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31
Wasps Rugby Discussion / OT - completely OT
« on: March 25, 2021, 09:22:44 AM »
Was told this "joke" by my granddaughter:
I bought an old record the other day called "Sounds Wasps Make" but when I played it, it sounded nothing like wasps.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
I was playing the bee side.
I bought an old record the other day called "Sounds Wasps Make" but when I played it, it sounded nothing like wasps.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
I was playing the bee side.
32
Wasps Rugby Discussion / Interesting move by Wasps
« on: March 22, 2021, 02:51:13 PM »
Today's press conference included Wasps Ladies DoR and one of the players (Kate Adler) as well as Lee.
Does this mean a closer relationship with the Ladies is coming e.g. more matches at the Ricoh?
Does this mean a closer relationship with the Ladies is coming e.g. more matches at the Ricoh?
33
Wasps Rugby Discussion / Cruse out for 6 weeks, and Brookes needs X-ray
« on: March 20, 2021, 09:07:30 AM »34
Wasps Rugby Discussion / OT - Why are supermarkets still selling free-range eggs?
« on: March 14, 2021, 10:00:56 AM »
Went to do our weekly shop yesterday evening, and popped into Sainsbury's and Morrisons (High Wycombe).
We never buy eggs as we keep chickens, but noticed both had stocks of "British free range eggs".
However, since early December, all chickens, whether commercial or privately owned, in Britain have had to be kept indoors, under DEFRA Avian Flu regulations - our chickens are really peed-off about it!
Now, it is usual to sell eggs within 21 days of laying, so there is no way that any British free-range eggs on sale now could be free-range.
We never buy eggs as we keep chickens, but noticed both had stocks of "British free range eggs".
However, since early December, all chickens, whether commercial or privately owned, in Britain have had to be kept indoors, under DEFRA Avian Flu regulations - our chickens are really peed-off about it!
Now, it is usual to sell eggs within 21 days of laying, so there is no way that any British free-range eggs on sale now could be free-range.
35
Wasps Rugby Discussion / Coventry sign Callum and Mario
« on: February 10, 2021, 11:54:15 AM »
Callum Sirker and Mario Pichardie both signed by Cov. and dual contracts.
They have also signed James Harper (Sale), Cameron Jordan (Glos) and Sam Lewis (Tigers) also on dual contracts.
They have also signed James Harper (Sale), Cameron Jordan (Glos) and Sam Lewis (Tigers) also on dual contracts.
36
Wasps Rugby Discussion / Sirs for saturday
« on: February 03, 2021, 08:58:18 AM »
Saturday 6 February
Wasps v Northampton Saints (Ricoh Arena) - Live on BT Sport Extra 2, programme starts at 1pm, kick-off at 1pm
Referee: Adam Leal
Assistant Referees: George Selwood and Robert Warburton
TMO: Stuart Terheege
Citing Officer: Andy Blyth
Wasps v Northampton Saints (Ricoh Arena) - Live on BT Sport Extra 2, programme starts at 1pm, kick-off at 1pm
Referee: Adam Leal
Assistant Referees: George Selwood and Robert Warburton
TMO: Stuart Terheege
Citing Officer: Andy Blyth
37
Wasps Rugby Discussion / Four Wasps in Flats' Team of the Saeason So Far
« on: January 22, 2021, 08:49:40 AM »
Tom Cruse, Joe Launchbury, Paolo Odogwu and Josh Bassett
https://www.premiershiprugby.com/watch/flats-xv-season-so-far
https://www.premiershiprugby.com/watch/flats-xv-season-so-far
39
Wasps Rugby Discussion / Newcastle Players
« on: January 11, 2021, 07:25:14 PM »
Watching the highlights on TV, and all the Newcatle players had some device taped to just below their right ear.
Anyone know what they are?
Anyone know what they are?
40
Wasps Rugby Discussion / Weekend round-up: Bears go top while Bath win 11-try (now corrected)
« on: January 11, 2021, 03:10:21 PM »
So says headine of PRLs weekend round up.
