Unlike the weekly newspaper reports on "Teams of the Week" - where impressions of the rugby scribes and often prejudice leads to a list of players they identify.
Sanzaar have their own weekly list - but that is based on a scientific program known as the Opta Index. The info on the Opta Index is as follows:-
The Opta Index allows genuine opportunities to compare and contrast both player and team strengths and weaknesses across Super Rugby, providing real insights pre-game as follows:
After every match Opta completes a video analysis of every touch of the ball. Each action in the match is awarded a points value depending on the relative importance of the action. So for example, a try scores more points than a tackle, but a player loses points for a missed tackle.
The points are then weighted against the score at the time when the action took place (higher points if the score is closer), the time in the match (higher points at the start of the match) and the position on the pitch where it took place (higher points for actions closer to the goal line).
The player is then given a score for the match by adding up all his actions while he was on the field. The total match score is then weighted to take account of the strength of the opposition so that performances across many matches can be judged fairly."
I like the system since it is obviously scientifically based and the Team of the Week for Round 10 is as follows:-
15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Manase Mataele, 13 Lukhanjo Am, 12 Samu Kerevi, 11 Ioeko Ioane, 10 Nicholas Sanchez, 9 Michael Ruru, 8 Amanaki Mafi, 7 Jean-Luc du Preez, 6 Shannon Frizell, 5 Tyler Ardron, 4 Mat Philip, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Stephen Kitshoff.
The Player of the Week is Jean-Luc du Preez.
