This week's statistics, the Sydney match not withstanding, tell you that the scrums are getting much, much better with fewer collapses and resets. The statistics also tell you lots of mosts and leasts/fewest - ball in play time, tries, penalties, penalties goaled, stoppages. Then, too, they will tell how each team fared this weekend at line-outs - and guess which player conceded most penalties.

This week's statistics, the Sydney match not withstanding, tell you that the scrums are getting much, much better with fewer collapses and resets. The statistics also tell you lots of mosts and leasts/fewest - ball in play time, tries, penalties, penalties goaled, stoppages. Then, too, they will tell how each team fared this weekend at line-outs - and guess which player conceded most penalties.

Results, Round 7

Highlanders vs Brumbies, 26-20
Waratahs vs Chiefs, 23-16
Blues vs Cheetahs, 29-22
Bulls vs Hurricanes, 26-14 in Napier
Rebels vs Force, 26-25 in Perth
Reds vs Lions, 30-25 in Johannesburg
Stormers vs Sharks, 16-6 in Durban

Sanctions

Cited and suspended

Nobody. James Slipper was cited and not suspended.

Yellow cards

James Slipper (Reds) - tip tackle
James Horwill (Reds) - tackle infringement
Nathan White (Chiefs) - scrum infringement)
Tony Brown (Highlanders) - tackle infringement
Mark Gerrard (Rebels) - high tackle

Possession

(i) Highlanders vs Brumbies

Penalties conceded: 18

Highlanders: 10
Brumbies: 8

Reasons for the penalties:

Highlanders:
Tackle: 6 (Rutledge, Soakai, Treeby, Manu, Brown 2)
Offside: 1 (Donnelly*)
Scrums: 1 (King)
Discipline: 2 (Lynn - obstruction; Soakai - obstruction)

Brumbies:
Tackle: 5 (Ma'afu*, Edmunds*, Lealiifano, Alexander, Hand*)
Scrum: 2 (Ma'afu, Alexander)
Discipline: 1 (Andrew Smith - air tackle)

The Brumbies missed three penalty kicks at goal.

Free kicks conceded

Highlanders: 2 (scrums)
Brumbies: 0

Line-outs

Highlanders: 11
Brumbies: 15 (1 quick)

The line-outs were remarkably orderly.

Scrums

Highlanders: 8 (1 reset, 1 collapse, 1 free kick, 1 penalty)
Brumbies: 9 (3 resets, 4 collapses, 1 free kick, 2 penalties)

Drop-outs

Highlanders: 2
Brumbies: 1

Stoppages: 70

(ii) Waratahs vs Chiefs

Penalties conceded: 21

Waratahs: 11
Chiefs: 10

Reasons for the penalties:

Waratahs:
Tackle: 7 (Burgess 2, Waugh, Kepu, O'Connor, Mowen, Mumm)
Offside: 3 (Robinson*, Undetermined*, Ryan*)
Discipline: 1 (Mowen - obstruction)

Chiefs:
Tackle: 4 (Nanai-Williams, Taumalolo, Sivivatu*, Masaga)
Scrum: 4 (White* 4)
Discipline: 1 (Ross - collapsed maul)
Penalty try: 1 (Smith)

The Waratahs missed a penalty kick at goal, the Chiefs three.

Free kicks conceded

Waratahs: 0
Chiefs: 0

Line-outs

Waratahs: 8 (1 skew)
Chiefs: 7 (2 lost)

Scrums

Waratahs: 12 (6 reset, 7 collapses, 2 penalties 1 penalty try)
Chiefs: 6 (1 lost, 1 penalty)

Drop-outs

Waratahs: 3
Chiefs: 3

Stoppages: 66

(iii) Blues vs Cheetahs

Penalties conceded: 17

Blues: 8
Cheetahs: 9

Reasons for the penalties:

Blues:
Tackle: 6 (Rokocoko, Toeava, Mathewson, Lowrey*, Luamanu, Mailau)
Scrum: 1 (Mailau)
Discipline: 1 (Lowrey - obstruction)

Cheetahs:
Tackle: 2 (Steenkamp, Johnson)
Offside: 2 (Raubenheimer*, Pretorius)
Scrum: 3 (Oosthuizen 3)
Discipline: 2 (Louw - man without ball; Burger -0 knocking ball into touch)

The Blues missed a penalty kick at goal.