At least they get it right in the actual text of the article, and have corrected it now
At least they get it right in the actual text of the article, and have corrected it now
41
Wasps Rugby Discussion / Article from Telegraph about Wasps v Bath Front Rows
« on: January 07, 2021, 11:39:13 AM »Prop Idol – How Wasps' visit to Bath will give a glimpse into England's front-row strength-in-depth
Subplot includes two former school friends and housemates, Tom West and Will Stuart, propping against each other
By Charles Richardson 7 January 2021 • 7:30am
With the Six Nations on the horizon – Covid permitting – Eddie Jones’s options at prop are hardly scant. The incumbents, Mako Vunipola and Kyle Sinckler, have Test caps for the British and Irish Lions – and will add to them whenever the Lions may play again – while their understudies, Ellis Genge and Will Stuart, would be first choices for many other international teams.
On Friday night however, when in-form Wasps travel to out-of-form Bath, the pretenders to the throne could stake their claim in a showdown of the all-English front rows. In the black, blue and white corner, Stuart and the uncapped Beno Obano; in black and gold, for the visitors, will be Kieran Brookes and the uncapped Tom West, both of whom have been playing some of their most pugnacious rugby of late. In between the four of them, incidentally, there might be two more Englishmen: Tom Dunn, England’s third-choice hooker, and the uncapped Tom Cruse.
While the sextet will be well aware that scrum dominance in a one-off audition will not bring promotion up the England pecking order, the quality of the two respective front rows is such that any scrum dominance would be duly noted by Jones and Matt Proudfoot, his forwards lieutenant.
Adding spice, if it were needed, is that both Stuart and Obano are former Wasps, learning their craft at the club’s former London base. Since those days, Stuart has won eight caps for England – all in 2020 – while Obano has been ubiquitous in training squads since his nine-month recovery from a knee injury, and featured in a non-capped match against the Barbarians in 2019.
While Brookes, who has not featured for England since the 2016 Grand Slam, and West have been impressive for Wasps, Friday could separate the contenders from those of international class.
At the heart of this prop pageant, however, is a more intriguing subplot. Both West and Stuart, who might literally go head to head, have history, of the playful kind. The 24-year-olds have been close friends since they were 13; they played on either side of the scrum in the same school team at Radley College; and they were housemates coming through the Wasps academy. As West tells Telegraph Sport, the texts have “already been flying”.
“We started against each other after the first lockdown,” he says. “When we went down for the first scrum, there was a bit of smirking and laughing – genuinely. But we have been mates since we were 13. It’s surreal.”
Surreal, perhaps, but the friendship is one that is founded on veritable spirit and kinship.
The loosehead tells of his “pride” of seeing his old mucker running out for England. “I am so happy for him,” West adds. “Watching all the England games, I’m always so proud to watch him even if this weekend we’ll potentially be going head to head.”
West’s form, alongside Brookes, has been the cornerstone of Wasps’ recent revival, with defence coach Ian Costello identifying his pack’s set-piece work as one of the “key ingredients” in the purple patch. They have won their past four matches after a temperate start to the season, and West started in three.
But the loosehead has had to bide his time. Despite making his Wasps senior debut in 2016, West only managed 12 first-team appearances over the subsequent three seasons. Since head coach Lee Blackett took charge, however, West has cemented the starting loosehead berth. He has been almost ever-present, attributing his revival to the atmosphere at Wasps.
“All the coaches have been great and it’s such a good environment to grow in as a player,” he says.
“Since the beginning of the year, one of my big work-ons has been the line-out, so [forwards coach] Richard Blaze has been on to me about that.
“But you can’t really be perceived as having a good game as a prop if you’re conceding a penalty at every scrum – even if you’re setting the world alight around the park. You wouldn’t be doing your job for the team.”
As evidenced against Sale and Exeter, West has been going above and beyond in doing his scrum job. For that, he thanks Wasps’ scrum guru Neil Fowkes, while also doffing his cap to the work of Costello and Matt Everard (breakdown coach). It is a trio with which the loosehead is familiar: on his loan spell at Nottingham, Everard was club captain, Fowkes in charge of the forwards and Gleeson head coach.
