Super League: Faster and Harder

21 Aug 2020

“I thought the standard of play needed to improve before lockdown – the detail in attack, the toughness in defence.

“Since they’ve come back, it’s been an absolute credit to our players.

“The physicality when you’re watching the games live or on Sky Sports, and you see the players ripping into each other.

“Then you see the attack, and how they’ve adapted to six again – it’s been a massive credit to our players, and also the coaches.??

England head coach Shaun Wane has been a regular at Betfred Super League’s behind closed doors matches and many fans would share his views on the faster, harder game they are watching…

Harder Game

Two weeks ago superleague.co.uk revealed some eye-catching trends in the game following the removal of scrums and the introduction of six-again.

Data from the season restart on August 2 showed a marked difference in some key areas.

These initial findings can be found here.

It was clear that the pace and ferocity of matches had increased - an observation made clear by the increase in ball-in-play time, which was up by 18 per cent on the 2019 season.

After three weekends of action, superleague.co.uk can now present a more reliable picture to help explain how the sport’s rules changes have affected the pace of play.

The average ball-in-play time in Super League matches since restart is 63 minutes and 20 seconds, a ten-minute rise on pre-lockdown numbers (53 minutes and 12 seconds), and 11 minutes up on 2019.

Few could argue with the level of intensity post-lockdown.

Saints’ fixture against Dragons was the second shortest game in Super League history, lasting 84 minutes and 30 seconds (the shortest was Hull KR vs Wigan Warriors in 2019 - 83 minutes and 24 seconds).

To put that into context, the average game time in 2019 (and pre-lockdown) was 90 minutes and 43 seconds. That was six minutes shorter than the 2018 average, a change largely attributable to the introduction of shot clock.

Post-lockdown there have been more carries (up 23 per cent) and the number of metres covered with ball in hand is up by 17 per cent on pre-lockdown games - the most since 2010.

The number of tries being scored is also up - 22 per cent - and, subsequently, points per game is up by 20 per cent, the highest in five years at an average of 48.1 points scored per game post-lockdown.

Speed

All data points to the game becoming faster – with number of sets, tackles and carries all up.

But perhaps the most indicative difference is evident in the number of quick play-the-balls, which is up 189 per cent on pre-lockdown - 31 compared to 89 (on average).

Power

Tackles per game is at its highest level of all time, with the average being 798 post-lockdown compared to 723 pre-lockdown.

Missed tackles, meanwhile, has only increased by an average of five per game.

Wigan Warriors' Morgan Smithies set a new record for tackles made [72] in a game in 2019 – but that could be beaten in Super League 2020.

The work-rate of the players in Round 9 was noticeable.

Step forward Castleford Tigers’ forward Oli Holmes who made 51 tackles against St Helens.

"The game has changed completely - it’s that much quicker now,?? he said.

“Players’ metres per minute is going through the roof.

“Some of us were running around at 130 metres per minute.

“That is what is making it so hard for us in the middle.

“There are fewer breaks in play for us to get the rest we are used to because scrums have gone.

“Scrums were a forward’s dream.

“As soon as things were getting hard, you’d tell your half-back to kick the ball out and walk to the scrum and get your rest."

Holmes was on the losing team to Saints – but he was part of an impressive Tigers’ defensive effort.

The 28-year-old made his side’s most tackles – but Jacques O’Neill and George Griffin both played their part, making more tackles than they spent minutes on the pitch. O’Neill made 35 tackles in 31 minutes; Griffin 43 in 38.

Holmes agrees with Sky Sports’ pundit Jon Wells who believes Super League coaches will have to think hard about selection and tactics given the increased speed of the game.

The Tigers’ second-row can see the requirements of Super League forwards changing due to the heightened demands of the sport – but he still believes there will be a place for what he calls ‘the freaks’.

“The props and loose forwards who work in the middle [of the pitch] are probably going to change because of all this.

"We are going to need to be more mobile and fitter and have less size.

"You will still get the freaks - the likes of Alex Walmsley and Liam Watts - who are big lads who will still be able to do all that stuff, but the old school prop might not exist anymore,?? said Holmes.