Free kicks conceded

Blues: 1 (mark)
Cheetahs: 1 (scrum)

Line-outs

Blues: 20 (2 lost, 2 quick)
Cheetahs: 11 (2 lost, 1 quick)

Scrums

Blues: 5 (3 collapses, 3 penalties)
Cheetahs: 10 (4 resets, 1 collapse, 1 free kick)

Drop-outs

Blues: 0
Cheetahs: 1

Stoppages: 70

(iv) Hurricanes vs Bulls

Penalties conceded: 23

Hurricanes: 10
Bulls: 13

Reasons for the penalties:

Hurricanes:
Tackle: 7 (Tialata 2, Hore* 3, Vito*, Lam)
Offside: 2 (Lilo*, Kirkpatrick*)
Scrum: 1 (Schwalger)

Bulls:
Tackle: 10 (Kirchner* 2, Olivier, Bakkies Botha*, Stegmann* 4, Greyling, Du Preez)
Offside: 3 (Bakkies Botha, Greyling, Gary Botha)

The Hurricanes missed three kicks at goal.

Free kicks conceded

Hurricanes: 1 (scrum)
Bulls: 0

Line-outs

Hurricanes: 15 (4 lost, 1 skew, 1 quick)
Bulls: 7 (2 skew, 1 quick)

Scrums

Hurricanes: 9 (1 free kick)
Bulls: 9 (1 collapse)

Drop-outs

Hurricanes: 0
Bulls: 1

Stoppages: 68

(v) Force vs Rebels

Penalties conceded: 20

Force: 13
Rebels: 7

Reasons for the penalties:

Force:
Tackle: 4 (Fairbrother 2, Cummins, Hodgson)
Offside: 1 (Longbottom*)
Scrum: 2 (Fairbrother** 2)

Rebels:
Tackle: 8 (Saffy* 2, Robinson* 3, Somerville, Weeks, Rooney)
Offside: 1 (Gerrard)
Scrum: 2 (Henderson, Weeks)
Discipline: 2 (Cipriani - obstruction; Gerrard - high tackle)

The Force missed two penalty kicks at goal.

Free kicks conceded

Force: 0
Rebels: 0

Line-outs

Force: 11(4 lost)
Rebels: 8 (3 lost, 1 quick)

Scrums

Force: 3 (2 collapses, 2 penalties)
Rebels: 9 (2 reset, 3 collapses, 1 penalty)

Drop-outs

Force: 0
Rebels: 2

Stoppages: 55

(vi) Lions vs Reds

Penalties conceded: 21

Lions: 7
Reds: 14

Reasons for the penalties:

Lions:
Tackle: 5 (Mapoe, Bulbring 2, La Grange, Van der Merwe)
Offside: 1 (Kockott*)
Discipline: 1 (Grobbelaar - man without ball)

Reds:
Tackle: 10 (Daley, Horwill** 2, Genia, Saia Faingaa, Wallace-Harrison, Anthony Faingaa 2, Cooper, Samo*)
Offside: 1 (Wallace-Harrison*)
Scrum: 2 (Slipper, Holmes)
Discipline: 1 (Slipper - tip tackle;)

The Lions missed three penalty kicks at goal, the Reds 1.

Free kicks conceded

Lions: 1 (mark)
Reds: 0

Line-outs

Lions: 15 (2 lost, 2 skew)
Reds: 15 (1 quick)

Scrums

Lions: 8 (1 resets, 3 collapses, 27 penalties, 1 wheel)
Reds: 2 (1 reset)

Both the Reds' put-ins were in the second half.

Drop-outs

Lions: 2
Reds: 2

Stoppages: 68

vii) Sharks vs Stormers

Penalties conceded: 14

Sharks: 7
Stormers: 7

Reasons for the penalties:

Sharks:
Tackle: 3 (Terblanche, Ndungane*, Mtawarira*)
Scrum: 3 (Mtawarira*, Jannie du Plessis, Smit)
Discipline: 1 (Smit - man without the ball)

Stormers:
Tackle: 3 (Blaauw*, Louw, Harris*)
Offside: 1 (De Jongh)
Scrum: 2 (Harris, Van der Linde)
Discipline: 1 (Bekker - man without the ball)

The Sharks missed three penalty kicks at goal.

