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Bulls and Stormers have great stats but can they make them count
Cape Argus
|May 20, 2025
AMERICAN author Mark Twain famously liked to quote former British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli on the limitations of using numbers to forecast the future: “There are lies, damned lies, and statistics.”
Leinster supporters would likely agree.
Over the four years of the United Rugby Championship (URC), their team has dominated the statistical charts and consistently finished top of the league table.
By the numbers, they should have won the title comfortably — yet they fell short in 2022, 2023, and 2024, with the current tournament still undecided.
Leinster fans won't be holding their breath — they’ve been let down by statistics before.
Still, a look at the data following the final league round of the URC illustrates why the Bulls are South Africa's best bet for the title; why the Stormers should not be dismissed simply because they travel to Glasgow for their quarter-final; and why the Sharks may be living on borrowed time.
This story is from the May 20, 2025 edition of Cape Argus.
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