Astonishing Statistic Relating To Tries And International Rugby In The Past 12 Months

Matt Williams wen’t off an another rant about Joe Schmidt on Newstalk’s Off The Ball recently but we’re not entirely interested in listening to another one of those.

What we are interested in is the fact that he has discovered a quite astonishing statistic while he was bashing old Joe and his Irish team’s attacking prowess- or lack of therefore. The stat we’re talking about is the fact that in international rugby over the last 12 months- only once has a team scored three tries or more and lost a game.

If you don’t think that’s astonishing and you reckon we’re sensationalising this then bear in mind- is three tries really a lot? One short of a bonus point when applicable in fairness. It’s not a lot. The Rugby World Cup saw the Norther Hemisphere sides constantly rely on their kickers. The old saying ‘take the points’. Well that’s not the case anymore. Rugby has become much more expansive in recent years and if you play to attack, you will be rewarded- just ask the Argentinians.

Next time an international side (this goes out to you Europe) get’s an early penalty in tier 1 clash- perhaps kick to the corner and look to get an early try instead of sticking to the old methods of keeping the scoreboard ticking over. The days of taking your points just don’t cut it anymore.