SARrugby.com

I have often pointed out that Adi Jacobs, for a brief period in 2008 was playing great rugby. In fact, that his stats were the best in the TN. Others, are less informed, so here are the facts that can easily be verified on ESPN stats centre:

Jean de Villiers

Ran 45 times for an average of 5.24 per carry.

He had 6 clean breaks for an average of .13 clean breaks per carry.

He beat 9 defenders for an average of .20 defenders beaten per carry.

He made 38 of his 49 tackles for an average success rate of 77.55%

Adi Jacobs (who played in 5 of the 6 tests)

Ran 21 times for an average of 7.04 per carry

He had 3 clean breaks for an average of .14 clean breaks per carry

He beat 5 defenders for an average of .238 defenders beaten per carry

He made 33 of his 36 tackles for an average success rate of 91.67%

Maa Nonu (who played in 5 tests)

Ran 41 times for an average of 6.63 per carry

He had 4 clean breaks for an average of .09 clean breaks per carry

He beat 4 defenders for an average of .09 defenders beaten per carry.

He made 21 of his 23 tackles for a success rate of 91.3%

Conrad Smith

Ran 32 times for an average of  5.71 metres per carry

He made 2 clean breaks for an average of .063 breaks per carry

He beat 7 defenders for an average of .20 defenders beaten per carry.

He made 22 of his 26 tackles for a success rate of 84.62%

Stirling Mortlock

Ran 39 times for an average of 4.0 per carry

He made 4 clean breaks for an average 0.1 breaks per carry

He beat 9 defenders for an average .23 defenders beaten per carry

He made 34 of his 38 tackles for a success rate of 89.47%

No other Aussie centre played even 3 games, except Barnes, whose stats were poor.

So these are the 5 competitors for the 2008 Stat winning centre. We find Jacobs has the highest average gain per run.The highest average number of clean breaks per carry. The highest average of defenders beaten per carry. The highest tackling success rate at an outstanding 91.67%. He also makes more tackles per game if you want to calculate that number.

The only stat Adi does not win is total metres gained.....but his metres per carry is by far the best, so one has to put that down to the traditional Bok starving of number 13.

This is a totally dominating stat performance for Jacobs, who had a fine 2008 TN. This golden seam of form was to desert him in 2009, but I'm rather tired of some posters on here running him down.....not justified as the stats clearly show.

 I do remember he played well in 2008, and those youtube videos shows some of the tries he helped to create. 

After 2008, he was a useful bench player. He is not a big player but his passing skills and general creativity were better thanmany South African centers. 

Much better than the crash ball Taute of 2012 and some of other bashers that have vacated the center positions.

SB....Adi was never a dominating player, more of a linker and facilitator. Nor was he a heavy tackler, but he became a very reliable low tackler in space as the stats show. Our centre combo worked well in 2008 because he backed up Jean's breaks and was always well positioned for defensive duties.

The issue with stats which chances are these are bullshit anyway, is that they dont provide context at all.

Adi has never been a good centre and has always been a liability at test level - no-one rated him for he was useless.

Imagine a writer selecting the useless Adi over Smith or Mortlock in his TN side - yeah right, good one Moffie and Charles has just become King

So you ask me to provide the stats, I do so and you turn around and say they are "bullshit anyway".  Then you just repeat your ignorant diatribe.

Well this blows you totally out of the water....Adi had a fine 2008 test season and was outstanding in the TN. You can get an aberration in the stats for one test.....never in a whole TN season. He was the best in every category.

Your stubborn  running down of this player has been exposed for stinking bias.

Nope, there is only one idiot along with Jake who ever rated Adi, the rest of the country saw him for the crap player he was. More than anything he was a defensive liability -  FACT

As I said stats provide no context, Adi has never had a good test for SA and was an insult to the Bok jersey.

To even suggest that writers would select that sad excuse for a centre over Mortlock and Smith is laughable.

Adi was not even average or solid, he was piss poor

You silly fool, it was PdV that made Adi a regular.....not Jake.

Fair enough, PdV was on a par with Jake but it does not detract from the fact that Adi was useless

By now at ringside, they'd be shining a torch into your beady eyes.

and the rugby world will still be laughing at your ignorance - useless Adi over Fourie, Mortlock and Smith - there is rugby ignorance and then we have you.

Nobody picked Adi over those blokes. My rating would be Mortlock, Smith, Fury/ Adi.  But in 2008 Adi had the best stats of them all, and was a valued member of the Bok team. He scored some great long range tries, hardly missed a tackle and formed a more cohesive partnership with Jean than Fury ever did. As an individual centre Fury was more dynamic, but he was never an effective partner for Jean.

Your views are so simplistic, it's hard to even teach you.....and boy do you need instruction.

Bullshit Adi is not fit to be mentioned in the same company as Fourie, Mortlock and Smith - all three were/are world class centres and established test stars - Adi was a bloody insult to the Bok jersey and was villified for good reason - people never rated him because he was bloody poor.

Stats dont provide context at all and I reckon they are worth checking up on as you are such a bloody liar that chances are these stats were probably edited by you!!

Adi was a sad excuse for a Bok centre, that will never change - he was one of the worst Bok 13's ever - as bad as Braam at 12 and a few other shockers over the years. Adi was no better than Jorrie Muller at 13

Same old uninformed rubbish by the fool who gave us Wynand Olivier, Craig Burden, Wailing Murray, JJ Potgieter, Whitehead and Taute as Bok centres.

You asked for the stats, you got them. Adi's stats were superb. I on the other hand have no interest in your opinions, so don't bother providing them. There's a good chap..

I never asked for stats, stats are a waste of time as I continually point out as they provide no context.

Olivier was a far superior centre than Adi ever was. Taute, JJ, Murray and Whitehead are all far superior centres and who the hell is JJ Potgieter you doofus?

Had Burden stayed at centre he would have made a far better centre than Adi did. Face it Moffie yo were the only idiot who ever rated him. Loan crusade if ever I saw one - well no, you hold that one with your anti Fourie as well.

You see the pattern here you dimwit - you clearly know stuff all about centres - case closed

"Crap Adi has never lead stats in his life"....defend that.,  

Stats provide no context

Defend your statement, don't change the subject.

Which stats did Adi lead - I have only seen your edited version?

Here's one....you'll find the rest on ESPNScrum.com. But you'll have to calculate the ratios....can you divide?

Geez Moffie, what the hell do ESPN know about rugby?

Do you really want me to go and waste my time on Adi, I could not stand the guy as a player and you want me to trawl through stats on this useless player?!!!!

So typical, when you are totally whipped, you pretend you can't bother. Shame I'm so bored with all of this that I just keep replying hey?

But this time it cuts no ice, I have already run the numbers. They are reported above....Adi Jacobs had the best centre stats for the 2008 TN.....and your statement that Adi never led the stats in his life, is just more bombastic nonsense.