With so many players and clubs doing media each day, it can be hard to keep on top of a lot of the stories coming out.
Rugby is filled with them across all levels of the game and whilst most are covered through some form of media, there are others that might have slipped off the radar as the Waratahs' win over the Crusaders and the Wallaroos dominated discussions.
One Percenters looks at everything you might have missed from the week of Rugby.
Wallabies coach Dave Rennie has indicated second-row as a major selection battle as Super Rugby heads into the final month of the regular season.
The likes of Jed Holloway and Nick Frost have powered their teams to strong positions on the ladder, putting serious pressure on incumbents Matt Philip and Izack Rodda ahead of July's England series.
With this in mind, Rennie was delighted at the competition whilst seeming to give a nod towards Holloway's value as a finisher given his versatility.
“We’ve talked a lot about hooker and a lot about lock and 10,” Rennie said on Monday.
“Certainly guys like Frosty (Nick Frost), who’s injured at the moment, he’s made big strides since last year.
“We’ve picked a big crew, whether Jed Holloway is a lock or a loosie (forward), we think he can play both – there’s a fair bit of competition for places which is important.”
Whilst the Ireland family received widespread attention in England, the Fasavalu's family were making their own piece of history.
In a recent tens tournament with West Harbour, Amanai Fasavalu, the mother of 13 children, decided to dust off the boots in order to play with four of her daughters.
“I couldn’t be prouder to have Amanai and her daughters represent our Club,” their Director of Women’s Rugby Charmain Steventon said.
“As a Shute Shield Club, we are a proud community with a culture that is strengthened because of our diversity and inclusion. In 2022 and beyond, West Harbour have committed to a focus on increasing engagement with females.
“By 2025 Women involved in rugby at West Harbour will have equity on and off the field, will be reflected in all strategy, plans and structures, making highly valued contributions to participation, performance and leadership.
“This begins with players like Amanai and her daughters. This generational love for rugby and a passion to help our Womens Program and the Club will help us reach our aspirations.
“It’s well documented many girls drop out of sport as they reach their teens - there are systematic barriers, and there are also a lack of role models. We can't be what we can't see. But Amanai shows her daughters without perfectionism, without fear of failure, but with purpose, courage, laughter and open arms to embrace life fully. And it started with one choice, to lace up your boots. Come and play rugby with West Harbour Womens.”
With Rugby Australia confirming a partnership with Sportable, there has never been a time where stats have been more rich and available to clubs, coaches and fans.
As data continued to develop, take a look at some of the more interesting and unique stats heading into round 12, courtesy of Opta.
- The Melbourne Rebels will back their forwards to match it with the best of the Blues, currently sitting in the top five for line out and ruck success. Matt Philip is integral to this, leading to comp for lineout wins (50) and third for steals (5)
- The Brumbies are starting to build a nice streak against the Kiwi sides, winning three of their last four, their best run of performances since 2014.
- The scrum battle will be key to both sides, with the Chiefs operating at an impressive 96% success rate.
- Meanwhile, the Waratahs will be looking to continue their great track record against expansion sides. They have won eight of their last nine when facing a new opponent, however, have failed to win in NZ since 2015 (12 straight losses)
- The Highlanders will be looking to avoid back-to-back defeats to Australian sides for the first time since July 2014.
- As for the Reds, Harry Wilson remains king of the carries, leading the comp for carries (148), 35 more than his nearest rival (Jordie Barrett - 113), whilst producing more carries across the gain line (89) than any other player, nearly twice as more than the nearest Highlander (Fetuli Paea - 42)
- Manasa Mataele will look to continue his strong form as he faces his old side for the first time. He has been involved in six tries in his past four games, scoring four and assisting two.
Whilst Waratahs coach Darren Coleman was executing his own upset, Western Sydney Two Blues coach Sailosi Tagicakibau was arguably putting together a bigger boilover, powering the Two Blues to a 27-19 victory over Sydney Uni.
It continues the once-struggling Two Blues' revival in 2022 under Tagicakibau, backing up their 25-15 win over Gordon.
Despite upsetting his old side, Coleman couldn't be prouder, believing it showcases the incredible competitiveness within the competition with fifth and last separated by just three points.
"It was great eh? Although my best mate coaches Uni so he wasn't happy," the ever-relaxed Coleman said.
"It was great to see. It's been about 25 years since they got a win (over Uni) and it's so good for the comp. It's such an unusual comp, the top four are 3-2 and the next 8 are 2-3, I've never seen a ladder like that where you win two games and you're back in the top four.
"That is so awesome for the Shute Shield to have every game as a genuine contest so I look forward to watching, I've watched a lot, not as much as I'd like to because of this job, but as soon as I'm finished here I'll be watching a lot of it and I'm excited to see the finish."
There wasn't a dry eye in the house in the Blues set-up when German-born rookie Anton Segner was reunited with his family in Auckland.
The 20-year-old has been a revelation since arriving on what was initially meant to be a six-month exchange at Nelson College in 2017.
With COVID limiting travel, the reunion was an emotional one for Segner as his mum made the trip down to NZ last week, joined by the rest of the family ahead of the Rebels clash.
