circling An NRL Record

Our weekly trawl through the most surprising stats in the rugby and league pick ‘n’ mix.

3
The three penalty tries referee awarded by Mike Fraser during the Blues vs Waratahs game in Round 17 (two to the Waratahs and one to the Blues) was the most penalty tries awarded in a single Super Rugby game.

14
The Sharks win over the Roosters on Monday night was their 14th win in a row – a club record. The most consecutive wins in NRL history is 19, set by Eastern Suburbs in 1975. The Sharks next six games are against the Knights, Titans, Raiders, Dragons, Rabbitohs and Roosters.

9
Rookie Eels winger Bevan French has scored 9 tries in his first six NRL games. The 20-year-old bagged a double in Parramatta’s loss to the Panthers in Round 19.

7
Warriors forward Charlie Gubb was banned for 7 weeks by the NRL judiciary for a grade 2 shoulder charge on Darcy Lussick in his team’s Round 19 loss to the Sea Eagles in Perth. Greg Inglis was only banned three weeks for a grade 2 shoulder charge which broke Josh Dugan’s jaw in State of Origin the previous week.

2
The Highlanders have only ever beaten the Brumbies in Canberra twice in ten attempts – 2002 and 2006. The Brumbies have won their last four home encounters against the Highlanders – 2008, 2010, 2012 and most recently a 31-18 win in 2015.

535
The Lions are on track to break the record for most points scored in a Super Rugby season this weekend. They are currently six short of the record 541, set by competition winners the Crusaders back in 2005. The Crusaders’ 2005 campaign took 13 games – by comparison, the Lions have already played 15 games in 2016.

-402
The Kings’ 2016 points differential is easily the worst in Super Rugby history. That’s an average losing margin of 26.8 points per game – and they won two of their games.

11
Waratah Israel Folau tops the Super Rugby season tries leaderboard with 11. Four players in playoffs teams have scored 9 tries this season and are best poised overtake him: Chiefs Damian McKenzie and Seta Taminavalu, Highlander Matt Faddes and Lion Lionel Mapoe.

1378
Canberra Raiders second rower Elliott Whitehead has played more minutes than any other player in the NRL this season. The English import is averaging 81 minutes per game – three Raiders games have gone to golden point extra time so far this season.

79
Wigan Warriors have scored the second-fewest tries in the Super League this season – the only side with less is Leeds Rhinos (65). Despite their low-scoring ways the Warriors sit at the top of the table heading into the Super 8s, second to Hull FC only on points difference.