2003-2019 head to head: Dallaglio v Vunipola
How do the class of 2019 compare to the World Cup team of 2003? The Opta team at Stats Perform crunch the numbers.
In the fifth in our series, we take a look at the battle in the backrow and compare number 8 pair Lawrence Dallaglio and Billy Vunipola.
Appearances
Dallaglio played every game in England’s run to the final, with Vunipola missing the pool fixture against France, due to the match being cancelled because of typhoon Hagibis.
Attack
There was a try each for the pair, with Vunipola having a slightly higher carry ratio per minutes played.
There is a significant difference in the metres gained by the pair, Dallaglio with 326, compared to Vunipola’s 152. This gives Dallaglio a higher percentage of 46.1, while Vunipola hit 30.4 per minutes played.
However, defenders beaten also sees quite a contrast. Vunipola with 11 and Dallaglio just one.
This points to a difference in style between the pair.
Vunipola carries into heavy traffic a lot, which would account for the lack of metres, however he often bounces one or two attempted tackles away in the process to get the defenders beaten tally up.
Dallaglio with his background in sevens was probably more likely to pick up some metres in the slightly wider channels where there was more space but fewer defenders to beat.
Again their differentiating styles sees Vunipola with more than twice as many offloads which is a trademark of his game in contact.
There is also a change in rugby in general. Forwards are accounting for a higher percentage of defenders beaten in an average match.
Defence
Defensively the difference in their statistics also points to a change in international rugby trends over the years.
Vunipola with a tackle average of 8.4 per game, compared to Dallaglio’s 4.7.
Highlighted below are Rugby World Cup averages which also show how trends and styles in the game are changing.
As the Stats Perform Team at Opta explain in this article: "Modern players also boast greater fitness levels, allowing for higher intensity games with longer periods of continuous play. This has had a direct knock-on effect on number of carries and tackles made.
For more in our series of Rugby World Cup head-to-head articles, please click below:
