It’s a paradox that describes modern rugby today. Looking at the statistics of some of the matches in July (New Zealand v Ireland, South Africa v Wales, Australia v England) we realize two contradictory things. The first is a satisfactory number of tries scored in a match. An average of five in all summer tests. Second, lost time is critical. about 60% of the 80 minutes of a match is spent without the ball in play. It’s time for effective play 34 minutes (Meetings were longer with added time at the end of the half). For comparison, a top 14 game has roughly the same effective playing time.

Recently, more and more critics have been emerging about the interest of Rugby 15s. For example, former All Blacks Israel Dag has declared that Rugby 13s are more fun to watch for spectators. sports Because in addition to wasting time on redoing scrums or making mistakes, silly calls to video break the rhythm of matches. An average of 11 scrums were played in these Tests. Each scrum took 1min05 to contest…Result: 14% of the game lost to the crowd. Moreover, if the 2015 World Cup in England was notable for its excellent play, it was thanks to the lesser forwards fielded by the teams. For example in the group stage meeting between France and Ireland, the first scrum took place 30 minutes into the game.

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What do these statistics tell us?

Now that these few numbers and explanations are given, let’s add more. What made Game 3 between the All Blacks and Ireland more interesting to watch than South Africa-Wales or Australia-England? Still according to Roar’s figures, we see that the melee phase is the least time lost. It was needed during the third test Average 44 seconds (vs. 65) to dispute it. a dream Overall, “only” 53% of the time was lost in 80 minutes. Add the drama of the situation and the historical aspect that goes beyond the framework of statistics, and you have an extraordinary meeting.

Another historic meeting this summer: the second Test between the Boxers and the Welsh. A first win in South Africa’s history later, there was no momentum in the game, not even an excuse for a snooze. Time to take touches, scrums, penalties, etc. is averaged over other meetings mentioned. However, the difference is evident in the exploitation of the Irish in Wellington.

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It wasn’t enough to make the matches enjoyable to watch: the scrum was played quickly or there were too few forwards per match. Abnormal and unsystematic referee video calls. Very simply. Also, with match sheets of 23 overtrained players, injuries can be facilitated and play stopped in a sport where the intensity increases and players put in more and more brief efforts. The ultimate (exaggerated) example is American football. This is the opposite path that rugby must follow to avoid sinking.