Adams v Merwe

Edwill van der Merwe takes it, 5–2 on categories

van der Merwe wins on tries — the try scorer of the two. Adams’s case rests on tackles, but it isn’t enough to swing it. Whole career: Adams 63 matches, van der Merwe 74 matches.

• van der Merwe has 35 tries (one every 2.1 matches) to Adams’ 25 tries (one every 2.5 matches).
• Adams averages 3.7 tackles a match to van der Merwe’s 2.9 (26% more).
• van der Merwe averages 2.4 points a match to Adams’ 2.0 (19% more).
• Best single match: Adams 3 tries, van der Merwe 2.
• Adams is in form: 6 tries in the last 8 matches, 0.8 a match (0.4 on average).
• van der Merwe is in form: 7 tries in the last 6 matches, 1.2 a match (0.5 on average).
• Winners’ edge: van der Merwe’s teams won 47%, Adams’s teams won 38% of the matches they played.
• Not every stat was recorded for every match (metres, tackles, clean breaks…): those averages use only the games that logged them.

Built only from games in our stats database. A read of the numbers, not a tip.