With West, it would seem, familiarity is breeding anything but contempt.
Comparison Table that was in article, but code held separately (technical thing that anyone who knows HTML will understand)
Wasps v Bath: Battle of the English props
Beno Obano
Club: Bath
Position: Loosehead prop
Caps: 0*
Age: 26
A regular in England training squads, Obano has fought back magnificently after nine months out due to knee and hamstring damage - sustained while training with England in 2018.
*Played in an uncapped fixture against the Barbarians in 2019
Will Stuart
Club: Bath
Position: Tighthead prop
Caps: 8
Age: 24
Although Kieran Brookes has more caps, Stuart is best placed to push on for further international recognition - the autumn established him as England's second-choice tighthead.
Tom West
Club: Wasps
Position: Loosehead prop
Caps: 0
Age: 24
The international virgin of the quartet, having never featured in the senior England set-up; West's current form could soon see that change, however.
Kieran Brookes
Club: Wasps
Position: Tighthead prop
Caps: 16
Age: 30
The forgotten man on the tighthead for England, Brookes has not featured since England's 2016 Grand Slam but he is back to his best.
42
Wasps Rugby Discussion / Two tries from Saturday's match up for try of the week
« on: January 04, 2021, 08:50:45 PM »
Unfortunately one is Capsticks.
The other is Lima's
The other is Lima's
43
Wasps Rugby Discussion / Josh, Joe, James and Tom
« on: January 04, 2021, 11:06:47 AM »
make the Telegraph's team of the weekend:
Here are the standout players from the first weekend of Gallagher Premiership action in 2021. Only four matches, but we thoroughly enjoyed the bunch of them.
15 Charles Piutau (Bristol Bears)
A first appearance of the season for one of the league's highest-paid players and Piutau produced a delightful one-handed pick-up to score on his return against Newcastle. Freddie Steward stood out for Leicester too.
Bristol Bears' Charles Piutau
Bristol Bears' Charles Piutau Credit: CAMERASPORT
14 Nemani Nadolo (Leicester Tigers)
Paolo Odogwu made tons of ground for Wasps but Nadolo's offload to set up a try for Harry Wells in Leicester's win over Bath was the kind of moment Tigers' fans must have been dreaming of when they signed him from Montpellier.
13 Semi Radradra (Bristol Bears)
Sadly his forward pass ruled out one of the tries of the season, but otherwise Radradra was dynamic as ever, making more ground than any other Bristol player and beating Newcastle defenders with his footwork.
12 Chris Harris (Gloucester)
Took a heavy hit from Daniel du Preez which brought another fine outing from the Scotland centre to an end, having set up Louis Rees-Zammit's try against Sale. Putting himself in the frame for the British and Irish Lions tour.
This delayed pass from Lloyd Evans is PERFECTION! 😍
And let's be honest, there's no catching Louis Rees-Zammit ⚡️
High quality from @gloucesterrugby! 🍒#GallagherPrem pic.twitter.com/i4ZPArCYUA
— Rugby on BT Sport (@btsportrugby) January 2, 2021
11 Josh Bassett (Wasps)
Bassett probably deserves a shot with England at some point given how well he has played for Wasps over the past couple of seasons. Great pace to put away Lima Sopoaga for this try against Exeter.
A statement victory for @WaspsRugby 🐝
• Five tries
• 29-point winning margin
• First team to beat Exeter this season
This score from @LimaSopoaga the pick of the bunch at the Ricoh Arena! 👏 pic.twitter.com/CW4VhY3XU2
— Rugby on BT Sport (@btsportrugby) January 2, 2021
10 AJ MacGinty (Sale Sharks)
A fine effort from George Ford on Sunday as the England No 10's spiral bomb kicks caused chaos for Bath. But MacGinty kept Sale in the game at Kingsholm, landing five penalties and a conversion for a first Sale win since Steve Diamond's exit.
