Collins, who will play his fifth straight game for Otago at fullback today, in the match against North Harbour, is a leading player in many statistical categories halfway through the competition.
Collins, who has been bracketed with Tony Ensor at fullback for today’s game after he strained his calf at training on Thursday, is right up with the top names from an attacking point of view.
He is third behind the Ioane brothers in metres made, Collins having racked up 353m.
He has also made 61 carries with the ball which is second behind Akira Ioane.
Collins has also beaten 15 defenders, the sixth-highest in the competition.
With 14 offloads, Collins is second in that category behind Hawkes Bay outside back Matt Garland.Collins started off at centre for Otago in its first game against Southland but switched to fullback in the second match against Wellington where he has been ever since.
The Taieri player has also been among the tries and is the joint leading try-scorer for Otago, along with winger Jack Wilson and flanker Naulia Dawai, who have also crossed the whitewash three times.
Manawatu midfield back Ngani Laumape leads the way in the competition with six tries.
Collins (23) has just come off a season in Wales for the Llanelli Scarlets.
He played the majority of his games at fullback and helped the side qualify for European competition.
His future is up in the air after this season but he appears to be a much better player after his stint overseas.
Otago lock Tom Franklin, who was called into the All Black camp in the June test window as injury cover, but never took the field, is the leading lineout forward in the competition with 23 lineout catches.
As the numbers suggest, Franklin, who missed the first game of the season against Southland, has been the main source of lineout ball for Otago.
In the team statistics, Otago is second in try scoring with 21. Canterbury leads with 27 after just four games.
Otago’s tackling success sits on 85%, which is fourth-highest, having missed 100 tackles in five games.
Its goal-kicking success is at 76%.