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All Black indiscipline revealed

Romain Poite /Getty

Want to know just how much the All Blacks infringe? Have a look at these numbers and see the proof.

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After their 22-17 loss on the weekend, Scotland may have some cause for complaint after a Kieran Read hand in a ruck cost them a certain try in the second half. The All Black skipper got away with that, but remains the most penalised player in the team this season.

Sonny Bill Williams is the only player to have been sent from the field twice, infamously both for actions that graphically illustrate his background in rugby league. He was red carded for a shoulder charge on Anthony Watson in the second test of the British & Irish Lions series, then saw yellow last week against France for knocking the ball out of his own in goal.

While opposition fans may feel vindicated that the All Blacks’ success is due in no small part to their nefarious deeds, it’s also worth remembering that the total number of penalties they’ve conceded – 113 – is less than that of their combined opposition – 117.

Maybe it’s just because, like Read, they’re good at getting away with the ones that count.

All Blacks penalty count in 2017 – credit: NZ Herald

12 Kieran Read, one yellow card
11 Wyatt Crockett, one yellow card
8 Kane Hames
8 Brodie Retallick
7 Sonny Bill Williams, one red, one yellow
6 Ofa Tu’ungafasi
5 Waisake Naholo
5 Beauden Barrett, one yellow
5 Sam Whitelock
5 Damian McKenzie
5 Sam Cane, one yellow
4 Nepo Laulala
4 Owen Franks
4 Matt Todd, one yellow
4 Rieko Ioane
4 Joe Moody
3 Luke Romano
3 Scott Barrett
3 Anton Lienert-Brown
2 Dane Coles
2 Aaron Smith
2 Vaea Fifita
2 Liam Squire
1 TJ Perenara
1 Jerome Kaino, one yellow
1 Charlie Faumuina
1 Ben Smith
1 Patrick Tuipulotu
1 Ryan Crotty
1 Ardie Savea
1 Aaron Cruden

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Tom 7 hours ago
Will Bristol's daredevil 'Bears-ball' deliver the trophy they crave?

Also a Bristol fan and echo your sentiments.


I love watching Bristol but their approach will only get them so far I think. Exeter played like this when they first got promoted to the prem and had intermittent success, it wasn't until they wised up and played a more balanced game that they became a consistently top side.


I really want Bristol to continue playing this brand of rugby and I don't mind them running it from under their posts but I don't think they need to do it every single time. They need to be just a little bit more selective about when and where on the pitch they play. Every game they put themselves under so much needless pressure by turning the ball over under their posts trying to do kamikaze moves when it's not required. By all means run it from your goal line if there is a chance for a counter attack, we all want to see Bristol running in 100m tries from under their posts but I think until they learn when to do it and when to be pragmatic, they are unlikely to win the premiership.


Defense has been a real positive from Bristol, they've shown a lot of improvement there... And I will say that I think this kamikaze strategy they employ is a very good one for a struggling side and could be employed by Newcastle. It's seems to have turned around Gloucester's fortunes. The big advantage is even if you don't have the biggest and best players, what you have is cohesion. This is why Scotland keep battering England. England have better individuals but they look muddled as a team, trying to play a mixed strategy under coaches who lack charisma, the team has no identity. Scotland come out and give it full throttle from 1-15 even if they struggle against the top sides, sides like England and Wales who lack that identity drown under the relentless will and synergy of the Scots. If Newcastle did the same they could really surprise some people, I know the weather is bad up there but it hasn't bothered the Scots. Bristol can learn from Scotland too, Pat is on to something when he says the following but Scotland don't play test matches like headless chickens. They still play with the same level of clarity and ambition Bristol do but they are much better at picking their moments. They needed to go back to this mad game to get their cohesion back after a couple of seasons struggling but I hope they get a bit wiser from matches like Leinster and La Rochelle.


“If there’s clarity on what you’re trying to do as a team you can win anything.”

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