9 Ben Spencer (Bath)
Not to be for Bath at Welford Road but Ben Spencer produced another special try to add to his collection of highlights since arriving at Farleigh House. Footballing skills; not bad.
"That is an unbelievable finish!"
Shapes to go one way, powers off in the other before chipping over the top and finishing with aplomb!
Take a bow, Ben Spencer 👏 pic.twitter.com/Rnx5c4K2bB
— Rugby on BT Sport (@btsportrugby) January 3, 2021
1 Ellis Genge (Leicester Tigers)
One of Leicester's chief ball carriers and he stood out again in the win over Bath, with Genge beating five defenders and making ground with ball in hand too, along with plenty of tackles. A nod for Simon McIntyre after his brace off the bench.
2 George Kloska (Bristol Bears)
Not bad at all for a first Premiership start by the 21-year-old Bristol hooker, who was drafted in with Bristol missing three front-line hookers from the first-team squad and fared well, scoring Bristol's bonus-point try and making an impressive 19 tackles.
✅ New year
✅ First #GallagherPrem start
✅ Man of the Match
George Kloska speaks after the @BristolBears hand a first league defeat to the Falcons! pic.twitter.com/TCikbul8ps
— Rugby on BT Sport (@btsportrugby) January 1, 2021
3 Fraser Balmain (Gloucester)
Picked up his fifth Premiership try as Gloucester finished off a rolling maul to cross for the first try of the game at Kingsholm, and also finished with seven tackles on a busy afternoon.
4 Joe Launchbury (Wasps)
Quality performance from the England lock, setting up a try for James Gaskell and making an impressive 10 carries too. Perhaps he might make the Lions this time round after previously missing out.
5 Harry Wells (Leicester Tigers)
Showed good patience with a nice dummy before scoring for Leicester right after half-time against Bath, on the end of Nadolo's offload. Also produced a lineout steal and made eight tackles for Tigers.
6 James Gaskell (Wasps)
The Premiership veteran scored two tries for Wasps in the win over Exeter - Gaskell had managed 11 in his previous 182 league outings - and he was busy in defence too, weighing in with 11 tackles.
James Gaskell of Wasps breaks clear of Ollie Devoto to score their second try
James Gaskell of Wasps breaks clear of Ollie Devoto to score their second try Credit: GETTY IMAGES
7 Tom Willis (Wasps)
The Wasps No 8 shifts to flanker (normally his brother's spot in these selections) after another industrious display for Wasps in that win over the Chiefs, with Willis making a team-high 15 carries and 16 tackles.
8 Jasper Wiese (Leicester Tigers)
Turning out to be one of the signings of the season, with Wiese's work-rate at the back of that Leicester pack having been superb so far this season. Even with his yellow card, Wiese made a remarkable 115 metres from his 14 carries, beating eight defenders. Good weekends for Nathan Hughes at Bristol and Sale's Daniel du Preez (that hit on Harris aside).
Here are the standout players from the first weekend of Gallagher Premiership action in 2021. Only four matches, but we thoroughly enjoyed the bunch of them.
15 Charles Piutau (Bristol Bears)
A first appearance of the season for one of the league's highest-paid players and Piutau produced a delightful one-handed pick-up to score on his return against Newcastle. Freddie Steward stood out for Leicester too.
Bristol Bears' Charles Piutau
Bristol Bears' Charles Piutau Credit: CAMERASPORT
14 Nemani Nadolo (Leicester Tigers)
Paolo Odogwu made tons of ground for Wasps but Nadolo's offload to set up a try for Harry Wells in Leicester's win over Bath was the kind of moment Tigers' fans must have been dreaming of when they signed him from Montpellier.
13 Semi Radradra (Bristol Bears)
Sadly his forward pass ruled out one of the tries of the season, but otherwise Radradra was dynamic as ever, making more ground than any other Bristol player and beating Newcastle defenders with his footwork.
12 Chris Harris (Gloucester)
Took a heavy hit from Daniel du Preez which brought another fine outing from the Scotland centre to an end, having set up Louis Rees-Zammit's try against Sale. Putting himself in the frame for the British and Irish Lions tour.
