Rugby: Highlanders' statistics reflect way they play

<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm" class="western">
Waisake Naholo.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm" class="western"> Waisake Naholo. </p>
The Highlanders know their way to the tryline and do not carry the ball a lot to get there.

Statistics and rugby are not always great bedfellows and dominating in one field does not always mean total command on the scoreboard.

But the statistics for the Highlanders do reflect the way they play.

Top try-scorer in the entire competition is Highlanders winger Waisake Naholo.

He sits on eight tries in his debut season for the side.

Next best are two Hurricanes: halfback TJ Perenara on seven tries and winger Julian Savea on six.

Highlanders halfback Aaron Smith is one of a group of players who have scored five tries.

With four games to go in the regular season, Naholo - provides he gets back on the field as he missed the last game because of a heel injury - is an outside chance to break the record for the most tries in the season by a Highlander.

That record is held by Jeff Wilson, who scored 10 tries in the 1998 season.

The Highlanders have actually scored 38 tries, the third-highest of any team.

The Highlanders' season record is 42, set last year, and the side will be looking to beat that in the final four games of the season.

The Crusaders and Hurricanes have each scored 41 tries this season.

The Stormers have scored just 21 tries in their 12 games.

The Highlanders have carried the ball only 1143 times, the third-lowest of any of the 15 teams in the competition.

The Waratahs lead in this field with nearly 1500 carries.

The Highlanders do not carry the ball as much as they play a less confrontational game and seek to get the ball wide rather than banging it up the middle like many of the overseas teams.

The Highlanders are in the middle of the pack in many of the statistics.

Their tackle success is near the bottom, the 12th-best team at an 85% success rate, while they have completed 132 offloads which is near the halfway mark for teams.

The Chiefs are way out in front in this category with 206 offloads.

The Chiefs have the most yellow cards with 10 although some of them have been pretty tough.

The Highlanders have collected four yellow cards.

In the player statistics, Naholo does well, not only in the try-scoring stakes.

He has made 20 clean breaks, which is the top number of any player, tied with Crusaders winger Nemani Nadolo.

Naholo is fifth-best in beating defenders and third-best in metres gained. Fullback Ben Smith is sixth-best in metres gained.

The Highlanders' outside backs have been dangerous throughout the season and that is shown through Patrick Osborne and Malakai Fekitoa racking up 21 offloads each, which is fifth-best. Smith is a couple of places back on 19 off loads.

First five-eighth Lima Sopoaga has tallied 113 points, the sixth-most of all players.

Young Bulls pivot Handre Pollard is well out in front with 152 points.

Sopoaga holds the season record with 178 points last year and he is unlikely to reach that mark this season.

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