Super Rugby Round #6 Team of the Week

The TOTW has players from nine different teams after a round that saw three away wins, a red card and numerous bonus point that may prove crucial in the long run.

For many the match of the round was the Crusaders versus Reds match in Christchurch where the visitors out-scored the champions four tries to three but failed to kick a single goal and ultimately lost 24-20. Upfront four Reds players make the TOTW, prop Taniela Tupou, workhorse lock Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, No.8 Harry Wilson [pictured below] and skipper Liam Wright. Wilson is making a huge impact in his rookie year and made a round-high 26 carries, the joint-most of any player in a game in the last 10 Super Rugby seasons and more than any other forward; Wilson also made three offloads and scored a try.

The Crusaders also contribute four players to the TOTW. Upfront prop Joe Moody and skipper Scott Barrett and behind the scrum fullback George Bridge and centre Jack Goodhue. Moody beat two defenders, made one clean break and gained 11m from his seven carries, as well as crossing for a try. Meanwhile Bridge beat a total of 10 defenders - the second-most of any player - as well as making two offloads, 10/11 tackles and scoring a try.

The Blues shocked an undisciplined Hurricanes team away from home. Rookie wing Mark Telea is in red hot form and is Player of the Week. He gained a round-high 140m - his most in a single Super Rugby game - as well as making four clean breaks, three offloads, beating a round-high 11 defenders and scoring a try. He is joined on the wing by the Bulls' Cornel Hendricks - No player made more clean breaks than Hendricks (5), who also gained the second-most metres (114) of any player and scored a try from his 12 carries.

The Chiefs went on a scoring blitz in the second-half against the Waratahs in Wollongong with Brad Weber a constant threat. Only Joaquin Diaz Bonilla (14) made more kicks in play than Brad Weber (11), who also made three clean breaks and gained 74m from his seven carries on top of crossing for a brace of tries.

AND.... here is a rookie [less than 20 matches] TOTW for Round #6...

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.