As the dust begins to settle on Wales’ disappointing Six Nations campaign, you start to get a clearer idea of just where things went wrong via the final tournament stats.
They confirm certain suspicions and reveal other issues, while also providing an insight into individual performances.
The try tally gives an immediate indication of the shortcomings of Wayne Pivac’s team in attack, with the whitewash only being crossed eight times in five matches, a dramatic decline from the 20 during last year’s title triumph. But delve deeper and you start to see where the troubles really lie on that front.
Wales made the second-most carries in the tournament, but are well down the chart on metres made and bottom but one when it comes to defenders beaten, with breaking tackles and crossing the gain-line proving a persistent problem.
The breakdown was another area of concern and the figures are telling there too, with their tally of turnovers won being the second lowest. It’s such an important part of the game these days and it’s no coincidence Grand Slam-winning France are well out in front on that metric.
Issues at the breakdown also contributed to Wales conceding the second-most penalties, while only Italy missed more tackles. So both indiscipline and defence are departments that need plenty of work, while they won the fewest lineout of any team.
The more you look at it, the more you can identify the fundamental flaws that undermined their campaign.
You can read more about the contract situation of the under-pressure Pivac here. You can also read our explainer on the deep-rooted problems facing Welsh rugby here.
From a tournament perspective, it’s intriguing that France made the least metres, yet won every game. Where they were well out in front was in terms of metres kicked, providing a clear insight into their tactical approach.
Just like South Africa did in winning the World Cup, Les Bleus adopted a hugely effective kicking strategy, earning themselves a territorial foothold which they backed up with a Shaun Edwards-inspired defence, with their tackle completion rate and turnover tally being the best of the bunch. Sometimes it really is better not to have the ball!
On the individual front, there is plenty to unpick from the stats. Second row Adam Beard was the only Welsh player to be on the field for every minute of every match and he also topped their charts in terms of lineouts won and tackles made.
Fellow second row Will Rowlands posted some impressive figures, reflecting what a fine campaign he had. He was top of the tree for turnovers and lineout steals, while second for both carries and tackles. It was some all-round effort from the 30-year-old who would have been even better had he not been harshly benched for the final game against Italy.
READ MORE: It's hard for Wayne Pivac to come back from this, but he shouldn't be the scapegoat
Elsewhere, the stats reveal mixed fortunes for some players. Full-back Liam Williams made the most carries and the most metres, but also conceded the most turnovers. It’s a similar story for winger Josh Adams who broke the most tackles, but gave away the most penalties, while both of them picked up yellow cards.
One player who deserves a special mention looking at the stats is hooker Dewi Lake. He was only on the field for 156 minutes, but put in 28 carries for 132 metres, made 28 tackles and won three turnovers. He has been a real find and has a big future ahead of him.
Finally, what about the tournament’s best performers overall? Well, Gregory Alldritt’s inclusion on a three-man shortlist for Player of the Six Nations is backed up by his stats, with the French No. 8 topping the charts for both carries and turnovers, while also figuring high up on offloads.
But what is also notable is the Italians who are leading the way in various categories. The outstanding Monty Ioane beat the most defenders - 21 of them - and produced the most offloads, while coming second only to Stuart Hogg for metres made.
No. 8 Toa Halafihi is joint top for turnovers, lock Federico Ruzza has leapt to the top of the lineout ladder and inspirational skipper Michele Lamaro put in the most tackles. Not for the first time in the past week you have to say Forza Italia!
TEAM STATS
Tries
24 - Ireland
17 - France
10 - Scotland
8 - England
8 - Wales
5 - Italy
Carries
694 - Ireland
617 - Wales
581 - Scotland
558 - England
496 - France
468 - Italy
Metres Made
4569 - Ireland
4219 - Scotland
3921 - England
3784 - Wales
3022 - Italy
2956 - France
Metres Kicked
5424 - France
4543 - Italy
4350 - Wales
4202 - Scotland
3737 - England
3457 - Ireland
