Most Test wins: Sam Whitelock
With 2013 on the horizon, we look back at the key figures from the past 12 months to give you a statistical breakdown of the last year.
+111 - the biggest winning margin in Tests in 2012 came in Argentina's 111-0 win over Brazil in Santiago.
17 - highest number of tries scored in one match, by Argentina in the same fixture with winger Manuel Montero scoring a hat-trick.
7 - highest number of penalties scored in one match, shared by Jamie Nava of Spain against Namibia and Pedro Leal of Portugal against Chile.
12 - most Test wins in 2012, held by New Zealand.
8 - most Test losses in 2012, shared by Argentina and Scotland.
2 - most Test draws in 2012, held by South Africa against England and Argentina.
466 - highest number of points scored in Tests in 2012, held by New Zealand. Second were Japan (436), third were Argentina (432).
499 - highest number of points conceded in 2012, held by the UAE.
+304 - highest points difference in 2012, held by Japan.
59 - most tries scored in Tests in 2012, held by Japan.
6 - number of teams that failed to score tries in Tests in 2012, including Botswana, Mauritius, Zambia, China, St. Vincent & Grenadines and Trinidad & Tobago.
52 - most converted penalties in 2012, held by Australia.
3 - highest number of drop goals in 2012 shared between six teams - Argentina, France, Italy, Senegal, Tunisia and Namibia.
15 - highest number of Test appearances in 2012, held by Wallaby stalwart Nathan Sharpe.
21 - number of tries scored by Julian Savea in 2012, with 12 in Tests and nine in Super Rugby.
251 - most points scored in Super Rugby, by Aaron Cruden of the Chiefs.
8 - try bonus points scored by the entertaining Hurricanes side in Super Rugby 2012.
8 - number of losing bonus points won by the Waratahs, who finished 11th in a tough season.
28 - the Stormers scored fewer tries than any other side in Super Rugby, yet finished top of the table.
59 - tries conceded by the leaky Melbourne Rebels defence, seven more than any other side.
37 - the most penalties converted by a player in Tests in 2012, by Leigh Halfpenny for Wales.
3 - most drop goals by a player in Tests in 2012, by Nicolás Sánchez for Argentina.
12 - no player was involved in more Test wins in 2012 than New Zealand lock Sam Whitelock.
66 - number of points scored by Leigh Halfpenny in the Six Nations 2012, more than any other player.
5 - number of tries scored by Tommy Bowe in the Six Nations 2012.
+51 - Wales point difference after their Grand Slam. The next highest was +27.
-68 - Italy's point difference after the Six Nations 2012, despite not finishing bottom of the table.
13 - number of tries scored by Ireland in the Six Nations 2012, more than any other side.
Compiled by Ben Coles
@bencoles_
Comments
APV1 says...
@ tha_mai - fair enough, I may have got a little carried away.
Let's all agree that all countries are marvellous and do jolly well at (almost) everything.
Posted 13:31 03rd January 2013
hybrid187 says...
Trinats if Coopers grandmother plays anything like her grandson on the international stage, we would have been better off bringing on a 3 legged goat imo.
All Blacks ... 76% winning record in their whole history (Since 1903, I believe). Is there any other team in worldwide sport that comes close to this ? Maybe America in the Americas Cup ?
Posted 12:55 03rd January 2013
tha_mai says...
APV1 - no issues with GB's great Olympic performances, but as for 'England inventing most of them'? A look at the approx 30 sports and I struggle to see where England invented athletics, swimming, taekwando perhaps? Happy New Year.
Trinats2 - this is a 2012 list, must you continue harping on about an RWC Australia won last century? Get with it man!
Posted 10:39 03rd January 2013
tha_mai says...
Oceansnz - don't get too carried away. I understand NZ has a cricket team too, they just made a good score in rugby terms, but apparently not such a good score in cricket - all out for 45.
Per capita for Olympics is a silly stat. Grenada 'won' that in 2012, one medal from 110,000 people. On that basis NZ should have won 40, not 13. Team size and funding are big factors too. This from The Guardian's end of year sports report: "An Olympic medal won by Team GB at the London 2012 Games cost an average of just over £4.5 million."
Back to rugby!
Posted 23:54 02nd January 2013
Trinats2 says...
hybrid187:
45 ? Where are those stats from ? Reds have a squad of 45+ and had to bring in more as they had so many injuries in certain positions, but didn't use all of the squad.
Blues had 19 injuries last year, Reds topped it with 23. Bulls and Rebels had more than the Blues. Stats on sports injury stie.
You could have got Coopers grandmother out of the crowd for fly half and you still would have won with Craig Joubert as ref !!!
2: the number of world cups Australia have won, same as NZ. Although both of NZ wins were with a home advantage !!!
Posted 12:27 02nd January 2013
ArmchairGeneral says...
OceansNZ: I hear Yorkshire beat NZ in the gold medals by population ratio.
Posted 11:22 02nd January 2013
APV1 says...
@ Oceansnz - England do ok at most sports. They invented almost all of them and regularly compete with the best in the world. No, we're not top of the ranking in anything at the moment (that's not strictly true), but we're there or there abouts.
Over-achievement? How about the 2012 Olympics, especially Team GB Swimming? Written-off by many as "almost rans", they performed well above expectations. I appreciate that Team GB does also include our Celtic chums, but still...
Not to take away from NZ's achievements, just pointing out that many others have doen well too.
Posted 11:01 02nd January 2013
Oceansnz says...
NZ has nothing but rugby? Who says stuff like that?
We're world champions at Rugby Union, Rugby League, we often dominate the Olympics rowing category, Nearly every Olympics we win the gold medals per population ratio; we're current basketball champs of the NBL, football is considered a joke in our country yet we made the world cup (undefeated), Womens netball is often 1st or 2nc in the world, NZ yachtsmen are the winners of the Americas cup, how many other countries have such diverse sporting achievements? and we're only a population of 4 million! Talk about over-achievers!
Posted 09:50 01st January 2013
ferdie says...
Players used in international test matches 2012 (from NZ Herald stats)
51 - Argentina
50 - France
44 - South Africa
44 - England
42 - Wales
40 - Ireland
39 - Australia
36 - New Zealand
Yellow Cards issued in tests
6 - Australia
5 - New Zealand
4 - Argentina, South Africa, Wales
2 - Ireland, England
1 - France
And I have no stat for other teams on this one:
76,791km - distance traveled by All Blacks (not including stopovers, that's direct distances)
and
19 - minutes total as an All Black in 2012 for Ben Franks and Hika Eliot
937 - minutes total as an All Black in 2012 for Richie McCaw (50min more than second placed Israel Dagg)
Posted 01:11 01st January 2013
lawynd says...
I don't usually do this, but how about some stats from north of the equator outside of the tests? I'd be curious to know the answers to a lot of those questions for our teams too.
Posted 01:01 01st January 2013
ferdie says...
one more, NZ-specific, for the posters (you know who you are) who have sourly bleated all year that 'NZ has nothing but rugby'
2 - that's how many nominations rugby has from 25 nominees across 5 categories for the 2012 NZ Halberg (Sports) Awards
14 - nominees from swimming/canoeing/rowing/yachting
9 - nominees from athletics/golf/cycling
More to life than just rugby.
Posted 00:50 01st January 2013
ArmchairGeneral says...
10: the number of times i thought "what a load of bollocks this article is". Ooops make that 11.... 12
Posted 20:05 31st December 2012
hybrid187 says...
Trinats get over it, the Blues used 45 different players last season, they could have fielded 3 different teams, not to mention they played in a conference that was lightyears ahead of Aus.
The All Blacks won a World Cup with a 4th choice flyhalf...........
@ferdie
"50 - tries in 14 tests for NZ All Blacks
15 - tries in 15 tests for Qantas Wallabies"
9 - nine of the top ten 'most run metres' in Super rugby from NZ franchises. Hosea Gear top at 1595m"
Wow didnt realise those stats, didnt McCaw himself in one game run more meters against Aus than the whole Aussie pack over 2 games v NZ ? Heard this somewhere can someone verify this?
Posted 11:18 31st December 2012
kennyisgay says...
read it again kpe... im preatty sure Aus scored a few tries in 2012
Posted 01:00 31st December 2012
ben7 says...
@Kpe12 i think it means teams that didnt score a single try all year
Posted 23:14 30th December 2012
ferdie says...
add
6 - wins from six for NZ All Blacks in the inaugural Rugby Championship
and, since Wales got a 6N mention for this category:
*111 - NZ points difference after their RC clean sweep. The next highest was SA +11
-36 (yes, minus) - points difference for Qantas Wallabies who were second in the Rugby Championship
-44 (another minus) - season points difference for the Qantas Wallabies ranked #2 in the world
+273 - season points difference for the NZ All Blacks ranked #1 in the world
50 - tries in 14 tests for NZ All Blacks
15 - tries in 15 tests for Qantas Wallabies
9 - nine of the top ten 'most run metres' in Super rugby from NZ franchises. Hosea Gear top at 1595m
Posted 23:04 30th December 2012
munster30 says...
@kpe12
relax, i think they mean failed to score a try in any of their competitive test matches.
Don't be so quick to pass smart comments or point out mistakes, you never know when you might be found out yourself :)
I'm sure almost every team in the world failed to score a try in at least one match this year. theres no shame in that, the stat is for no tries all year.
Posted 22:48 30th December 2012
sbobrfc says...
kpe12; it means in the calendar year, not a single test. Unless of course, you're trying to be funny...
Posted 22:09 30th December 2012
Trinats2 says...
kpe12:
We can also include NZ, as they failed to score a try in the 18-18 draw in the Beldisloe 3, the one that stopped your winning streak !
The list is of teams that failed to score a try in any of their games this year.
4 - the number of players used in the 10 position in the one game (Qld Reds)
Posted 21:29 30th December 2012
kpe12 says...
SAT - 25TH AUG 12
NZ 22 - Aus 0
"6 - number of teams that failed to score tries in Tests in 2012, including Botswana, Mauritius, Zambia, China, St. Vincent & Grenadines and Trinidad & Tobago."
Can we change the reading on that so that we can include Australia.
Posted 15:20 30th December 2012