News: A season in Stats
By Smurfomatic
June 15 2014
Simon looks at the 2013/14 season in stats - some you knew - many you didn't and some you don't want to!!.....
Saints season 2013/14 – some statistics and questions answered
Hopefully some of you will find this interesting, it’s certainly answered some questions for me…
Firstly – the basics. Played 39, won 30, drew 2, lost 7. Points for 992, against 612. Tries for 115, tries against 55. Most points scored in a top flight season since 1999/2000, where we only played 36 games but one was a 118-3 win against Nuneaton in the first round of the Tetley’s Bitter Cup! Only two home defeats – the losses to Leinster and Leicester. First time we’ve “nilled” a Premiership side since the 14-0 beating of Tigers in 2003.
In the Premiership – most tries scored, least conceded. 16 wins in the league, equalling the best performance from 2009/10. Saints were the only team to have Premiership try scorers in every shirt from 1 to 15, showing the depth of talent in the current squad.
Phil Dowson tops the appearances with 36 of a possible 39 – missing only the LV pool games against Gloucester, Irish and Saracens. Probably wishes he had the day off in the hailstorm at Newport instead!
George Pisi and Samu Manoa joint top try scorers with 10, and no surprise Stephen Myler topped the scoring charts with 323 in his 32 games – including one try and a single drop goal – taking him over 1,000 Premiership points and past 1,800 for the Saints, only 950 more to break Grayson’s all time record! He also broke Shane Drahm’s ten year old record for most Saintly points in a Premiership season – by two points, securing this with the conversion of Alex Waller’s final winning try.
Longest winning streak was 13 games, starting in Dublin on December 14th and concluding with the LV semi-final win against Saracens on March 8th. The longest losing streak was three defeats, these were the following three games against Exeter, Sale and Leicester.
Saints only failed to get into double figures in three matches this season, unsurprisingly they lost all of them – Sale away in the league, Leinster at home and the LV final. Opponents faced a similar situation on 7 occasions (including the nilling of Newcastle), and they all lost too. Only the defeats to Leinster and Sale were outside the losing bonus point window, whereas 22 opponents lost by more than seven points.
The lowest score to beat Saints this season was 15 in the LV final, Bath scored 25 and still didn’t manage the win. Saints only needed 13 to beat both Castres and Harlequins, but scored 24 against Gloucester and Saracens without winning.
For those worrying about the score predictions, there is no definitive total to go for: 13, 18, 19, 24 and 33 all made three appearances as the Saints final score, an average of 25.4 scored and 15.7 conceded.
Now, to answer some of those statements you may have heard at games throughout the season:
“Saints only win when the opposition score first”
Four of our seven losses came when the opposition scored first. Then again, so did 9 of the 30 wins. Saints opened the scoring in both draws, 3 losses and 21 wins. So, we’re better if we start off strongly. Notably of course we were 13-0 down to Wasps in the last league game and came back pretty well to win 74-13!
“Saints always go to sleep and concede straight after half time”
We’ve conceded the first score 20 times, and scored first 18 times – the Sale away league game had no scores at all in the second half. We still won 13 and drew 1 of those 20 games though. Again, better if we score first – won 17 and drew 1 of those matches.
“We’re a second half team - we need a rocket at half time to get us going”
Six of our seven losses came when we were behind at half time but only 6 wins from a midway deficit (including the Leicester semi-final and the Amlin final of course). When scores were level at the break, we drew one (Bath) and won two (strangely both Quins Prem matches).
Much better to be ahead at the interval – in 24 games when that happened we won 22, drew 1 (Leicester) and lost 1 (Gloucester).
“Saints always leave it late, scoring the winner in the last few minutes”
Saints have put the last points on the scoreboard on 30 occasions this season. Three of those were “consolation” scores, and one levelled the scores at the Rec. Of the 26 games won, only 6 were decided by Saints’ final score. Conversely, of the 8 games where the opposition got the last points, we lost three, drew one and won four. Only one “final score” was decisive – the match at Kingsholm, and Leicester scored last to snatch a draw.
“We’re no good when a man down / don’t score when a man up”
The first five yellow cards in the Saints season – four Saints off and one opposition – had no effect on the scoreboard (either nothing was scored, or both sides scored the same during the binning).
No surprise that Saints concede when a man down – 38 net points conceded with a player taking a break. However, two of our last few games – Bath in both the league and the Amlin final – we kicked three points without reply when down to 14.
We do take more advantage when a man up – 73 net points scored against opposition a player short (including 5 when Leicester had two players off in the home league match). Only three points in the Exeter away game and a net four point deficit in the Leicester playoff match were the time Saints conceded more than they scored when they had a man advantage.
The above stats don’t cover “double cards” – when both sides were down to 14 (or less). That’s happened four times this season:
Leicester away (Deacon and Lawes both binned) – Saints concede 10 points.
Worcester home (Thomas red and Dickinson yellow, then Betty yellow) – Saints score a net 4 points when 14 v 13, then another 7 when 15 v 14.
Sale away Prem (Hartley and Tuitupou both binned) – Saints concede 7 points.
Leicester playoff (Ma’afu red and Youngs yellow) – Saints score 7 at 14 v 14 then a net 2 points when 14 v 15.
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Thanks (and I quote WMS) little blue buddy.
"Your days are numbered. Use them to throw open the windows of your soul to the sun. If you do not, the sun will soon set, and you with it."
-- Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor 161-180 A.D.
I'll try and remember this when one of those old wives tales is raised next season.
Saint 'til I die
“Those who desire to give up freedom in order to gain security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one.”
Benjamin Franklin
Tetleys Block F E143
But in seriousness a great read.
I woul have thought we were much more a second half side, but the facts say different.
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