Key stats: Why the Bulls are leading the way in SA

The Bulls have made a steady start to the United Rugby Championship season, winning three out of their five matches played so far.

Jake White’s team have managed to collect 15 points and are in seventh place on the points table, ahead of the Stormers, Lions and Sharks.

The Citizen looks at how the Bulls have performed statistically in their first five games of the season, focusing on how they have done in the different aspects of the game and how they compare to the other 15 teams, according to the URC stats.

Attack: 1st/16

The Bulls have picked up from where they left off last season in terms of attack. Marshalled by flyhalf Johan Goosen, they have been impressive on the offensive this term, scoring 177 points along with 24 tries. David Kriel is the leading try scorer with four. The team have made 49 offloads, 38 clean breaks, 2,085 metres gained and 98 defenders beaten.

Defence 8th/16

Defence is the one area that let the Bulls down last season. White has stressed the importance of the defence being aggressive. At times they have looked disjointed and cut open easily but have fronted up well when under pressure. They have made 693 tackles with an 88% success rate, but missed 80 tackles, and lost 52 turnovers, to the 29 won.

Kicking 9th/16

The Bulls have not kicked a lot this season but when they have, it’s been effective and good. They have slotted five penalties and 21 conversions from the kicking tee, with Goosen leading the charge. They have had 125 kicks from hand with 15 retained plus one try from kicking. The Bulls have made 3,353 kicking metres.

Discipline 10th/16

The Bulls have been decent discipline-wise but could do better. They received three yellow cards and one red, which went to co-captain Marcell Coetzee. They have conceded 48 penalties, with five scrum offences, and two lineout offences.

Lineouts 10th/16

The lineouts department, which falls under former Springboks lock Andries Bekker, has done well so far. The Bulls have won 60 lineouts and only lost 12, resulting in an 83% success rate. They have made seven lineout steals, with lock Ruan Vermaak contributing three steals.

Scrums 1st/16

The Bulls’ scrums have been impressive, with both sets of their front rows performing when it comes to scrum engagements. They have won 32 scrums, having a success rate of 96% while winning 14 scrum penalties.