With so many players and clubs doing media each day, it can be hard to keep on top of a lot of the stories coming out.
Rugby is filled with them across all levels of the game and whilst most are covered through some form of media, there are others that might have slipped off the radar as Wallabies talk and Super Round dominating discussions.
One Percenters looks at everything you might have missed from the week of Rugby.
Western Force winger Manasa Mataele was still buzzing after his try-of-the-year candidate against the Melbourne Rebels.
With next to no space in the corner, Mataele found a way to bump off Stacey Ili and contort his body over the sidelines to plant it down.
“When I jumped in the corner, all I saw was the white line. I knew where I put the ball down,” he said on the incredible effort.
“I wasn’t too sure about my feet but I walked all that just smiling at the boys saying ‘I’ve got this.’ For me, I knew what I’d done was a try."
When asked if it was something he practised, the Fijian international admitted it was all spur of the moment, just doing whatever it takes to find the line.
“I think it was just an instinct thing, you’ve just got to adapt on the go and find ways to score tries and that’s one thing us wingers need to do, adapting to the picture given and finding a way through," he added.
With Rugby Australia confirming a partnership with Sportable, there has never been a time where stats have been more rich and available to clubs, coaches and fans.
As data continued to develop, take a look at some of the more interesting and unique stats heading into round nine, courtesy of Opta.
- The Reds have had the Rebels’ number over the past years, winning their last five games. Despite this, the Rebels still enjoy a great record as the home team, losing just two of their last seven against the Reds as the hosts, including a draw in 2020.
- In order to extend their three-game winning streak, the Rebels must find more ways to break the line, struggling to launch their attack. They have failed to score more than 20 in their last five games at home.
- Friday’s match-up will be a battle of the top scorers, with James O’Connor (63 points) and Matt To’omua (56) leading the way. This comes despite the Reds and O’Connor having one of the poorer conversion rates, making just 11/19.
- HBF Park has been a happy hunting ground for the Western Force, winning their last four of five against the Waratahs.
- The Western Force have lost their last two Super Rugby games by just a single point; only the Kings in 2017 has any team had three consecutive games decided by one point. Interestingly, the Kings won two of three games during this stint.
All Blacks prop Ofa Tu'ungafasi is one of the toughest guys in Rugby - and he has the scars to prove it.
Tu'ungafasi was split open by a stray boot, requiring further stitches after their shutout win over the Chiefs.
"He initially had eight stitches to close it, and the doctor stitched it the morning after the swelling had gone down," Blues assistant coach Tom Coventry said of Tu'ungafasi. "He had 28 in there. It was a back sprig that just cut him across ...you can see the rail marks.
"He healed pretty well though, and has got a bandage and scrum cap on and was training today."
Blues captain Dalton Papalii was less symepahtic though.
"I was next to Ofa when the boot came up," Papalii said. "I tried to pick him up and then saw his face. You're not injured on defence so I told him to get back in the line."
New Zealand import Natalie Delamare may prove to be the Waratahs' X-Factor heading into the Super W Final, starring since arriving in NSW.
Delamare joined late in the season with the defending champions struggling for fit hookers, starring against the Reds two games in a row to help book their place in the final.
She came over the ditch on the advice of Matatū and Wallaroos flyhalf Arabella McKenzie, praising how she has settled into the group.
“We had a couple of injuries at hooker and Campbell (Aitken) asked if I knew anyone and I thought of Nat (Delamere) straight away,” she said.
“She’s an easy going type of girl and as soon as I asked, she was on the next flight over…she’s such a great asset to the team, scored two tries in her first start and is fitting in really well with the team and our structure.”
The USA's defeat to Canada in Singapore has to be one of the most bizarre ways a team has conceded a try.
Attempting to kick the ball off the pitch to end the one-sided game, USA's Kevon Williams somehow hit the post, leading the ball to ricochet into the in-goal for Anton Ngongo to score.
Williams would miss their stunning upset of South Africa but returned to their starting line-up for the quarter-finals, where they would narrowly lose to Ireland.
