2013 Pacific Nations Analysis by IRB

[usausa]

Report just released by IRB from 2013 PNC. On US, some interesting stuff.

USA finished in last place after losing all four matches.

 USA had difficulty in scoring tries with their scoring rate at less than half the rate of the other
four teams.
 While scoring three tries in losing 38-20 to Japan, they scored only one try in the remaining
three matches.
 Of 27 tries scored in the second half, USA scored just one.
 They were the only team not to score a try from lineout possession, the most frequent source
of tries.
 They scored only one of their four tries from within 40m of the opponent’s try-line, the other
four teams scored 24.
 However, they had the most successful kick at goal rate, at 71%.
 They had the highest ruck retention rate.
 The scrum half made more kicks than any other scrum half and kicks by the fly half were
exceeded by only one other team.
 The USA centres did not kick the ball once in four matches.
 USA had the least successful scrum, conceding six tightheads out of a tournament total of
eight.
 They also conceded twice as many scrum penalties as any other team.
 They were penalised half as frequently as any other team at the breakdown.

In addition (to other stuff that can't be copy and pasted):
USA
-least amount of average possession (14m42s), 33 seconds less than the next worse team
-best ruck/maul retention % (not getting turned over in open play)
-third best lineout (out of 5), kind of surprising to me , but second best lineout defense
-by far the worst scrum at 78%
-best kick at goal % but they took the least amount of shots
-biggest percentage of penalties in scrum and for offsides

The fact that the US had the best kick at goal percentage is funny in my mind because of how much we fuss about the lack of kickers. Here is the breakdown:
Siddall: 5/6 (1/1 conversions, 4/5 penalties)
Wyles: 5/8 (1/3 conversions, 4/5 penalties)

FULL REPORT: http://www.irb.com/mm/document/news...80/2013pacificnationscupstatistcialreview.pdf

 

[LittleGuy]

I love the drop goal stats.....Canada 0 from 1(that was a long distance attempt by Braid that just missed in the first game).....everything else blank....HAHAHAHAHA.

Always ,makes me laugh when people moan about drop goals being worth too much, clearly the rate isn't high enough to justify that whinging and it's probably more from supporters who think it will give their sides advantage to raise try values in comparison to kicks.

 

[Canadian_Rugger]

I'm scared for us when Pritchard retires as this tournament proves how much we have relied on him the past few years to win close games.

 

[LittleGuy]

I'm scared for us when Pritchard retires as this tournament proves how much we have relied on him the past few years to win close games.

I thought the EXACT same thing when I saw the kicking stats, no one else on the side holds a candle to him in goalkicking, Braid is probably 2nd best but isn't as effective an option in open play as a lot of the others. Can O'Leary goal kick?

 

[Canadian_Rugger]

Truth be told we have some very good backs, our problems lie in the tight five and it is starving us on possession. The Georgia and Romania tests this fall proved in my mind just how weak our forward pack is and while we bleed dynamic backrowers, we lack the size in the engine room and the frontrow to impose our will on anyone.

 

[canadafan]

Posted this in the transfer rumors thread, but apparently Tiedemann is joining Plymouth next season.

 

[LittleGuy]

Posted this in the transfer rumors thread, but apparently Tiedemann is joining Plymouth next season.

Good news, I wonder what happened to Wooldridge's move to France....my guess is his November injury derailed those plans.

 

[canadafan]

Mine as well.