A deep dive into the 2022 Rugby Championship has revealed the Springboks were second only to the All Blacks in terms of a successful attack during the tournament.
The Springboks finished second by one log point to the All Blacks in one of the most thrilling editions of the southern-hemisphere competition which went down to the final weekend of fixtures.
The Boks have been heavily criticised over the past couple of years for an over-reliance on their kicking game, scrum and maul, but a statistical analysis by Australian website The Roar showed that South Africa have actually evolved their attack.
While SA were indeed credited with scoring the most maul tries (six, one more than New Zealand and five more than Australia), they also scored 10 multiphase tries, which was only one less than the All Blacks and three more than Argentina, who have a reputation for playing flair rugby.
The analysis also showed the effectiveness of the Springbok kicking game. In their two losses to the All Blacks and Wallabies, the Springboks kicked less than their opponents. However, in their four wins this year, the Boks kicked more.
Each team was given a composite attack index rating, which took into account efficiency (tries taken and given), strength (breaks and beats), and relative strength (breaks and tackles).
The Springboks were given a CIA of 26.1%, which placed them second overall, 2.3% behind New Zealand and 2,5% ahead of third-placed Argentina.
This effort is even more impressive, considering the Springboks were without star outside centre Lukhanyo Am for the final three matches of the tournament.
Photo: Twitter: @Springboks
