Rugby: NZ sides keeping ball in hand as rivals use boot

NZME.

30 Mar, 2015 04:00 PM3 mins to read

Liam Messam of the Chiefs looks on during the round two Super Rugby match between the Chiefs and the Brumbies at Yarrow Stadium. Photo / Getty Images

A long-held perception among Super Rugby followers is that New Zealand teams are more exciting to watch.

Generally, they run the ball more and play an open game, which transfers through to international level and a pattern is emerging this year that gives further evidence to that theory.

The top six players who have kicked the ball the most this season are South African or Australian.

Bulls first-five Handre Pollard (98) has produced the most kicks this year and he is followed by Sharks back Patrick Lambie (88), Cheetah Joe Pietersen (82), Brumbies halfback Nic White (81), Waratahs five-eighth Bernard Foley (76) and Stormers No 10 Demetri Catrakilis (69).

Hurricanes pivot Beauden Barrett is the most kick-happy Kiwi with 66, then the next four players on the list are from either South Africa or Australia.

The default option for many of the foreign sides is to punt the ball rather than back themselves to run and one major thing that also helps the New Zealand sides move the ball is that they have more depth and talent in their backs.

Many of the Kiwi teams have skilful backs and they play with confidence to run the ball, even when under pressure.

The indoor stadium of the Highlanders in Dunedin, where New Zealand sides regularly play, may also help skew the numbers.

Either way, those from the republic or across the Tasman have a tendency to kick the ball more.

The Chiefs have won five from seven and they eased past the Cheetahs 37-27 during the weekend but they have some discipline concerns.

Dave Rennie's side play to the letter of the law and they concede 13 penalties per game, the most in Super Rugby.

That offending has also transferred to yellow cards and they nearly have someone sent to the sin bin every week. The Chiefs average 0.9 yellow cards per game.

The best-behaved team in the competition is the Brumbies; they give away only 9.2 penalties per contest.

There's still a lot of rugby to be played before the finals are set but if the season was to finish tomorrow, three Kiwi teams - the Hurricanes, Chiefs and Highlanders - would all qualify for the playoffs.

Hurricanes assistant coach John Plumtree said despite his side's unbeaten start to the season, they hadn't thought ahead to that phase of their campaign.

"We have still got to collect another four or five wins before we can start getting too excited," he said.

The Crusaders are also only four points outside the top six; they're in the hunt too.