Who are the top playmakers in Super Rugby who create scoring opportunities and therefore feature high on the try assist rankings?
Six rounds in and some familiar names are rising to the top of the 2019 Super Rugby player performance rankings. One particular ranking which features a host of household names is the try assists ladder. Top of the pile is Wallabies playmaker Quade Cooper who has provided the final touch for six tries already.
Joining Cooper in the top 10 are team mates Will Genia and Billy Meakes who have contributed five and four assists respectively, showing how crucial that trio are to the offensive successes of the Rebels.
Only one New Zealand based player makes the cut in this ranking so far with the ever threatening Damian McKenzie providing four assists in his 400 minutes of game time, a tally which includes two kick assists. The only other player to provide more than one assist via the boot is Bulls pivot Handre Pollard (2).
Whilst notching up tries and assists is definitely what keeps the scoreboard moving, it is worth looking deeper into the stats to see which players are not just creating tries but creating chances. Four players so far have made seven passes that have created a break, the most of anyone in Super Rugby this season, three Kiwis and an Australian, albeit one of those Kiwi’s plying his trade in Japan with the Sunwolves.
Hayden Parker’s exploits from the kicking tee may have stolen the plaudits this season (22/22) but he is not a one trick pony, creating attacking platforms for his team mates as well.
Half of the players on this ranking also feature on the top assisters list but three have been less prolific when it comes to finding the killer touch for tries. Kurtley Beale, Ryan Crotty and Josh Ioane all feature but all have just one assist each to their name so far, maybe if they can continue to create these chances then more will eventually be converted into the five-pointers they deserve.
