New Zealand's best teams struck a necessary balance between defence and attack in the 2016 Super Rugby tournament. South Africa's teams could do well to follow suit in 2017, writes JON CARDINELLI.

To say New Zealand have dominated southern hemisphere rugby during the professional era is an understatement.

Over the past two decades, the All Blacks have won 14 out of a possible 21 Tri-Nations and Rugby Championships. The New Zealand franchises have captured 14 out of a possible 21 Super Rugby titles.

In 2016, four of the five New Zealand sides qualified for the Super Rugby playoffs. Three Kiwi teams competed in the semi-finals and a New Zealand side, the Hurricanes, won the decider. Clearly the coaches and players there are doing something right.

The stronger New Zealand sides have embraced a balanced approach. This much was evident in the grand final when the Hurricanes not only outscored the Lions by 20-3, but produced a superior kicking and defensive performance.

Over the course of the 2016 season, the Hurricanes were the more accurate in those disciplines and it could be said that the Wellington side was the closest thing to the complete package. The Hurricanes ranked in the top three across the categories of points and tries scored, as well as metres run. While the Lions topped the metres-run list, the next best four teams were the Hurricanes, Chiefs, Crusaders, and Highlanders. These stats suggest that the Kiwis enjoy a ball-in-hand approach.

POINTS
223 Beauden Barrett (Hurricanes)
199 Damian McKenzie (Chiefs)
190 Elton Jantjies (Lions)
186 Lima Sopoaga (Highlanders)
179 Richie Mo'unga (Crusaders)

TRIES
11 Israel Folau (Waratahs)
10 Matt Faddes (Highlanders)
10 Courtnall Skosan (Lions)
10 Rohan Janse van Rensburg (Lions)
10 Damian McKenzie (Chiefs)

Another set of stats, however, shows how much more the New Zealanders kick than many of their South African counterparts.

In 2016, the Highlanders kicked more than any other team, and the Hurricanes (third) and Crusaders (fifth) weren’t far behind. Interestingly, the top four tactical kickers were New Zealanders, while the fifth was an Australian.

KICKS FROM HAND
205 Beauden Barrett (Hurricanes)
140 Ihaia West (Blues)
131 Lima Sopoaga (Highlanders)
128 Aaron Smith (Highlanders)
123 Dane Haylett-Petty (Force)

The Lions did not place as big an emphasis on defence in 2016, and often refrained from using the tactical boot as a weapon. While they made more turnovers than any other team, they possessed one of the worst defenders in the tournament. Flyhalf Elton Jantjies missed 33 tackles.

The other South African contenders, the Stormers and Sharks, who qualified for the playoffs, attempted to replicate the Kiwis’ prowess in these departments and enjoyed mixed success. While both coastal franchises finished the conference stage with good team defence records, neither side managed to implement their kicking game to any great effect.

The Highlanders, Hurricanes and Chiefs all ranked in the top five for tackles made. The top-three ranked individual tacklers were New Zealanders – Lappies Labuschagne from the Bulls was South Africa’s best at No 5.

TACKLES
205 Ardie Savea (Hurricanes)
192 Sam Cane (Chiefs)
166 Matt Todd (Crusaders)
162 Matt Hodgson (Force)
156 Lappies Labuschagne (Bulls)

MISSED TACKLES
36 Jake McIntyre (Reds)
35 Nicolas Sanchez (Jaguares)
34 Andre Esterhuizen (Sharks)
33 Elton Jantjies (Lions)
33 Nick Phipps (Waratahs)

Where South African teams did tend to dominate was at the lineout. Four of the top five individual lineout winners were South African, while the Cheetahs (first) and Lions (fifth) were among the best teams for wins on their own feed.

In terms of contesting, four of the five best lineout stealers were South African. The Stormers, with Eben Etzebeth and Pieter-Steph du Toit in soaring form, topped the team stats in this department, followed by the Highlanders, Bulls, Sharks and Crusaders.

LINEOUTS WON
82 Francois Uys (Cheetahs)
78 Stephan Lewies (Sharks)
72 Pieter-Steph du Toit (Stormers)
68 JC Astle (Sharks)
64 Sam Carter (Brumbies)

LINEOUT STEALS
17 Eben Etzebeth (Stormers)
14 Pieter-Steph du Toit (Stormers)
11 Elliot Dixon (Highlanders)
7 Stephan Lewies (Sharks)
7 RG Snyman (Bulls)

Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images