Free kicks conceded

Sharks: 0
Stormers: 1 (line-out)

Line-outs

Sharks: 11 (3 lost)
Stormers: 8 (1 skew, 1 free kick)

Scrums

Sharks: 7
Stormers: 13 (2 reset, 5 collapses, 3 penalties, 1 lost)

Drop-outs

Sharks: 0
Stormers: 1

Stoppages: 57

Ball in Play

These are figures provided by Jan Taljaard who has been doing them for years. The average for a match of this kind is just over 33 minutes.

Highlanders vs Brumbies (Dickinson):
16 minutes 32 seconds + 20 minutes 5 seconds = 36 minutes 37 seconds

Waratahs vs Chiefs (Peyper):
12 minutes 48 seconds + 19 minutes 9 seconds = 31 minutes 57 seconds

Blues vs Cheetahs (Lawrence):
18 minutes 25 seconds + 16 minutes 24 seconds = 34 minutes 49 seconds

Hurricanes vs Bulls (White):
18 minutes 3 seconds + 17 minutes 2 seconds = 35 minutes 5 seconds

Western Force vs Rebels (Joubert):
17 minutes 22 seconds + 17 minutes 5 seconds = 34 minutes 27 seconds

Lions vs Reds (Munro):
13 minutes 51 seconds + 15 minutes 59 seconds = 29 minutes 50 seconds

Sharks vs Stormers (Kaplan):
18 minutes 7 seconds + 17 minutes 3 seconds = 35 minutes 10 seconds

Some Match Totals

Tries scored per match

Highlanders vs Brumbies, 3 + 3 = 6
Waratahs vs Chiefs, 2 + 1 = 3
Blues vs Cheetahs, 4 + 3 = 7
Hurricanes vs Bulls, 1 + 1 = 2
Force vs Rebels, 3 + 3 = 6
Lions vs Reds, 2 + 3 = 5
Sharks vs Stormers, 0 + 1 = 1

Penalties scored per match

Highlanders vs Brumbies, 3 + 1 = 4
Waratahs vs Chiefs, 3 + 3 = 6
Blues vs Cheetahs, 1 + 2 = 3
Hurricanes vs Bulls, 3 + 5 = 8
Force vs Rebels, 2 + 3 = 5
Lions vs Reds, 5 + 3 = 8
Sharks vs Stormers, 2 + 3 = 5

Tries for Week 7: 30
Tries for Week 6: 42
Tries for Week 5: 26
Tries for Week 4: 25
Tries for Week 3: 36
Tries for Week 2: 21
Tries for Week 1: 29

Penalties for Week 7: 39
Penalties for Week 6: 38
Penalties for Week 5: 42
Penalties for Week 4: 44
Penalties for Week 3: 45
Penalties for Week 2: 36
Penalties for Week 1: 37

Stoppages per Match

Blues vs Crusaders: 61
Brumbies vs Chiefs: 71
Hurricanes vs Highlanders: 75
Lions vs Bulls: 64
Rebels vs Waratahs: 91
Reds vs Force: 70
Sharks vs Cheetahs: 76

Highlanders vs Chiefs: 56
Rebels vs Brumbies: 61
Waratahs vs Reds: 77
Bulls vs Cheetahs: 53
Stormers vs Lions: 76
Sharks vs Blues: 71

Bulls vs Highlanders: 65
Chiefs vs Rebels: 82
Crusaders vs Waratahs: 70
Stormers vs Cheetahs: 73
Lions vs Blues: 56
Force vs Sharks: 73
Brumbies' vs Reds: 68

Crusaders vs Brumbies: 72
Rebels vs Sharks: 76
Stormers vs Highlanders: 73
Hurricanes vs Chiefs: 47
Force vs Blues: 65
Cheetahs vs Lions: 63

Chiefs vs Sharks, 72
Reds vs Rebels, 81
Highlanders vs Crusaders, 67
Blues vs Hurricanes, 58
Waratahs vs Cheetahs, 72
Lions vs Force, 71
Bulls vs Stormers, 71

Stormers vs Force, 72
Rebels vs Hurricanes, 65
Brumbies vs Waratahs, 50
Reds vs Cheetahs, 73
Crusaders vs Sharks, 47
Chiefs + Blues, 77
Bulls vs Lions, 69

Highlanders vs Brumbies, 70
Waratahs vs Chiefs, 66
Blues vs Cheetahs, 69
Hurricanes vs Bulls, 66
Force vs Rebels, 55
Lions vs Reds, 68
Sharks vs Stormers, 57

Sanctionary Cards per team

Blues: Y, Y
Brumbies: C
Bulls: Y
Cheetahs: Y, Y
Chiefs: Y, Y, Y
Crusaders: Y
Force: Y, R, Y, C, Y, Y
Highlanders: Y, Y, Y
Hurricanes: Y, Y, Y
Lions: Y, C
Rebels: Y, Y, Y, Y
Reds: Y, Y, Y, Y
Sharks:
Stormers: Y, Y, Y
Waratahs: Y, Y

Y = yellow card; R = red card; C = cited and suspended.

