Statistics Glossary

What to Look For

Record when the referee awards the try, not when the ball is touched down — wait for the signal. If the TMO is reviewing, wait for the final decision. Always attribute to the try scorer.

Best Practices

Track where tries are scored (field position) to identify attacking patterns. Compare try sources — set piece tries vs. open play tries — to understand your team's strengths.

What to Look For

Record after the kick is taken. Mark as "Made" or "Missed." Always attribute to the kicker. Note the field position — it reflects where the try was scored.

Best Practices

Track conversion success % by kicker and by field position. A strong kicker should convert 70%+ of attempts. Wide tries are harder to convert — factor this into your analysis.

What to Look For

Record when the kicker takes the shot, not when the penalty is awarded. Mark as "Made" or "Missed." The field position should reflect where the kick was taken from.

Best Practices

Track success % by distance and angle. Most kickers are reliable inside 35m. If your team consistently kicks penalties from far out, consider whether running at the line might yield more points.

What to Look For

These are rare and happen fast. Record immediately when the ball goes through. Attribute to the kicker. If missed, don't record it (there's no "drop goal missed" event).

Best Practices

Drop goals are tactical — often used late in close games. If your fly-half has this skill, it's worth practicing and tracking attempts in training.

What to Look For

Record immediately after the try. Attribute to the passer, not the scorer. Only record one assist per try — the last pass. If the try scorer broke through alone (no pass involved), don't record an assist.

Best Practices

Try assists reveal your primary playmakers. Compare with try-scoring data to see which player combinations are most effective. Backs typically lead this stat, but a forward with high assists is a valuable distributor.

What to Look For

Record the outcome when the ball is secured (won) or lost. Select whether your team was on offense (your throw) or defense (their throw). A steal on the opponent's throw is a defensive win.

Best Practices

Offensive lineout win % should be 85%+. Anything below 75% signals a problem with throwing accuracy or calling. Track front/middle/back targets if you can — it reveals predictability.

What to Look For

Record the outcome when the ball emerges or a penalty is given. Select offensive (your put-in) or defensive (their put-in). A penalty won at scrum time counts as a scrum win.

Best Practices

Offensive scrum win % should be 90%+. Losing your own scrums is a serious problem. Winning opposition scrums (turnovers) is a huge advantage — track this separately.

What to Look For

Record when a maul forms (typically from a lineout catch or tackle situation where the carrier stays on feet). Won = your team retains or scores. Lost = turnover, collapse, or penalty against. A maul try counts as both a maul won and a try.

Best Practices

Maul success rate reveals forward pack cohesion. A strong maul game is a weapon — track where you set up mauls and how often they result in tries. If mauls are frequently collapsing, it may indicate a technique or fitness issue.

What to Look For

Record when a player kicks from hand in open play (not a restart, box kick, or kick to touch). Attribute to the kicker. Mark the field position where the kick was taken.

Best Practices

Track punt frequency by player — if your 10 or 15 is kicking too much or too little, it affects game flow. Look at field position to assess whether kicks are gaining territory or giving the ball away cheaply.

What to Look For

Record when the 9 kicks from behind the breakdown. Field position matters — box kicks from your own 22 are tactical; from midfield they may be wasteful.

Best Practices

Box kicks are a double-edged sword. They relieve pressure but can give the opposition an attacking platform if not contested. Track how often your team regains possession from box kicks.

What to Look For

Record the restart kick after every try/conversion and at the start of each half. Attribute to the kicker.

Best Practices

Track restart reception success — does your team win its own restarts? Losing your own restart gives the opposition immediate possession and territory.

What to Look For

Record when a player deliberately kicks to touch. From a penalty, the kicking team gets the throw-in. From open play inside their own 22, the kicker gets territory but the opposition gets the throw. Outside the 22, open-play kicks to touch must bounce first or the lineout is taken where the kick was made.

Best Practices

Track territory gained from kicks to touch. This stat combined with lineout win % tells you whether your kicking game is actually productive.

What to Look For

Record every tackle your players make. In Pro mode, you can add a second tackler for assist tackles. Only count tackles where the carrier is stopped — if they offload or break free, it's not a completed tackle.

Best Practices

Tackle count alone doesn't tell the full story — a team making 200 tackles may be defending too much. Combine with tackle success % and dominant tackles for a complete picture. Forwards typically make 10-15 tackles per game; backs 5-10.

What to Look For

Record when a player attempts a tackle but the carrier gets past them. Be honest — missed tackles are the most important defensive stat. If two players attempt and one misses but the other completes, record both a made and a missed.

Best Practices

Tackle success rate should be 85%+ for a team. Individual players below 80% need coaching. Track WHERE tackles are missed — if it's consistently on one side of the field, there may be a defensive alignment issue.

What to Look For

Only record when the tackle clearly wins the collision — the carrier goes backwards, loses the ball, or is turned over. A routine stop is a regular tackle, not a dominant one. This is a quality judgment call — be consistent rather than generous.