This delayed pass from Lloyd Evans is PERFECTION! 😍
And let's be honest, there's no catching Louis Rees-Zammit ⚡️
High quality from @gloucesterrugby! 🍒#GallagherPrem pic.twitter.com/i4ZPArCYUA
— Rugby on BT Sport (@btsportrugby) January 2, 2021
11 Josh Bassett (Wasps)
Bassett probably deserves a shot with England at some point given how well he has played for Wasps over the past couple of seasons. Great pace to put away Lima Sopoaga for this try against Exeter.
A statement victory for @WaspsRugby 🐝
• Five tries
• 29-point winning margin
• First team to beat Exeter this season
This score from @LimaSopoaga the pick of the bunch at the Ricoh Arena! 👏 pic.twitter.com/CW4VhY3XU2
— Rugby on BT Sport (@btsportrugby) January 2, 2021
10 AJ MacGinty (Sale Sharks)
A fine effort from George Ford on Sunday as the England No 10's spiral bomb kicks caused chaos for Bath. But MacGinty kept Sale in the game at Kingsholm, landing five penalties and a conversion for a first Sale win since Steve Diamond's exit.
9 Ben Spencer (Bath)
Not to be for Bath at Welford Road but Ben Spencer produced another special try to add to his collection of highlights since arriving at Farleigh House. Footballing skills; not bad.
"That is an unbelievable finish!"
Shapes to go one way, powers off in the other before chipping over the top and finishing with aplomb!
Take a bow, Ben Spencer 👏 pic.twitter.com/Rnx5c4K2bB
— Rugby on BT Sport (@btsportrugby) January 3, 2021
1 Ellis Genge (Leicester Tigers)
One of Leicester's chief ball carriers and he stood out again in the win over Bath, with Genge beating five defenders and making ground with ball in hand too, along with plenty of tackles. A nod for Simon McIntyre after his brace off the bench.
2 George Kloska (Bristol Bears)
Not bad at all for a first Premiership start by the 21-year-old Bristol hooker, who was drafted in with Bristol missing three front-line hookers from the first-team squad and fared well, scoring Bristol's bonus-point try and making an impressive 19 tackles.
✅ New year
✅ First #GallagherPrem start
✅ Man of the Match
George Kloska speaks after the @BristolBears hand a first league defeat to the Falcons! pic.twitter.com/TCikbul8ps
— Rugby on BT Sport (@btsportrugby) January 1, 2021
3 Fraser Balmain (Gloucester)
Picked up his fifth Premiership try as Gloucester finished off a rolling maul to cross for the first try of the game at Kingsholm, and also finished with seven tackles on a busy afternoon.
4 Joe Launchbury (Wasps)
Quality performance from the England lock, setting up a try for James Gaskell and making an impressive 10 carries too. Perhaps he might make the Lions this time round after previously missing out.
5 Harry Wells (Leicester Tigers)
Showed good patience with a nice dummy before scoring for Leicester right after half-time against Bath, on the end of Nadolo's offload. Also produced a lineout steal and made eight tackles for Tigers.
6 James Gaskell (Wasps)
The Premiership veteran scored two tries for Wasps in the win over Exeter - Gaskell had managed 11 in his previous 182 league outings - and he was busy in defence too, weighing in with 11 tackles.
James Gaskell of Wasps breaks clear of Ollie Devoto to score their second try
James Gaskell of Wasps breaks clear of Ollie Devoto to score their second try Credit: GETTY IMAGES
7 Tom Willis (Wasps)
The Wasps No 8 shifts to flanker (normally his brother's spot in these selections) after another industrious display for Wasps in that win over the Chiefs, with Willis making a team-high 15 carries and 16 tackles.
8 Jasper Wiese (Leicester Tigers)
Turning out to be one of the signings of the season, with Wiese's work-rate at the back of that Leicester pack having been superb so far this season. Even with his yellow card, Wiese made a remarkable 115 metres from his 14 carries, beating eight defenders. Good weekends for Nathan Hughes at Bristol and Sale's Daniel du Preez (that hit on Harris aside).
