What the stats say about the KR attack
Four games into the season and Hull KR’S credentials in 2024 remain shrouded in some mystery. With two wins and two losses, the Robins have showcased some heartening positives and areas where improvement is required.
The general perception appears to be that Rovers’ attack is an area of concern.
So far, Peta Hiku’s role has been a general topic of conversation, with the New Zealand international playing predominantly at fullback, despite being better known as a centre.
Hiku’s performances have come in for some criticism, while rotation in the backline during games has also been noted and questioned.
So here at the Mail, we have decided to take a look at some of the key data surrounding Hull KR’S attack.
The basics
Wigan and Leigh have played a game fewer than everyone else due to their round two game being postponed. So these statistics are averages per games.
After four rounds, Rovers have averaged 18.5 points per game.
That puts them joint seventh, level with Leeds Rhinos. Yet interestingly, when you look at tries scored per game, Rovers fare better.
They have averaged 3.5 tries per game so far, which puts them fifth. Wigan top this metric with 6.7 tries per game, followed by St Helens (4.8), Warrington (4.5) and Huddersfield (3.8). The only real conclusion we can draw from these statistics is that Rovers’ goalkicking isn’t as good as others, though that’s not really groundbreaking insight.
Rovers’ statistics so far are very similar to their final totals last year.
In 2023, they averaged 18.44 points a game, compared to 18.5 last season. And they scored 3.77 tries per game compared to 3.5 after four rounds.
Line breaks
This metric looks at the number of times a team has made a clean break through the opponent’s defensive line.
Again, Rovers are sitting around the middle mark, with an average of 3.8 breaks per game. Wigan again lead the way, with an impressive average of 6.7.
That’s followed by St Helens and Warrington (5), while Rovers are just slightly behind Catalans and Leigh (4). While clearly they are some way behind the benchmark, they’re by no means struggling in this area.
Tries per play the ball in opponent’s 20
This, to many coaches, is an important stat, as it demonstrates how efficient they are at turning territory into points.
Naturally, the majority of tries scored are when a team is attacking nearer an opponent’s line so being able to score points when in the right area of the field is important. So how do Rovers fare? Well, not too badly. They are, once again, somewhere in the middle. They have had 118 play the balls in their opponent’s area of the field and have scored 11 times, at an average of 10.7 play the balls per try.
Once again, it’s Wigan who are top here, with an average of 5.8. But Rovers are not far off secondplaced Warrington, who are scoring at an average of 9.1.
They’re closely followed by Huddersfield (9.5), St Helens (9.6) and Salford (10.5), and then KR.
By contrast, Leeds are at the very bottom, at a huge average of 17.4, almost three good ball sets per try.
Despite that, the two teams have scored the same number of points. So what can we learn from that?
Well, it essentially tells us that Rovers aren’t far off being the most potent team in the competition once you take out Wigan. While they are sixth, they’re only 1.6 play the balls per try behind second place.
Average PTB per try inside opposition 20: Wigan 5.8, Warrington 9.1, Huddersfield 9.5, St Helens 9.6, Salford 10.5, Hull KR 10.7, Leigh 11.3, London 12.6, Hull 14.5, Catalans 15.6, Castleford 16.3, Leeds 17.4.
Conclusions
Data and stats aren’t for everyone, but they do paint a picture and in this instance, it would appear to illustrate that Rovers’ attack isn’t as bad as some may suggest.
While Wigan have clearly been the standouts, Rovers are running at very similar rates to the majoirty of teams across a number of key metrics and so far, they are scoring points and tries at almost an identical rate to last year, when they ended the season fourth.
Inevitably, the Robins will want to sharpen up as the new combinations build better understandings and there’s no doubt that they aren’t firing on all cylinders just yet. But the data suggests it’s by no means an area of weakness.