Here is a breakdown of some key stats, courtesy of our Insights Partner Sage, with their insights we can look at the tactical battles from the two matches that proved pivotal to the games’ outcomes.
All graphics are courtesy of Opta Analyst and Stats Perform.
Ireland 13-23 New Zealand
The All Blacks demonstrated their mettle with a composed and dominant 10-point victory over Ireland under the Friday night lights in Dublin.
An Ireland team whose attack is normally fluid and deadly was massively off the mark. Andy Farrell’s men only managed one line-break, equalling their lowest tally under Farrell (a scrappy win against Australia two years ago).
At the breakdown, it was another inaccurate affair. Usually a strong area for Ireland, their 92% ruck success rate was uncharacteristically low. It was their worst performance in this department since a 91% showing against Wales in 2020.
Discipline was the deciding factor. Ireland conceded 13 penalties compared to New Zealand's five. The All Blacks capitalised on this advantage, slotting six penalties - their most in a match since the second British and Irish Lions Test in 2017. They sealed victory with a Will Jordan try in the dying stages to put the game to bed.
Fly-half Damian McKenzie was on fine form from the boot once again, converting six out of seven penalties into three points, keeping the All Blacks score ticking over before Jordan’s killer blow hammered the nail in the Irish coffin in the 70th minute.
Compared to last week’s expected kick success (58%), this was supposed to be a much easier week for McKenzie off the boot. With the average kick success up to 82%, he claimed 18 points out of the expected 17.3.
England 37-42 Australia
England’s struggles to turn tight losses into wins under Steve Borthwick continued as they succumbed to a fourth consecutive defeat, their worst streak since 2018.
England have held the lead in all four of these losses going into the final 20 minutes, but they have been pipped at the post by their opposition.
It was a high-scoring battle at the Allianz Stadium with a combined 79 points registered by both teams, but crucially England conceded 42 out of the 79 points, which is the second-most by a visiting side at the Allianz Stadium. Only France (53) scored more, in the 2023 Guinness Men’s Six Nations.
Australia’s attack wreaked havoc against the new-look Joe El-Abd English defence, registering 13 line breaks - the most any team has made versus England since Opta have recorded this data.
They beat 36 defenders in the process with Wallabies prop Angus Bell topping the leaderboard, beating nine defenders - the most by a Tier 1 prop in a match since Opta have recorded this data - while carrying 14 times in his 71-minute shift.
Debutant Joseph Aukuso-Sua’ali’i, 21, stole the show for Australia. The former NRL star shone at outside centre, in his first rugby union game since he was a schoolboy. He offloaded four times, the most of any player in the game.
Italy 18–50 Argentina
Argentina dominated the Italians in Udine, extending their unbeaten run against Italy to nine matches, producing their most dominant performance against the Azzurri to date while scoring 50 points. The Pumas’ try haul was a record against the Italians.
Argentina turned the heat up in the second half, scoring five tries and conceding just one. Argentina have scored 24 second-half tries this year and are tied with Scotland for the most among Tier 1 nations, averaging 2.4 second-half tries per game.
Despite the heavy loss, Italy showed some real attacking flair and sharpness, beating 35 defenders in the process, with Argentina beating 38 defenders - stats that neither team’s defensive coaches will be particularly happy with. This marked only the second time in Tier 1 history that both sides surpassed 35 defenders beaten in a single game (the other being England’s draw with Scotland in 2019).
Argentina fullback Juan Cruz Mallia topped the attacking charts over the weekend with a staggering 18 carries, carrying for over 170 metres and beating three defenders.
France 52-12 Japan
France was the sole European team to claim victory in the first full weekend of the Autumn Nations Series, outclassing Japan with a dominant display.
Efficiency was key. France capitalised on their attacking efforts with fewer carries (137 to Japan’s 167) and fewer metres carried (900 to Japan’s 1,224), and converted the opportunities they were presented with. Out of their 13 line breaks, 1.6 of them resulted in a French score. They were also clinical when they entered the ‘red zone’ (inside Japan’s 22-metre line) averaging 3.7 points per visit (14 visits).
Returning scrum-half Antoine Dupont orchestrated the attack masterfully in his first Test match in over 12 months, assisting two tries and creating six line-breaks - just shy of the all-time record.
Defensively, Les Bleus were relentless, making 234 one tackles to Japan’s 94, and importantly only missing 28 of them, meaning they had a tackle success of 88%. France have only made more tackles twice in a Test match since Opta have recorded this data.
Wales 19-24 Fiji
Fiji marked the 60th anniversary of their first-ever tour to Cardiff by claiming their first-ever victory over Wales at the Principality Stadium.
Despite being reduced to 13 players in the first half, Fijian fly-half Caleb Muntz delivered a stunning solo try to spark the comeback.
Muntz’s moment of brilliance came when Wales led by 11 and looked poised to pull away, with their live win probability peaking at 94%. Instead, Fiji kept Wales scoreless for the rest of the half and took the lead early in the second.
The visitors’ attack outshone Wales’, gaining over 100 more carry metres (807 to 638), more than doubling their line-breaks (7 to 3) and beating more defenders.
Muntz was the difference between the two sides, with the young fly-half in fine form, nailing five out of six shots at goal with an average kick difficulty of 74% success probability. He kept the scoreboard ticking and his side constantly in the game. He also carried 10 times for 125 metres with only Vuate Karawalevu carrying for more metres in the game (127 metres).
Scotland 15-32 South Africa
Scotland put up a spirited fight against the reigning world champions, but their hard work was undone by their inability to capitalise on crucial opportunities, making 17 handling errors. Despite making six entries into the South African 22, they managed just six points - an average of one point per visit.
Scotland were dangerous with the ball in hand beating 26 defenders compared to South Africa’s 17. But the Springboks’ efficiency was lethal, converting nine red-zone entries into an average of 3.2 points each, putting on a classic display of ruthless power and creativity to get over the white line.
Pinpoint kicking from Handré Pollard and Willie Le Roux set up two tries, showcasing the Springboks’ blend of power and finesse.
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