Successful Tackles
827 - Italy
766 - Wales
666 - Scotland
633 - France
595 - England
559 - Ireland
Tackles Missed
130 - Italy
98 - Wales
90 - England
83 - Scotland
69 - France
66 - Ireland
Defenders Beaten (Tackles Broken)
128 - Scotland
98 - Ireland
87 - France
78 - Italy
74 - Wales
71 - England
Turnovers Won
33 - France
26 - Scotland
25 - Italy
25 - England
22 - Wales
19 - Ireland
Turnovers Conceded
81 - Ireland
58 - Scotland
55 - France
53 - Italy
51 - Wales
49 - England
Handling Errors
82 - Ireland
71 - Scotland
69 - France
62 - Wales
44 - England
41 - Italy
Penalties Conceded
61 - Scotland
56 - Wales
51 - England
50 - Ireland
47 - France
46 - Italy
Lineouts Won
70 - Ireland
67 - Scotland
62 - France
58 - England
57 - Italy
56 - Wales
WALES PLAYER STATS
Minutes Played
400 - Adam Beard
389 - Dan Biggar
329 - Will Rowlands
322 - Owen Watkin
305 - Josh Adams
290 - Liam Williams
261 - Nick Tompkins
255 - Louis Rees-Zammit
240 - Taulupe Faletau
240 - Alex Cuthbert
239 - Ryan Elias
217 - Tomas Francis
215 - Taine Basham
215 - Tomos Williams
208 - Wyn Jones
206 - Ross Moriarty
Carries
47 - Liam Williams
42 - Will Rowlands
36 - Taulupe Faletau
35 - Alex Cuthbert
34 - Owen Watkin
30 - Ryan Elias
30 - Taine Basham
28 - Dewi Lake
27 - Josh Adams
26 - Gareth Thomas
25 - Nick Tompkins
25 - Ross Moriarty
Metres Made
383 - Liam Williams
319 - Alex Cuthbert
261 - Josh Adams
230 - Owen Watkin
222 - Louis Rees-Zammit
217 - Will Rowlands
213 - Taulupe Faletau
169 - Taine Basham
152 - Ryan Elias
Tackles Made
52 - Adam Beard
49 - Will Rowlands
46 - Taine Basham
46 - Ryan Elias
44 - Dan Biggar
39 - Nick Tompkins
39 - Taulupe Faletau
36 - Wyn Jones
35 - Ross Moriarty
34 - Tomas Francis
35 - Owen Watkin
Missed Tackles
9 - Taine Basham
9 - Nick Tompkins
7 - Tomas Francis
7 - Louis Rees-Zammit
7 - Dan Biggar
6 - Josh Adams
5 - Dillon Lewis
5 - Ross Moriarty
5 - Owen Watkin
4 - Johnny McNicholl
Defenders Beaten (Tackles Broken)
14 - Josh Adams
10 - Louis Rees-Zammit
10 - Alex Cuthbert
9 - Owen Watkin
5 - Tomos Williams
3 - Nick Tompkins
3 - Liam Williams
3 - Johnny McNicholl
Lineouts Won
17 - Adam Beard
14 - Ross Moriarty
10 - Will Rowlands
8 - Seb Davies
3 - Aaron Wainwright
2 - Alun Wyn Jones
Penalties Conceded
7 - Josh Adams
5 - Taine Basham
5 - Adam Beard
4 - Wyn Jones
4 - Ross Moriarty
4 - Alex Cuthbert
4 - Will Rowlands
3 - Dillon Lewis
Turnovers Won
4 - Will Rowlands
3 - Josh Navidi
3 - Dewi Lake
2 - Dillon Lewis
Turnovers Conceded
6 - Liam Williams
5 - Dewi Lake
4 - Josh Adams
4 - Ross Moriarty
3 - Alex Cuthbert
Handling Errors
10 - Dan Biggar
6 - Tomos Williams
4 - Kieran Hardy
4 - Liam Williams
4 - Louis Rees-Zammit
4 - Josh Adams
4 - Johnny McNicholl
TOURNAMENT'S TOP PERFORMERS
Total points
71 - Marcus Smith (England)
54 - Melvyn Jaminet (France)
35 - Johnny Sexton (Ireland)
34 - Dan Biggar (Wales)
33 - Finn Russell (Scotland)
Tries
3 - Gabin Villiere (France)
3 - Damian Penaud (France)
3 - James Lowe (Ireland)
Try Assists
4 - Romain Ntamack (France)
4 - Jamison Gibson-Park (Ireland)
3 - Finn Russell (Scotland)
Penalty Goals
17 - Marcus Smith (England)
12 - Melvyn Jaminet (France)
7 - Finn Russell (Scotland)
7 - Dan Biggar (Wales)
Passes Made
390 - Jamison Gibson-Park (Ireland)
287 - Ali Price (Scotland)
235 - Antoine Dupont (France)
206 - Tomos Williams (Wales)
Carries
65 - Gregory Alldritt (France)
56 - Stuart Hogg (Scotland)
55 - Garry Ringrose (Ireland)
51 - Monty Ioane (Italy)
47 - Liam Williams (Wales)
47 - Hugo Keenan (Ireland)
46 - Freddie Steward (England)
45 - Tadhg Beirne (Ireland)
Metres Made
653 - Stuart Hogg (Scotland)
498 - Monty Ioane (Italy)
491 - Freddie Steward (England)
439 - James Lowe (Ireland)
408 - Marcus Smith (England)
392 - Darcy Graham (Scotland)
389 - Garry Ringrose (Ireland)
388 - Hugo Keenan (Ireland)
382 - Liam Williams (Wales)
Successful Tackles
86 - Michele Lamaro (Italy)
70 - Hamish Watson (Scotland)
64 - Anthony Jelonch (France)
62 - Niccolo Cannone (Italy)
58 - Josh van der Flier (Ireland)
58 - Francois Cros (France)
Turnovers Won
6 - Gregory Alldritt (France)
6 - Toa Halafihi (Italy)
6 - Alex Dombrandt (England)
6 - Maro Itoje (England)
5 - Tadhg Beirne (Ireland)
5 - Rory Darge (Scotland)
5 - Danilo Fischetti (Italy)
5 - Jonathan Danty (France)
Offloads
9 - Monty Ioane (Italy)
8 - Cyril Baille (France)
8 - Antoine Dupont (France)
7 - Mack Hansen (Ireland)
7 - Gregory Alldritt (France)
6 - Stuart Hogg (Scotland)
Lineouts Won
28 - Federico Ruzza (Italy)
24 - Cameron Woki (France)
23 - Maro Itoje (England)
22 - Tadhg Beirne (Ireland)
17 - Adam Beard (Wales)
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