Week four of the Autumn Nations Series provided a thrilling and fitting finale with high-octane action combined with nerve-wracking finishes.
France stunned New Zealand in arguably the game of the weekend in Paris, while Eddie Jones’ England exacted some revenge on South Africa with a win at Twickenham after losing to the Springboks in the 2019 Rugby World Cup final.
Guinness Six Nations champions Wales were, like England, on the right side of a one-point scoreline with the narrowest of victories over 14-man Australia.
Elsewhere Italy beat Uruguay to give Kieran Crowley his first win in charge and Stuart Hogg crossed in Scotland’s win against Japan, helping his side to victory and taking him clear as his country’s record try-scorer, and Ireland finished with a flourish against Argentina.
Here is a look at the weekend in numbers.
25 – Captain Stuart Hogg scored his 25th try for Scotland, taking him past Ian Smith and Tony Stanger to become the country’s all-time top try-scorer. Hogg scored three tries in as many games after also registering a double in the defeat against South Africa.
2014 – Stuart Hogg, Darcy Graham and Duhan van der Merwe all scored for Scotland against Japan, the first time every member of Scotland’s starting back three have crossed the whitewash in the same game against Tier 1 opposition since November 2014 against Argentina.
5.7 – Darcy Graham beat 13 defenders in 181 minutes of action during the Autumn Nations Series. His average of 5.7 defenders per 80 minutes was the highest for any player to play in over 160 minutes.
1 – Italy won in Parma to open Kieran Crowley’s account as head coach at the third time of asking in the Autumn Nations Series.
18 – The number of tries Hame Faiva has scored in 41 PRO14 games, the hooker scored in this game off the bench on his Italy debut with fellow debutant Pierre Bruno crossing for the game’s first try.
17 – Uruguay’s Manuel Diana made 17 carries against Italy, more than any other player managed in a single game during the Autumn Nations Series.
18 – England won despite giving away 18 penalties, the most they have conceded in a match since Opta started recording data in 2010.
1 – Three of the last five meetings between England and South Africa have been decided by a single point.
22 – England are unbeaten in their last 22 games in which they have led at half-time. Eddie Jones’ side went in 17-12 up at the break against the Springboks. They have now won 42 out of 45 games where they have led at the interval since 2016.
90 – Player of the Match Freddie Steward’s catching percentage for the entire Autumn Nations Series after claiming 18 out of 20 kicks from full-back.
82:08 – The time on the clock when Rhys Priestland struck the winning penalty for Wayne Pivac’s men against the Wallabies.
3 – Wales have won their last three games against Australia, having lost the previous 13 in a row. It is their joint longest winning run against the Wallabies, equalling the three consecutive wins between 1969 to 1975.
18 – New Zealand went in at half-time 24-6 down, a deficit of 18 points – their highest ever at the halfway stage of a Test match.
15 – France’s margin of victory, 15 points, means it was Les Bleus’ biggest ever win over the All Blacks, trumping the 14-point triumph in 1994. It is also New Zealand’s second heaviest defeat to a European team after the 38-21 loss to England in 2012.
7 – The number of tries Damian Penaud has scored for France in 2021, the highest tally in a calendar year for a decade since Vincent Clerc crossed 11 times in 2011. It is also the seventh time New Zealand have conceded 40 points, three of which have come against France, the most of any team.
2 – New Zealand, after defeat to Ireland in week three, have lost consecutive games to European teams for the first time since 1993-94 when they lost 2-0 in a home series against France.
8 – Captain Antoine Dupont beat eight defenders against New Zealand, the most of any player on the final weekend of the Autumn Nations Series. Only Cheslin Kolbe, 11 at the Rugby World Cup 2019, has beaten more in games against the All Blacks since this data was first recorded.
119 – Melvyn Jaminet made 119 metres against New Zealand, the second highest metres gained against the All Blacks by a player from the northern hemisphere since 2010.
99 – The number of rucks hit by Caelan Doris during the Autumn Nations Series, the joint most with Wales’ Taine Basham who played a whole 80 minutes more than the Irish forward.
36 – The number of carries made by Caelan Doris during the Autumn Nations Series, the most of any player.
18 – The number of tackles made by Argentina’s Matias Moroni against Ireland, the highest of any player in the match.
9 – The number of offloads made by James Lowe during the entire Autumn Nations Series, joint highest with Scotland’s Stuart Hogg. Lowe made one offload against Argentina.
10 – Ireland hooker Ronan Kelleher made ten out of ten tackles against Argentina, capping a fine Autumn Nations Series.
1 – For the first time in history, every Guinness Six Nations side recorded a victory over the same weekend.
74 – The number of days until the 2022 Guinness Six Nations gets underway!
