Super Rugby
SBW offload what Chiefs need to hurt Hurricanes
Richard Kelly
May 14, 2015
Greg Growden casts an eye over Round 14 of Super Rugby Preview

This weekend's clash between the Chiefs and Hurricanes promises to be an absolute ripper. If both sides are at their best we can only suggest you unplug the landline and switch your smartphone to flight mode as Super Rugby's top offloading side, the Chiefs, face the great entertainers of the season - the Hurricanes. It's also one for the purists; the Canes have made the most tackles so far while the Chiefs have tackled at the highest success rate.

But what if things don't quite go to plan for either side? Using the numbers provided by Opta Stats, we examine the performances of the Hurricanes and Chiefs in their defeats this season, as well as the victories where their performances were far from polished.

The Chiefs

v Highlanders

This 17-20 loss to their conference rivals in round four was laden with errors. Twenty-one missed tackles was also uncharacteristic of the Chiefs while the fact they completed only 62 hits dropped their completion rate to 75%. It could be argued that they did well to remain in the match with such modest figures however.

v Stormers

An excellent display from the backs kept the Stormers at arm's length but a leaky lineout and a disastrous scrum could have easily seen them lose this one.

TeamChiefsHighlandersChiefsStormersChiefsSharksChiefsRebels
Points1720281911121516
Tries 21311022
Carries11075108869590115133
Metres424420549325494339410476
Clean Breaks791510116710
Defenders Beaten16212891781418
Offloads20101710106228
Tackles629999869785145113
Missed Tackles21169288171814
Tackle %75%86%92%75%92%83%89%89%
Penalties Conceded9161211155148
Turnovers Conceded2017191418201114
Turnovers Won8115991067
Lineout %83%100%80%100%82%100%100%92%
Scrum %100%75%50%60%100%78%100%100%
Ruck %92%90%86%92%93%96%100%94%
Time in Possession16:4011:1012:5613:5215:3916:1214:5018:19

v Sharks

The Sharks managed to dictate terms in this game by kicking heavily throughout the 80 minutes - this seriously stunted the Chiefs. The two-time champions suffered from a high turnover rate again but also conceded a large number of penalties, of which the Sharks kicked four to win a tense affair.

v Rebels

The stats suggest that his was a victory the Rebels really deserved. The Chiefs had more than enough ball to claim this contest but struggled to crack a spirited defensive effort from the Melbourne men.

The Hurricanes

v Stormers

The South African side caused the Hurricanes an almighty shock with a showcase of attacking rugby, not least through 18 offloads. The Stormers starved the Canes of possession and enjoyed an extra 10 minutes with the ball than their opponents. A shaky set-piece did not help matters but they still managed to score three tries and sneak home.

v Waratahs

The defending champions handed the Hurricanes their only loss of the season in what was a highly-entertaining attacking contest. The Canes produced more than twice as many defenders beaten as the Tahs, as well as 19 clean breaks, but failed to pull away from their plucky opponents who responded with great attacking rugby of their own. The Hurricanes' error rate was far from terrible but they often coughed the ball up at crucial times and in key areas of the field. We cannot take too much credit away from the Waratahs though, as this was not a game lost by a home side but rather won by a great away performance.

TeamHurricanesStormersHurricanesWaratahsHurricanesCrusadersHurricanesSharks
Points2520242929233224
Tries 32444243
Carries85161173129125134160122
Metres443579641512803493655319
Clean Breaks1111191221793
Defenders Beaten1325371833242820
Offloads71818141711199
Tackles18686108149133119139138
Missed Tackles2513183724332028
Tackle %88%87%86%80%85%78%87%83%
Penalties Conceded11108101461011
Turnovers Conceded14141914159187
Turnovers Won5375410211
Lineout %69%90%93%82%54%83%92%90%
Scrum %83%100%100%86%100%86%100%100%
Ruck %98%93%95%93%92%97%94%99%
Time in Possession12:2522:3020:2814:4115:1921:5919:1118:28

v Crusaders

The Canes were handed another scare by the Crusaders but simply had too much firepower as they emerged narrow winners. Both the 2014 finalists have shown the Canes do not have an impenetrable defence but, on all but one occasion, have been able to attack their way out of trouble. The Crusaders also troubled the Hurricanes at lineout time.

v Sharks

The Sharks brought an attacking game plan to Wellington last week in a move that probably to the Canes by surprise, seeing them drop off a number of tackles. The Hurricanes also made a number of errors area which helped keep the Sharks in the contest, just as it did the Waratahs in their shock win in Wellington.

In summary

Looking back at the Chiefs' season as a whole, teams have been able to put Dave Rennie's side off their game through a robust defensive effort, and one that limits the offloading game of Sonny Bill Williams; goal-kicking has also been a major problem at times. Apart from a couple of excellent performances against the Crusaders, the Chiefs have struggled for continuity which resulted in losses to both the Rebels and Highlanders.

The Hurricanes, meanwhile, have been troubled when sides have tried to match fire with fire, in terms of throwing everything at them in open play. Their open, attacking style also brings about a high error rate but their ability to create try-scoring opportunities from anywhere on the field makes them the most dangerous side in the competition.

The ladder-leading Hurricanes are deserved favourites but the Chiefs certainly boast the attacking game to trouble the competition favourites. Williams looms as a key figure, particularly after the Stormers troubled the Hurricanes with an impressive number of offloads earlier this season. Williams' match-up with Ma'a Nonu is also a virtual trial for the All Blacks second five-eighth role ahead of this year's Rugby World Cup.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd

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