The French team celebrates with the World Rugby U20 cup after defeating England in the final on Jun. 17, 2018 in Beziers, France. (Photo by Levan Verdzeuli/Getty Images)
The French under-20 rugby team defeated England 33-25 to be crowned world champion for its age group on Jun. 17. The secret to that success may have been a partnership with data and analytics company STATS.
France was able to more deeply evaluate its own team and its competition by using STATS‘ analytics suite. Much of the team’s intel was provided following each match via STATS’ Plus service, which gave France’s coaches analytics reports they could scour for team and opponent performances. Coaches also had access to a video library called STATS Portal that allowed them to share game clips.
“Using STATS’ Portal data and reports, we honed in on player performance for both French Rugby players and our competition,” said Gilles Soirat, France’s U20 performance analyst, in a statement. “Having this information in our hands provided us with the preparation to excel in this year’s World Rugby Under 20 Championship.”
SportTechie Takeaway
French rugby’s use of STATS highlights the power of analytics in helping teams outsmart competitors. STATS also works with rugby teams in the U.S., Italy, and Ireland. On Jun. 27, USA Rugby signed a deal with STATS to use its Insights product for the next two years. The American senior team has already qualified for the next World Cup, to be played in Japan in fall 2019. In seven previous appearances at that tournament, the U.S. has never survived the group stage, so will be hoping analytics can help make a difference.
