Post-match analysis - part two
I can’t believe its Thursday already and I haven’t put up anything about the other two non-upset quarterfinals.
South Africa – Fiji
What we said:
South
Africa is not Wales and Fiji have little chance of an upset... South
Africa dominate all of the important stats especially the forward-based
ones…Fiji will go out and do what they always do: play sevens.
The numbers (updated after the last table showed Fiji won!):
| Stat | Fiji | South Africa |
|---|---|---|
| Points for | 20 | 37 |
| Tries | 2 | 5 |
| Tries per m.o.p.* | 0.05 | 0.12 |
| Points per m.o.p. | 0.5 | 0.9 |
| Handling errors | 11 | 11 |
| Handling errors per m.o.p | 0.28 | 0.27 |
| Kicking percentage (place kicks) | 100% | 63% |
| Successful tackles | 82% | 85% |
| Own lineouts won | 92% | 86% |
| Opposition lineouts won | 14% | 8% |
| Own scrums won (%) | 89% | 100% |
| Scrums won against the head (%) | 0% | 11% |
| Turnovers per tackle made | 0.07 | 0.05 |
| Turnovers per minute of opposition possession | 0.10 | 0.13 |
| Time spent in own 22 | 8mins 27secs | 4mins 42secs |
| Penalties conceded | 7 | 7 |
*minute of possession
Apart from the lineout
and the kicking South Africa seemed to run the show. What I don’t have
here is the fact that at 60mins the scores were equal at 20. Fiji
didn’t show any respect and really did back themselves to win.
This does not bode well for South Africa. They are due to face a very confident and well rounded Argentinean team.
Argentina – Scotland
What we said:
Only
four weeks ago people would have said that this match-up between
Argentina and Scotland would be close but that the Scots would win.
It’s amazing what a victory over France and Ireland can do for a team.
Not to mention hard and fast defensive rugby, good kicking, smart
tactics and a winning attitudeIt seems though, that the Argentineans are better at getting the ball back off you and I am a strong believer that turnovers win games
The Argentineans are the only team I have seen so far that has the overall pace that matches the All Blacks.
Argentina look the business and are my “Lock of the Week”
The numbers:
| Stat | Argentina | Scotland |
|---|---|---|
| Points for | 19 | 13 |
| Tries | 1 | 1 |
| Tries per m.o.p.* | 0.02 | 0.03 |
| Points per m.o.p. | 0.5 | 0.3 |
| Handling errors | 9 | 12 |
| Handling errors per m.o.p | 0.22 | 0.31 |
| Kicking percentage (place kicks) | 80% | 75% |
| Successful tackles | 83% | 93% |
| Own lineouts won | 85% | 95% |
| Opposition lineouts won | 5% | 15% |
| Own scrums won (%) | 88% | 75% |
| Scrums won against the head (%) | 88% | 75% |
| Turnovers per tackle made | 0.13 | 0.05 |
| Turnovers per minute of opposition possession | 0.28 | 0.10 |
| Time spent in own 22 | 3mins 22secs | 4mins 53secs |
| Penalties conceded | 8 | 6 |
*minute of possession
Well a 19-13 isn’t really “Lock of
the Week material. But they did enough for victory. I think perhaps it
was actually Scotland playing better than Argentina playing worse. Then
again Argentina’s no-tries-against record is in tatters.
Scotland
has kept their 0.30 rate of handling errors going, which is not so good
to see. But they did well in the lineout snaffling 15% away from the
Argentineans. Still turnovers once again tell the story. Argentina won
the ball in the ruck and maul every three and a half minutes that
Scotland had it. Scotland only got the ball back every 10 minutes that
Argentina had it.
This is where Argentina won the game. They
only had 51% of the possession but it was their ability to get the ball
back off Scotland that enabled the victory. I don’t have the breakdown
but I imagine that a lot of Scotland’s penalties would have come from
holding on to the ball.
Scotland can be congratulated on playing better than they have so far but Argentina are fast becoming the team to beat.
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