Lionel Cronje gets Stats XV nod

DESPITE the worst showing by South African teams in Super Rugby in more than eight years at the weekend, eight players from local shores made it into the Stats XV team.

The team has a strong blue-andred tinge with the Bulls contributing four players and the Lions three more, with one player from the Sharks also making it into the side.

It is also the third consecutive week that Lions’ flanker Jaco Kriel earned a place in the team based on statistics taken from the Vodacom Rugby App.

Players earn points according to their positions and the statistics taken from the App.

While a prop would get points for running 50m to score a try, he would get even more points for winning scrums.

Lions fullback Andries Coetzee and Sharks flyhalf Lionel Cronje are the only back-line players from South Africa on the list.

Coetzee topped the rankings for defenders beaten (11), kicks caught (8) and made the second most clean breaks (3).

He made two try assists to top that category, and ranked second for his three offloads, with his two clean breaks earning him a third-place ranking. Lions captain Warren Whiteley was the top eighthman with two offloads, and his four line-outs won on own throw and 14 tackles rank among the top five.

Kriel beat seven defenders and took four line-outs, also adding a try to his tally. – ANA