44
Wasps Rugby Discussion / Happy New Year
« on: January 01, 2021, 12:00:22 AM »
Best wishes for a Happy New Year.
Let's hope we can all get together to watch our team again in 2021
Let's hope we can all get together to watch our team again in 2021
45
Wasps Rugby Discussion / and the best ball-carrying forward in Europe is...
« on: December 22, 2020, 09:38:52 AM »
Well you can guess from this Telegraph article
Who is the best ball-carrying forward in European rugby?
Rugby nerd: Telegraph Sport digs into data from the Premiership, Pro14, Top14, Challenge Cup and Champions Cup to find the answer
By Jake Goodwill 21 December 2020 • 3:23pm
Getting over the gainline is as fundamental as ever to the game of rugby. Front foot ball is absolutely the key to breaking down defences that otherwise become organised and ready to sprint off the line.
Having individuals that can break tackles, and find metres where none should be found, is invaluable. Alfie Barbeary has brought a new dimension to Wasps with his abrasive ball carrying while Jake Polledri has been putting defenders on their backsides for fun over the last couple of seasons.
But who are the best forwards in Europe, statistically, at getting over the gainline? Some of the usual suspects make the list, alongside some players that you would not necessarily associate with ball carrying.
The stats used to assess this are from the Premiership, Pro14, Top14, European Challenge Cup and Heineken Champions Cup since the start of the 2018/19 season. All 1,026 forwards who have played 400+ minutes in that time have been ranked.
By average metres per carry
Peceli Yato, the dynamic Clermont back rower, tops this chart with only Barbeary within touching distance. This metric rewards power per carry, as opposed to the frequency of the work. Nevertheless, it is impressive for a player as young as Barbeary to be towards the top of the tree.
Guy Thompson, formerly of Wasps and Leicester, now at Ealing Trailfinders, was a leading light for Tigers during a relatively dark period. A fine player who packs a punch, as the stats show.
The other thing to note here is the effectiveness of Cameron Woki, the French flanker that was given a run at the end of the Autumn Nations Cup. Despite playing more minutes than anyone else on the list, Woki's ability to get over the gainline endures across a 40 game sample size. Impressive from the 22-year-old.
By carries over the gainline per 80 minutes
Barbeary takes the number one spot by this metric, illustrating he carries with frequency alongside with devastating power. He averages one and a half carries over the gainline more than the next best forward.
Georgian powerhouse Otari Giorgadze, who was extremely impressive in the 2019 Rugby World Cup, and Ulster's Marcell Coetzee are next in line - alongside Perpignan lock Michael Faleafa.
Worth noting is the work of young lock Ryan Baird, tipped to be the next big thing in Irish rugby, while Zach Mercer, who has been criticised for not being big and powerful enough to cut international rugby, comes out well.
By metres gained per 80 minutes
In terms of pure meterage, Barbeary and Yato dominate once more, with Nathan Hughes and Viliame Mata also near the top. Mercer, Giorgadze and exciting French youngster Jordan Joseph all feature.
This metric is perhaps less useful than the previous two, as the data can be skewed by one carry that makes a lot of ground.
By percentage of carries over the gainline
This last metric essentially shows who gets knocked back in the tackle with the least frequency when tackled. Interestingly, by this metric, a lot of the star names fall off the list - apart from Barbeary, of course. Henry (Brandon) Brown of the Southern Kings wins this category, with Italian veteran Alessandro Zanni a surprise second place.
Ronan Kelleher, the dynamic Leinster and Ireland hooker, makes the list, successfully getting the consistent gainline success that all front rowers desire.
Verdict
To summarise, the statistics produced by Barbeary are scarily impressive. He ranks top for metres gained per 80 minutes and carries over the gainline per 80 minutes, also ranking second for average gain per carry and fifth for gainline success rate. All this should be, of course, with the caveat that Barbeary's sample size is relatively small. For that reason, it would be wrong to proclaim the 20-year-old the best ball carrying forward in Europe. However, these statistics underlie what a special talent he is and the fact he may well be on the way to earning that accolade.
