Twist facts how you like, Tests still reign supreme

AS THE old saying goes: “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” The inference, of course, is that statistics can be used to defend a weak argument by the use of numbers, not facts.

- JEFF PROBYN

The long debate in the rugby world as to whether professionalism has delivered a better game has again been opened up to fill the space left by the lack of games.

A number of stats are used to show how different the game is now compared to the amateur era by comparing games at World Cups.

The argument that the ball was in play for an extra 11 minutes during all games in the last World Cup and there were more passes, rucks (which surprises me as there are no rucks in the professional game!) and mauls with fewer penalties, means, say its supporters, that the professional game is better.

It is a perfect example of statistics not telling the whole story because although those figures are right, it doesn’t explain how the game has changed to gain all those extra minutes etc.

Much of the modern professional game is about short drives at the side of breakdowns (neither a ruck or maul as in the amateur days) which occur at tackle situations.

This has increased the number of phases of play while not actually gaining much ground or improving the game as a spectacle because they all end in either a box kick or a popup pass to a forward who is tackled more or less level with the previous breakdown.