The Springboks’ remarkable achievement of winning an unprecedented fourth Rugby World Cup was enhanced by their close victories by one point in each of their elimination matches.

Whether it was Handre Pollard’s precise finishing kick to seal the victory or the rush defense, their title charge had several pillars. Through their #AskOptaJonny series, OptaJonny went even farther and revealed a statistic that might surprise fans.

Stat assault

With an average of 1.15 turnovers per game, the Springboks were the only team in all major club championships and Test rugby to score more than a try. This statistic demonstrates how well their rush defense works by making the opposition make mistakes.

But forcing errors is one thing; capitalizing on them is quite another, as demonstrated by the world champs.

Numerous statistics from the series were requested by users, and some intriguing figures emerged. Tongan captain Ben Taumeifuna led all props with an average of more than 800 minutes played in 2023, averaging more metres per carry than any other player. Throughout the entire year, Big Ben, the front row, averaged 21 meters every 80 minutes.

Remaining in the front rows, another outstanding statistic demonstrated Malcolm Marx’s effectiveness at the breakdown: in 2023, he disturbed or turned over 31% of the rucks he hit.