Best Practices

Dominant tackles shift momentum. Track which players consistently win collisions — these are your defensive enforcers. A team averaging 10+ dominant tackles per game is physically imposing.

What to Look For

Record when a player receives the ball and runs forward. Enter meters gained (estimate is fine — 0 for no gain, negative not needed, just use 0). In Pro mode, also enter defenders beaten and whether it was a line break. A carry that results in a try is still a carry — record both.

Best Practices

Meters per carry is more telling than total meters. A forward averaging 3+ meters per carry is making ground. Track line break rate — it shows who's actually piercing the defense vs. running into walls.

What to Look For

Record when a player passes the ball during or after contact but before going to ground. The ball must reach a teammate — a dropped offload is a handling error, not an offload. Attribute to the player making the offload.

Best Practices

Offloads create opportunities but are high-risk. Track offload success rate (offloads vs. handling errors in contact). A player with many offloads but also many handling errors may need to be more selective.

What to Look For

Record when possession changes at a ruck, tackle, or breakdown situation. "Won" means your team stole the ball from the opposition. "Lost" means the opposition stole from you. Don't count penalties as turnovers — they have their own event.

Best Practices

Turnover differential (won minus lost) is one of the strongest predictors of match outcomes. Teams that win 3+ more turnovers than they concede almost always win. Track which players are winning turnovers — they're your breakdown specialists.

What to Look For

Record when a ruck forms after a tackle. Won = your team secures the ball and it comes out on your side. Lost = the opposition steals or disrupts. Not every tackle leads to a contested ruck — only record when there's a genuine contest.

Best Practices

Ruck win % should be 90%+ for a competitive team. Ruck speed (how quickly the ball comes out) matters but isn't directly tracked — use this alongside turnover data to assess breakdown effectiveness.

What to Look For

Record immediately when the referee blows the whistle. Select the penalty type from the list (Offside, High Tackle, Not Rolling Away, etc.). If unsure of the type, use "Other." Record field position — it shows where your team is giving away penalties.

Best Practices

Penalty concession rate matters more than raw count. Track by type to find patterns — if your team concedes 4+ "Not Rolling Away" penalties per game, it's a coaching point. Track by zone — penalties in your own 22 are far more costly than in midfield.

What to Look For

Record when a player drops the ball forward or fumbles a catch. Attribute to the player who lost the ball. If it's unclear who knocked on (e.g., in a ruck), attribute to the last player who had it.

Best Practices

Knock ons combined with forward passes form "Handling Errors." Track by game conditions — wet weather games naturally have more. If one player consistently has 3+ per game, they may need handling drills.

What to Look For

Record when the referee calls a forward pass. Attribute to the passer, not the intended receiver. Don't record if the referee plays on (advantage).

Best Practices

Forward passes often result from rushing or poor communication. Track which passing combinations produce the most forward passes — it may reveal a timing issue between specific players.

What to Look For

Record immediately when the card is shown. Attribute to the player. Note the field position and game time — both affect how damaging the card is.

Best Practices

Track points conceded while a player is in the sin bin. A yellow card in the last 10 minutes may not matter, but one in the first half of a close game can be decisive. Repeated yellows to the same player across a season indicate a discipline problem.

What to Look For

Record immediately when the card is shown. Attribute to the player. This is a game-changing event.

Best Practices

Red cards almost always decide the match. Track the circumstances — was it a deliberate act or a reckless tackle? The distinction matters for coaching response.

Best Practices

Team rate should be 85%+. Below 80% indicates a systemic defensive issue. Compare first half vs. second half — a dropping tackle rate in the second half suggests fitness problems.

Best Practices

Team average of 4-5m is solid. Forwards typically average 2-4m; backs 5-8m. Compare across games to track improvement. A declining meters-per-carry trend suggests the opposition is reading your attack.

Best Practices

Less than 10 per game is good. More than 15 is concerning. Track by weather conditions and by half — fatigue causes more handling errors late in games.

Best Practices

A good kicker converts 75%+. Track by distance and angle to identify the kicker's range. If success % drops below 65%, consider alternative kickers.

Best Practices

60%+ is competitive. Below 50% means the defense is consistently winning the collision. Track by position group — forwards and backs should be analyzed separately.

Best Practices

Even a 5-10% line break rate is excellent — it means 1 in 10-20 carries pierces the defense. Track by player to identify your most dangerous ball carriers.

Best Practices

A team entering the 22 ten or more times should be scoring tries. If entries are high but tries are low, your team is struggling to finish — look at the breakdown and set piece stats inside the 22.

Best Practices

3+ points per entry is good (converting most visits into at least a penalty). Below 2 means you're wasting opportunities. This is one of the most actionable stats for coaching — it directly shows finishing ability.

Best Practices

Should be 90%+. Below 85% means your team is losing too many breakdowns. Track trend over the season — ruck success usually improves as the pack builds cohesion.

Best Practices

A well-drilled maul should succeed 75%+ of the time. If you're below 60%, it's not a reliable weapon. Compare maul tries vs. maul attempts — high success but low tries means you're mauling well but not finishing.