A word too for Yato, who is the only other player that can rival Barbeary by these metrics. The Fijian has the ability to decimate professional defences, as borne out by the statistics.
Who is the best ball-carrying forward in European rugby?
Rugby nerd: Telegraph Sport digs into data from the Premiership, Pro14, Top14, Challenge Cup and Champions Cup to find the answer
By Jake Goodwill 21 December 2020 • 3:23pm
Getting over the gainline is as fundamental as ever to the game of rugby. Front foot ball is absolutely the key to breaking down defences that otherwise become organised and ready to sprint off the line.
Having individuals that can break tackles, and find metres where none should be found, is invaluable. Alfie Barbeary has brought a new dimension to Wasps with his abrasive ball carrying while Jake Polledri has been putting defenders on their backsides for fun over the last couple of seasons.
But who are the best forwards in Europe, statistically, at getting over the gainline? Some of the usual suspects make the list, alongside some players that you would not necessarily associate with ball carrying.
The stats used to assess this are from the Premiership, Pro14, Top14, European Challenge Cup and Heineken Champions Cup since the start of the 2018/19 season. All 1,026 forwards who have played 400+ minutes in that time have been ranked.
By average metres per carry
Peceli Yato, the dynamic Clermont back rower, tops this chart with only Barbeary within touching distance. This metric rewards power per carry, as opposed to the frequency of the work. Nevertheless, it is impressive for a player as young as Barbeary to be towards the top of the tree.
Guy Thompson, formerly of Wasps and Leicester, now at Ealing Trailfinders, was a leading light for Tigers during a relatively dark period. A fine player who packs a punch, as the stats show.
The other thing to note here is the effectiveness of Cameron Woki, the French flanker that was given a run at the end of the Autumn Nations Cup. Despite playing more minutes than anyone else on the list, Woki's ability to get over the gainline endures across a 40 game sample size. Impressive from the 22-year-old.
By carries over the gainline per 80 minutes
Barbeary takes the number one spot by this metric, illustrating he carries with frequency alongside with devastating power. He averages one and a half carries over the gainline more than the next best forward.
Georgian powerhouse Otari Giorgadze, who was extremely impressive in the 2019 Rugby World Cup, and Ulster's Marcell Coetzee are next in line - alongside Perpignan lock Michael Faleafa.
Worth noting is the work of young lock Ryan Baird, tipped to be the next big thing in Irish rugby, while Zach Mercer, who has been criticised for not being big and powerful enough to cut international rugby, comes out well.
By metres gained per 80 minutes
In terms of pure meterage, Barbeary and Yato dominate once more, with Nathan Hughes and Viliame Mata also near the top. Mercer, Giorgadze and exciting French youngster Jordan Joseph all feature.
This metric is perhaps less useful than the previous two, as the data can be skewed by one carry that makes a lot of ground.
By percentage of carries over the gainline
This last metric essentially shows who gets knocked back in the tackle with the least frequency when tackled. Interestingly, by this metric, a lot of the star names fall off the list - apart from Barbeary, of course. Henry (Brandon) Brown of the Southern Kings wins this category, with Italian veteran Alessandro Zanni a surprise second place.
Ronan Kelleher, the dynamic Leinster and Ireland hooker, makes the list, successfully getting the consistent gainline success that all front rowers desire.
Verdict
To summarise, the statistics produced by Barbeary are scarily impressive. He ranks top for metres gained per 80 minutes and carries over the gainline per 80 minutes, also ranking second for average gain per carry and fifth for gainline success rate. All this should be, of course, with the caveat that Barbeary's sample size is relatively small. For that reason, it would be wrong to proclaim the 20-year-old the best ball carrying forward in Europe. However, these statistics underlie what a special talent he is and the fact he may well be on the way to earning that accolade.
A word too for Yato, who is the only other player that can rival Barbeary by these metrics. The Fijian has the ability to decimate professional defences, as borne out by the statistics.