OptaJonny

2026 - Was this year's edition of @SixNationsRugby the greatest ever? Epic. In our @OptaAnalyst review we pick out the best 15 Opta Facts that tell the tale of the Championship, as well as giving report cards for each team and picking our Team of the Championship.... 👇 theanalyst.com/articles/great…

25 - Cheslin Kolbe has gained more metres (1433) and made more line breaks (25) than any other player in @LeagueOne_EN D1 this season and is one of just two players to have beaten 100+ defenders in the competition this term (105 - also Mark Tele'a, 132). Homecoming.

17 - The two top try scorers in @LeagueOne_EN this season are both second rows (Andrew Davidson and Brodie Retallick - 17 each); overall there have been 0.77 tries per game scored by locks in the competition this season, more than the Prem, TOP 14, URC and Super Rugby. Outlier.

@RopaingTamack2 @ChampionsCup 15 - Matthieu Jalibert has made 15 offloads in the @ChampionsCup this season, only teammate Damian Penaud (16) has more. Joué.

@OptaJonny @ChampionsCup you forgot just one thing, Mathieu Jalibert has also the most offloads 😅

94 - Matthieu Jalibert has made the most carries (94), metres (537), line breaks (18) and beaten the most defenders (30) of any player in the @ChampionsCup this season, while only Jamison Gibson-Park (8) has assisted more tries than him (7). Star.

4 - @leinsterrugby are the only side to have restricted their opponents to an average ruck speed of 4+ seconds in the @ChampionsCup this season (4.20s), while only two teams have averaged a quicker attacking ruck speed than Bordeaux (3.12). Breakdown.

10 - @MHR_officiel’s Florian Verhaeghe has found a teammate from all 10 of his @ChallengeCup_ offload attempts this season, more than any other player, and also ranks joint-first for lineout takes on his own team’s throws this term (32, also Leonard Krumov). Vertical.

26 - @UlsterRugby’s Zac Ward has beaten more defenders (26) and made more line breaks (12) than any other player in the 2025/26 @ChallengeCup_; his gainline success rate of 87% is also the highest among the 81 players with 30+ carries made in the competition this season. Forward.

6 - Six players played every possible minute in this year's @Womens6Nations: Megan Jones 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Dannah O'Brien ☘️ Vittoria Ostuni Minuzzi 🇮🇹 Helen Nelson 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Bethan Lewis 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Lleucu George 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Constant.

384 - Most carries, tackles and rucks combined in the 2026 @Womens6Nations: 384 - Erin King (47 carries, 77 tackles, 260 rucks) 262 - Brittany Hogan (68 carries, 66 tackles, 128 rucks) 262 - Aoife Wafer (79 carries, 64 tackles, 119 rucks) Trio.

4 - There were eight 4+ try hauls in @premrugby between 2009/10 & 2024/25 - there have already been 7 this season: Caluori, 5 v 🦈, R4 Freeman, 4 v 💫, R5 Caluori, 5 v 🔴🐂, R10 Hamer‑Webb, 5 v 🔴🐂, R13 Caluori, 5 v 🦈, R13 Arundell, 4 v 🔴🐂, R16 Hendy, 4 v 🐻, R16 Quad.

12 - Our European Club Rugby Team of the Week contains players from 12 different teams, with @SaintsRugby's Henry Pollock being the Star Player. Matchroom.

69% - Keira Bevan has evaded 11 of the 16 tackle attempts she's faced in the @Womens6Nations this year, her 69% tackle evasion rate is the best of any player to face more than 10 tackles: 🥇 Keira Bevan - 69% 🥈 Carla Arbez - 54% 🥉 Anais Grando - 52% Sniper.

18 - @RedRosesRugby's Ellie Kildunne and @FranceRugby's Pauline Barrat lead the 2026 #W6N for line break involvements (18 each): 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Kildunne ➡️ 11 breaks (🔝) + 7 break assists 🇫🇷 Barrat ➡️ 7 breaks + 11 break assists (🔝) Key.

9 - @Highlanders' Lucas Casey beat 9 defenders vs the Chiefs tonight, the last time a flanker beat as many in a @SuperRugby game was in 2018: 🌩️ Pieter-Steph du Toit (10 v Lions, Rd 8) 🌪️ Ardie Savea (9 v Reds, Rd 14) 🦁 Kwagga Smith (10 v Waratahs, SF) Company.

10.8 - Defenders beaten per 80 minutes in the @URCOfficial this season (min. 200 minutes): 10.8 - Zekhethelo Siyaya 4.9 - Jacob Stockdale 4.7 - Duhan van der Merwe 4.5 - Cheswill Jooste 4.5 - Zac Ward Unstoppable.

1 - Lucas Friday is the only player to record a 50:22 direct from a kick-off return in @premrugby/@top14rugby/@URCOfficial this season. It's the 5th time it has happened in Prem Rugby, the only other @Harlequins player to do it was Louis Lynagh vs Saracens in Oct 2021. Freaky.

4 - Marlie Packer is the first player to score four tries in a @Womens6Nations match since former @RedRosesRugby Abby Dow teammate did so against Italy in 2023 - she also beat 10 defenders against Italy, the most of anyone in a single game in this year's Championship. Delivering.

28 - @WelshRugbyUnion's Georgia Evans made 28 tackles against Ireland, at least four more than any other player in a single @Womens6Nations fixture this year – her Wales teammate Bethan Lewis ranks first for total tackles completed in the 2026 Championship (64). Wall.

1 - One month today, the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off in Mexico City 🇲🇽 📈 In anticipation, and using an unrivalled historical database, Opta has built the ultimate World Cup player based on 60 years of data. 📖 Read here: theanalyst.com/articles/fifa-… & watch below. Creation.

68 - Andre Esterhuizen gained 68 metres-in-contact for @SharksRugby against Benetton, the joint most by any player in a @URCOfficial game this season: 68 - Jack Dempsey, Round 5 v Bulls 68 - Jack Conan, Round 7 v Ulster 68 - Andre Esterhuizen, Round 17 v Benetton 🆕 Giant.