Dunedin love a good set piece.
Green Island have some real talent out wide.
Southern have Mackenzie Palmer and there is nothing he cannot do on a rugby paddock.
That is what we have noticed but what do the statistics tell us?
Well, they confirm most of that.
Palmer is the leading scorer in the Dunedin premier competition with 115 points. Kaikorai fullback Ben Miller (103) and Green Island star Finn Hurley (102) are the only two other players who have scored 100 or more points.
Palmer and Miller both pop up on the list of leading try-scorers as well. They have seven apiece, but Green Island outside back Samuel Nemec-Vial has the No 1 spot with 10 tries.
Dunedin pair Josh Augustine and Kyan Rangitutia and Kaikorai intercept king Jordan McEntee-Walters have nine each.
Taieri’s Alex Honey was the most accurate goal-kicker with more than 20 attempts during the round robin. He operated at 83%.
Honey’s team-mate, Brady Robertson, led the tackle count. The Eels hooker clocked 146, while Green Island rake Heath MacEwan came in second with 127.
Another front-rower completed the top three. Kaikorai prop Moana Takataka amassed 108 tackles.
Alhambra-Union’s Petelo Amato made the most total carries. He crunched it up 126 times, while Dunedin loosie Hame Toma hit more attacking breakdowns than anyone else.
Some of that work often goes unnoticed.
The team statistics confirmed what many suspected.
Dunedin have a quality pack. They have the most accurate scrum (96.5%) in the competition, while Green Island have the best lineout (87.9%).
Green Island used that lineout to good advantage as well. The Grizzlies scored 37 first-phase tries during the round robin, which was five more than any other team.
But they also scoop the naughtiest team award. They conceded the most penalties (148), while Southern and Taieri were tied for the puritanical prize with 111 penalties conceded apiece.
Zingari-Richmond collected the most yellow cards (15), and Kaikorai turned the ball over more than anyone else (136). They were pretty good at snaffling turnovers as well (98), but University won 107 turnovers and led the category.
Of course, none of this will make it any easier to pick a winner.
