Statistics: June Tests, Week 1

We give some statistics for two Tests played on Saturday - Wales vs South Africa in Cardiff and Australia vs Fiji in Canberra.

Results

South Africa vs Wales, 34-31
Australia vs Fiji, 49-3

Sanctions

Fiji ran into trouble on Saturday. They had two players who received yellow cards and two who were cited and suspended.

Cited & Suspended

Saula Radidi (Fiji) - dangerous tackle - suspended for two weeks
Taniela Rawaqa (Fiji) - dangerous tackle - suspended for one week

Rupeni Caucaunibuca was perhaps fortunate not to be suspended for a high tackle of a gross kind.

Yellow cards:

Emosi Vucago (Fiji) - repeated tackle infringement
Graham Dewes (Fiji) - punch

Penalties conceded

In this section we record the times a team was penalised.

* = points conceded

(i) Australia vs Fiji

Total number of penalties:  18

Australia:  5
Fiji:  13

The reasons for the penalties were as follows:

Australia:

Tackle/ruck: 2 (Mitchell, Alexander)
Off-side: 1 (Cooper)
Discipline: 2 (Salesi Ma'afu* - obstruction; Elsom - dangerous play)

Fiji:

Tackle/ruck: 8 (Luveniyali, Rawaqa, Waqaniburotu, Bobo, Campese Ma'afu, Vucago, Kalou, Nadolo)
Off-side: 2 (Waqaniburotu, Qovu)
Scrum: 1 ()
Discipline: 4 (Caucaunibuca - high tackle; Dewes - punching; Waqaniburotu - air tackle)

Neither side missed a penalty kick at goal, but then there was just one.

(ii) Wales vs South Africa

Total number of penalties: 18

Wales: 8
South Africa: 10

The reasons for the penalties were as follows:

Wales:

Tackle/ruck: 4 (Stephen Jones, Adam Jones*, Rees, McCusker)
Off-side: 3 (Hook*, Ryan Jones*, Phillips)
Discipline: 1 (Thomas* - leading arm)

South Africa:

Tackle/Ruck: 5 (Januarie* 3, Potgieter*, Smit )
Off-side: 3 (Potgieter, Januarie, Kankowski)
Scrum: 1 (Botha)
Discipline: 1 (Botha - obstruction)

Neither side missed a penalty kick at goal.

Tackles/Penalties

This gives the number of penalties at ruck/tackle as a fraction of the total number of penalties:

Australia vs Fiji: 10/18 = 55%
Wales vs South Africa: 9/18 = 50%

Getting possession - line-outs, scrums, free-kicks, drop-outs, turn-overs

In this section the figures represent the number of times you get to play with the ball.

(i) Australia vs Fiji

Australia:

Line-outs: 13 (1 lost, 1 penalty)
Scrums: 8 (1 reset, 1 collapse)
Free-kicks: 1 (scrum)
Drop-outs: 0

Fiji:

Line-outs: 14 (5 lost, 1 skew, 1 quick)
Scrums: 9 (3 reset, 5 collapses, 2 free kicks)
Free-kicks: 2 (1 scrum, 1 mark)
Drop-outs:  1

Stoppages: 70

(ii) Wales vs South Africa

Wales:

Line-outs: 16 (4 lost, 1 skew, 1 reset 3 quick)
Scrums: 8 (6 reset, 8 collapses, 2 free kicks, 1 penalty)
Free-kicks: 3 (scrums)
Drop-outs: 1

South Africa:

Line-outs: 2
Scrums: 7 (3 reset, 4 collapses, 1 free kick)
Free-kicks: 0
Drop-outs:  0

Stoppages: 69