Welcome to this week’s stat bunker, the place where we talk through all the stats from last weekends game, explain where it was won and lost and look ahead to see how the Exiles can keep building this season.
There’s no escaping Saturday was a difficult day for London Scottish at Coventry. 60 points conceded, two yellow cards and 9 tries let through. But what do the stats tell us about why the game went that way.
Top Line Stats
Scottish failed to gain a foothold on Saturday afternoon, with only 44% possession and 39% territory they were always facing an uphill battle.
Scottish opted for a kick heavy game under that pressure kicking 542 metres compared to 468 metres of Coventry. However, the two side diverged further in carrying. Coventry carried for 611 metres was Scottish carried for just 161 metres.
In the wider channels it was Coventry’s game as well, 18 offloads, 19 line breaks and gainline success percentage of 58% it was hard to compete. Scottish lagged behind in all metrics as they struggled.
Discipline and defence was a key stat for Scottish 20 penalties conceded and 55% tackle success rate. Areas that must improve if they are to be successful going forwards.
Set Piece Stats
The set-piece is always a key indicator of how a game is going to pan out and Saturday was no different. Scottish fought manfully in patches but could not handle the power of Coventry on the day.
At scrum time Scottish ceded 3 penalties and a penalty try giving Coventry significant dominance. Despite winning a couple of penalties of their own it was not enough to return to parity.
At the maul, it was much more even stevens. Both sides went to the maul three times and were unsuccessful once. Coventry with a penalty given away and Scottish with a loss of possession. Neither side were able to gain the upper hand here thanks to stout defence from both sides.
Individual Stars
Bailey Ransom and Jonny Law both won London Scottish’s player of the week awards this week. Brought to you by Cairnhill Structures Bailey did not put a foot wrong in his eighty minute display. Four carries, three tackles, 14 rucks hit and no penalties conceded in a robust performance.
Jonny Law was the outstanding performer in the backs, again his performance was typified by a lack of errors while those around him struggled. He kicked strongly putting his opposition under pressure and delivered the ball well under a lot of pressure.
The Key Stats
Discipline and defence was the key thing that let London Scottish down. In the the first quarter when Scottish ceded three tries, Coventry beat 18 defenders to London Scottish’s 1 showing their ability to bend the line and break through.
With a tackle rate of just over 50% Scottish need to improve in this area in order to be successful this weekend.
However, some bright sparks show where Scottish can compete and be successful. They won the turnover count in the game showing their ability to hold onto the ball and disrupt the opposition. Combining that with better discipline and defence capabilities is sure to show them in a better light this weekend.
