Lions v Sharks - Numbers that matter
STAT ATTACK: The Lions host a resurgent Sharks team at Ellis Park on Saturday in a rescheduled Round Eight United Rugby Championship clash.
The Sharks’ double over the Stormers puts them in a comfortable position to claim the South African Shield on 16 points, with the Lions in second place behind them on 10.
A win for the Sharks would give them one hand on the silverware, whilst a Lions victory would open the door for themselves, the Stormers and the Bulls.
The Lions come into this contest off the back of a humiliating 17-52 loss to the Bulls at home and will be up for it to make a statement and get their push going for a first-ever URC play-off spot.
The Sharks will enter the contest with similar goals after a poor start to the tournament, which led to the departure of John Plumteee, with JP Pietersen taking the coaching reins, which paid dividends almost immediately.
What do the numbers say?
Both teams have significant season stats, which could have an effect on the outcome of the contest at Ellis Park this Saturday.
Their discipline, defence, set-piece and attack are the key talking points which could be the difference between winning and losing.
The Sharks are the worst-ranked defensive team in the competition (16th) with a 76 percent tackle success rate compared to the Lions in 14th place (78 percent).
The Lions are the more disciplined outfit, having conceded 90 penalties compared to the Sharks’ 107, which is a momentum killer and swinger in any match.
These numbers may suggest a free-flowing, high-scoring matchup could take place, but the stat that favours the Lions is their turnovers won (60), with the Sharks on a mere 38.
The Lions thrive off turnover ball and keeping the ball in hand to unlock defensive structures, especially at home at altitude.
Cash van Rooyen’s side’s clean breaks numbers back this up with 96 made to the Sharks’ 55.
The Lions also trump the Sharks in terms of offloads (124), with the Sharks on a measly 69 for the season so far.
Of course, as in any contest, it will start up front where the teams are pretty evenly matched.
The Sharks boast an 87 percent line-out success rate with the Lions on 82 percent, but it’s the Sharks’ line-out steals that catch the eye.
The Durban-based outfit tops the charts for line-out steals (19), and this will be a worrying concern for the Lions, who only managed to win 69 percent of their own ball at the set-piece.
The scrums are pretty much even-stevens percentage-wise (one percent difference), but the Sharks will target that area, having won a whopping 32 scrum penalties to the Lions’ 11.
Both teams will come out firing, and it will be interesting to see how they will adapt to playing after a three-week break.
Stats source: @URC
