London Scottish needed a win with the visit of Cambridge to the RAG and a win they so got. It was not a vintage display from the Exiles but they did what they needed to get the job done. Join us this week as we delve into the stats to find out where the game was won and lost and who were the key performers in a crucial display.
Scottish got on top in the territory and possession stats which led to them having the upper hand for most of the game. 52% possession and 55% territory meant the Exiles were playing most of the game on the front foot.
In attack the game was relatively even pegging, very similar numbers of carries, passes, defenders beaten and offloads between the two sides. Scottish however, did manage to rack up 100 more metres than their opposition which gave them that cutting edge in the game.
In defence, again it was a relatively even story. Similar tackle numbers and success rate, however, Scottish were able to force more turnover and dominant tackles which flipped momentum in their favour.
An area London Scottish have struggled in recent weeks and the Scots made serious strides in that area. Although Cambridge got the upper hand at the scrum both sides had 100% record on their own ball. Scottish gave away two penalties on Cambridge’s ball which gave them an in to get into the Exiles’ half however, it didn’t have as bigger bearing on the game as it could have done.
At line out time, it was Scottish’s day winning 100% of their own ball whilst Cambridge only one 80% of theirs. This also led to Scottish mauling on seven occasions and scoring off the back of it in the first half. As a result, pressing home their advantage where they had it.
It was Harry Clayton’s day at the RAG, racking up a 7.9 impact score courtesy of Oval Insights. In his 70 minute display he notched up 10 carries from 22m as well as 6 tackles, a turnover won and 100% record at the line out.
Guy Rogers also had a special day on debut for the Club, two tries, 70m made and 4 defenders beaten.
Josh Bellamy and Will Talbot-Davies also worked some of the hardest in the game. Josh making 13 carries and Will notching up 14 tackles in the eighty minutes.
Discipline has been a big factor in London Scottish’s performances so far this year. Averaging 12 penalties a game it has been hard to keep the count under control. However, this weekend, the side gave away just eight meaning they had a much bigger control on proceedings.
In quarters one and three when Scottish scored the most this also correlated with penalties with Scottish conceding just three penalties in that time compared to six conceded by Cambridge.
On the surface the kick game was even with both sides kicking for just over 1000m in roughly 30 kicks. However, delving in deeper, Scottish won four of their won kicks back, double the amount of Cambridge allowing them to launch successful attacks.
Conversion rate was also a key factor in the game, Scottish entered to Cambridge 22 on 10 occasions and came away with points 50% of the time. Whilst Cambridge scored on two occasions but from 7 entries to the London Scottish 22.
The ability for London Scottish to be clinical with their conversion rate was a key factor in the win. As we look back at a lot of the top level stats Cambridge and Scottish were pretty even on most key indicators but it was London Scottish’s ability to turn their advantages into points and making it pay when it counts that diverged the team. This is something they will need to keep doing to continue to have success this season.
