Adams v Merwe

Too close to call — 4–3 on categories

van der Merwe wins on missed tackles. Adams’s case rests on tackles. United Rugby Championship career: Adams 26 matches, van der Merwe 64 matches.

• Adams averages 3.6 tackles a match to van der Merwe’s 3.0 (17% more).
• van der Merwe averages 0.7 missed tackles a match to Adams’ 0.8.
• Adams is in form: 8 tries in the last 7 matches, 1.1 a match (0.4 on average).
• van der Merwe is in form: 6 tries in the last 5 matches, 1.2 a match (0.4 on average).
• Longevity: van der Merwe has 64 matches across 5 seasons, Adams 26 in 5 — the averages matter more than the totals here.
• 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.