The Super Rugby TOTW has representatives from nine of the teams from a round that produced another 4 away wins and just three home wins. 

The Crusaders and Hurricanes  contribute three players each after their strong wins on the weekend. Standout players were exciting new Crusaders three-quarter Will Jordan who ran for over 100 metres and scored a try; Hurricanes hooker Dane Coles who returned to form with two tries and 100 percent lineout record; and hard hitting Jaguares backrow forward Marcos Kremer who made 25 tackles against the Blues.

Hurricanes centre Ngani Laumape had a strong match against the Brumbies. He crossec for a hat-trick of tries and gained the most metres of any player in Round #3 (162), his second highest gain ever in a Super Rugby match.

Only two teams remain unbeaten after Round #3: The Crusaders and Rebels.
 

 

15

Will Jordan

Crusaders

Made the most carries (19) and clean breaks (5) of any player in Round 3 (19) and was one of just three players to gain 100+ metres (121), as well as crossing for a try.

14

Gerard van den Heever

Sunwolves

Only Ngani Laumape gained more metres than the Sunwolves winger (122) who also made the second most clean breaks (4) and crossed for a try.

13

Alex Nankivell

Chiefs

Only one back made more tackles than the Chiefs centre (15), who also beat five defenders and crossed for a try.

12

Ngani Laumape

Hurricanes

Crossed for a hat-trick against the Brumbies and gained the most metres of any player in Round 3 (162), his second highest gain ever in a Super Rugby match.

11

Ramiro Moyano

Jaguares

Scored a brace of tries against the Blues and gained 81 metres from just six carries, as well as making 5/5 tackles in defence.

10

Handre Pollard

Bulls

The top point scorer in Round 3 (20), thanks to one conversion and six penalties, while in defence he made 6/7 tackles and won two turnovers.

9

TJ Perenara

Hurricanes

Recorded two try assists, no player made more in Round 3, while he also beat three defenders and didn't miss a tackle.

1

Dylan Smith

Lions

Gained the most metres of any prop (26) from his eight carries, as well as making 7/8 tackles and crossing for a try.

2

Dane Coles

Hurricanes

The only forward to cross the whitewash twice in Round 3, he also recorded a 100% lineout success rate (11/11) and gained 49 metres from just five carries.

3

Owen Franks

Crusaders

Didn't miss any of his nine tackle attempts and also carried eight times for the Crusaders in his 58 minutes.

4

Eben Etzebeth

Stormers

Won 12 lineouts in total agaist the Sharks, the most by any player in a Super Rugby match in over a year (L de Jager - 13 in Rd 2, 2018).

5

Michael Allardice

Chiefs

Made 17/17 tackles against the Sunwolves,  teammate Mitch Karpik was the only player to make more in Round 3 without missing, while he also won four lineouts.

6

Shannon Frizell

Highlanders

Crossed for a try, made 10 tackles and beat five defenders, the second most of any forward behind Ardie Savea.

7

Marcos Kremer

Jaguares

Made 25 tackles against the Blues, five more than any other player in Round 3 and also hit double figures for carries (10).

8

Whetu Douglas

Crusaders

Hit double figures for both carries (12) and tackles (13) as well as beating four defenders and crossing for a try.

 

Opta Index: How does it work

 

The Opta Index allows genuine opportunities to compare and contrast both player and team strengths and weaknesses across Super Rugby, providing real insights pre-game as follows: 

After every match Opta completes a video analysis of every touch of the ball. Each action in the match is awarded a points value depending on the relative importance of the action. So for example, a try scores more points than a tackle, but a player loses points for a missed tackle.

The points are then weighted against the score at the time when the action took place (higher points if the score is closer), the time in the match (higher points at the start of the match) and the position on the pitch where it took place (higher points for actions closer to the goal line).

The player is then given a score for the match by adding up all his actions while he was on the field. The total match score is then weighted to take account of the strength of the opposition so that performances across many matches can be judged fairly.