Tries per team

Blues: 3 + 0 + 5 + 1 + 5 + 1 + 4 = 19
Brumbies: 3 + 2 + 4+ 1 + 1 + 3 = 14
Bulls: 2 + 3 + 3 + 1 + 3 + 1 = 13
Chiefs: 3 + 1 + 4 + 3 + 0 + 2 + 1 = 14
Crusaders: 2 + 2 + 6 + 6 + 5 = 21
Cheetahs: 0 + 3 + 0 + 2 + 1 + 3 = 9
Force: 1 + 0 + 1 + 2 + 1 + 3 = 7
Highlanders: 1 + 2 + 4 + 0 + 1 + 3 = 11
Hurricanes: 0 + 2 + 1 + 2 + 1 = 6
Lions: 3 + 2 + 4 + 0 + 2 + 2 = 13
Rebels: 0 + 1 + 1 + 4 + 0 + 6 + 3 = 15
Reds: 2 + 0 + 1 + 7 + 6 + 3 = 19
Sharks: 2 + 2 + 5 + 4 + 0 + 4 + 0 = 17
Stormers: 1 + 0 + 0 + 1 + 6 + 1 = 9
Waratahs: 7 + 4 + 3 + 0 + 2 + 2 = 18

Penalties scored per team

Blues: 3 + 4 + 1 + 5 + 2 + 3 + 1 = 19
Brumbies: 3 + 3 + 1 + 1 + 5 + 1 = 14
Bulls: 4 + 2 + 3 + 2 + 3 + 5 = 19
Chiefs: 1 + 2 + 4 + 3 + 5 + 1 + 1 = 17
Crusaders: 4 + 4 + 4 + 2 + 3 = 17
Cheetahs: 3 + 2 + 5 + 5 + 3 + 1 + 2 = 21
Force: 5 + 4 + 5 + 5 + 3 + 2 = 24
Highlanders: 3 + 2 + 3 +2 + 2 + 3 = 15
Hurricanes: 3 + 5 + 4 + 1 + 3 = 16
Lions: 1 + 2 + 2 + 4 + 4 + 3 + 5 = 21
Rebels: 0 + 6 + 1 + 2 + 1 + 4 + 3 = 17
Reds: 3 + 2 + 7 + 2 + 1 + 3 = 18
Sharks: 4 + 4 + 2 + 2 + 3 + 2 + 2 = 19
Stormers: 4 + 7 + 6 + 6 + 3 + 3 = 29
Waratahs: 0 + 2 + 1 + 1 + 5 + 3 = 12

Penalties conceded per team

Blues: 11 + 8 + 12 + 12 + 10 + 7 + 8 = 68
Brumbies: 12 + 10 + 12 + 10 + 6 + 8 = 58
Bulls: 13 + 9 + 5 + 13 + 15 + 13 = 68
Chiefs: 7 + 13 + 13 + 7 + 9 + 15 + 10 = 74
Crusaders: 9 + 12 + 12+ 11 + 9 = 53
Cheetahs: 13 + 9 + 13 + 10 + 7 + 9 + 9 = 70
Force: 9 + 11 + 13 + 11 + 11 + 7 = 62
Highlanders: 13 + 10 + 9 + 10 +12 + 10 = 64
Hurricanes: 13 + 7 + 10 + 9 + 10 = 49
Lions: 9 + 15 + 4 + 13 + 8 + 10 + 7 = 66
Rebels: 13 + 8 + 12 + 14 + 8 + 12 = 67
Reds: 11 + 10 + 7 + 10 + 11 + 13 + 14 = 76
Sharks: 7 + 11 + 11 + 7 + 9 + 6 + 7 = 58
Stormers: 9 + 11 + 18 + 7 + 14 + 7 = 66
Waratahs: 9 + 10 + 9 + 6 + 15 + 11 = 60