A look at the statistics show how gallant an effort it was by an Otago team which has been shorn of experience and was up against a strong, physical Auckland side.
Auckland had plenty of ball to win the game but Otago came out on top 34-26 to pick up a bonus point in the process.
Statistics taken by the analysis team for Otago showed the home side made a whopping 224 tackles in the game. Auckland made just 79 tackles.
To make 224 tackles in a game is sky high, with most teams generally making from 150 to 170 tackles per match.
Otago missed only 24 tackles so its success was up at about 90%, which again is very high, among the best by any team in the competition.
Otago lost the territory battle and the possession battle with Auckland.Auckland had 61% of possession and 64% of territory but it could not convert this advantage into points.Auckland made 14 line breaks while Otago made eight. Otago won all its nine scrums and lost just the one lineout.
Perhaps the most telling statistic was the ability to make the most of the time when the side got near the tryline.
When Otago entered the opposition 22m, it went away with points 71% of the time, and every time it went into the 22m zone it came away on average with 4.4 points.Auckland could only grab the opportunity 37% of the time and score 3.2 points when it entered the red zone.Auckland threw 203 passes in the game while Otago tallied only 72. Otago kicked 32 times against Auckland’s 20 kicks.
The win moved Otago to second on the Championship ladder.
It will not have much time to soak up the win as it is due to take on Northland in Whangarei on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, New Zealand Rugby released a statement yesterday saying Tasman centre Levi Aumua has been suspended for three weeks after being sent off in last Saturday’s match against Otago.Aumua was dismissed for a tip tackle on Otago loose forward Adam Knight.
Tasman won the match 29-27.Aumua’s clean disciplinary record, his apology and remorse were mitigating factors in discounting the six-week suspension to three.Aumua’s suspension from rugby takes in Tasman’s matches against Southland, Taranaki and North Harbour.