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 Super Round dominates discussions.
One Percenters looks at everything you might have missed from the week of Rugby.
Reds flanker Liam Wright has opened up on the bizarre incident that has led to the co-captain racing the clock to be fit for the end of the Super Rugby Pacific season.
Wright damaged the front band of the syndesmosis, forcing him to go under the knife to insert the tight-rope to stabilise the injury, detailing how a simple lineout move went wrong.
“It was pretty plainly just coming down from a line out,” Wright said.
“We unfortunately have no footage of it because the warm-up is recorded like that so it’s tough to get an exact feel on what happened but something went wrong in the process and just came down awkwardly on that right foot.
“I felt the pop and tried to walk it off and strap it, but it was no good to anyone so Tuaina (Taii Tualima) stepped up and did a good job for the first half and thankfully the boys got a good result.”
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 ten, courtesy of Opta.
- Whilst it’s joked the Brumbies only score by rolling maul, it’s actually the Waratahs that lead the way in 2022, producing six tries from mauls, five more than their opposition Chiefs
- For the Chiefs, Alex Nankivell has become a dangerous weapon regardless of position across the backline. Nankivell has five tries in his last five appearances despite playing three different positions across that stretch of games (inside, outside centre, wing)
- The Crusaders will be looking to avoid back-to-back defeats for the first time since round five in 2018
- Expect plenty of points between the Rebels and Crusaders, with an average of 61.9 points per game in their nine outings.
- The Brumbies remain one of the best starting teams in Super Rugby, leading line breaks (12) and only trailing Moana Pasifika for tries scored (0.4 per game) in the first 20 minutes.
- The Highlanders have enjoyed a recent run of success over the Brumbies, winning their last six. However, before that, they were a bogey team of sorts, with the Dunedin-based side winning 3 of 11 matches prior.
- It looks set to be an aerial battle between the Reds and Hurricanes, with both teams in the top two for kicks inside opposition 22 with seven and six respectively. As well as this, injured flyhalf James O’Connor has the most kicks retained by a teammate with 10, showcasing the aerial excellence of Vunivalu, Daugunu and co.
- Wes Goosen has enjoyed mixed fortunes depending on which wing he starts on. Goosen has scored in his past three games wearing number 14, however, has scored just once in five games in number 11, which he’ll be wearing this weekend.
Waratahs flyhalf Tane Edmed is refusing to buy into any speculation around his future, tasked with guiding the club to an upset against the Chiefs.
Edmed has made the most of his opportunity with good mates Will Harrison and Ben Donaldson out injured, impressing enough to retain the starting spot for Super Round.
As many question how the club can fit the three young playmakers into the 23, the Eastwood product is remaining focused on life at the Waratahs with rumours of a departure starting to swirl.
“If I feel as if I can go to a team where I’m going to develop the most regardless of minutes, I’m going to do that,” Edmed said.
“But I haven’t really given it much thought and be honest with you, I’m just enjoying playing footy here and trying to win every week because that’s not really a decision I have to make right now.”
Reds fullback Jock Campbell will make his long-awaited return from injury against the Hurricanes.
Campbell missed the back end of last season with a groin injury, coming at awful timing as fullback after fullback went down for the Wallabies.
Having earned a call up at the start of the month, the Reds flyer wasn't buying into what could have been, just grateful he hasn't been forced out for an extended period of time.
“It was a little bit frustrating but that’s footy,” he said. “In saying that, who knows if I was next in line (after Banks, Hodge injuries), that hasn’t come to fruition."
“It’s just something you have to move on from, everyone gets injured but sometimes it can be a knee reco so I’m pretty lucky with the injuries I have that they have been manageable.”
With Super Round on the horizon, one of the landmark games of the weekend is Saturday when Fijiana Drua takes on NSW Waratahs in the Super W Final.
The Drua are one of the stories of the year, blitzing the competition whilst inspiring a new generation of women wanting to play the game.
“It’s a big step towards Rugby in Fiji,” number eight Seriema Leweniqila said.
“We’ve never had such an opportunity to compete like this in Super W so I think the doors start opening up after this.
“It takes you places, you experience new things and learn how to be in a team so we encourage everyone to take up the sport, especially girls. It’s a big culture barrier in Fiji so we’re here now on the world stage and they can be like us.”
In association with DFAT, some of the stars of the Fijiana Drua explain why it means so much just to participate in a tournament like Super W
