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Steven Kitshoff keeps top spot in latest URC Top 100 player list
By Liam Heagney
Steven Kitshoff continues to lead the way at the top of the URC’s Top 100. It was more than four months ago when the chart was last published and having since won his second Rugby World Cup with the Springboks and completed his move from the Stormers to Ulster, the loosehead has retained the No1 spot in a list where forwards occupy the top five places.
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A statement read: “Steven Kitshoff’s arrival at Ulster has grabbed the headlines and the World Cup-winning Springbok is certainly making his mark.
“The new Ulster prop remains at No1 in the updated URC Top 100, the ranking system that reflects performances across the BKT URC, EPCR competitions, Rugby World Cup and international rugby.
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“He was top of the pile back in September when the table was last published and he has held on to that position on the back of his contribution to South Africa retaining the Rugby World Cup and his performances for Ulster.
“The top five positions are once again all occupied by forwards, as was the case in September. Young Benetton flanker Manuel Zuliani is in second spot, with Wales World Cup captain Jac Morgan having shot up from 39th to third.
A new era of the URC Top 100 is here ?
Can Steven Kitshoff keep his crown? ?#BKTURC #URC | #URCTop100
— BKT United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial) January 30, 2024
“The ever-consistent Dan Sheehan lies fourth, with prop Ox Nche fifth, closely followed by his Hollywoodbets Sharks pack pal Eben Etzebeth. Vodacom Bulls winger Canan Moodie is the highest-placed back in seventh, while the leading Scottish performer is new Six Nations co-captain Rory Darge.
“The top 20 features seven South Africans, six Irish, three Scots, three Italians and one Welshman in Ospreys flanker Morgan. There are 16 forwards and just four backs.
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“Powered by the StatMaster xP algorithm, the Top 100 identifies the most valuable performers across the 16 BKT URC teams by analysing every match they have appeared in during the last 12 months. StatMaster then applies an ‘expected points’ (xP) algorithm to each event in those games.
“Like ‘expected points added’ (EPA) in the NFL and ‘expected goals’ (xG) in football, this revolutionary new stat measures the impact each player has on his side’s chance of scoring. It is based on the idea that rugby is a team game and while the player who slots the ball through the posts or touches it down deserves plenty of credit, so do the 14 others who helped create that opportunity.
“For example, a player can gain points by doing things that increase his team’s probability of claiming the next score, such as crashing past defenders, nailing a 50/22 kick, earning a scrum penalty or even winning a crucial turnover on his own try line.
“On the other hand, if he makes a costly error, he can lose points. Crucially, the algorithm adjusts for lots of match factors, including a player’s position, his location on the field, the phase type, the time on the clock and the quality of his teammates and opponents. All this allows URC StatMaster to give the most accurate data-driven estimates of how much players are currently contributing to their teams.”
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URC Top 100 Top Ten
1. Steven Kitshoff (Ulster)
2. Manuel Zuliani (Benetton)
3. Jac Morgan (Ospreys)
4. Dan Sheehan (Leinster)
5. Ox Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks)
6. Eben Etzebeth (Hollywoodbets Sharks)
7. Canan Moodie (Vodacom Bulls)
8. Gary Ringrose (Leinster)
9. Finlay Bealham (Connacht)
10. Jack Conan (Leinster)
- The URC Top 100 is live on unitedrugby.com
