Last weekend Leinster secured a historic double when they defeated Scarlets in the Aviva Stadium to land the Pro14 trophy. With the season now over, Opta have revealed their statistic-based team of the year.
It features just one Leinster player, winger James Lowe. Four Irish players make the team as Ulster's John Cooney, Connacht pair Finlay Bealham and Bundee Aki and Munster-bound Tadhg Beirne all make the team.
XV - Here is @OptaJonny's 2017/18 PRO14 Team of the Season, which features players from nine different teams and ranks James Lowe as the top performer, it is based on our unique index system which awards players points for their actions in a game. Selection. pic.twitter.com/YvFNT3kkHQ
— OptaJonny (@OptaJonny) June 1, 2018
Opta have revealed the statistical basis for each inclusion, as Finlay Bealham scored the most tries of any prop and made the third most tackles (4 and 134.) Tadhg Beirne made 39 turnovers, a Pro14 record, John Cooney landed the most points with 175 and Bundee Aki made 173 carries.
The team is based on a unique index system, but it is interesting nevertheless to see the contributions of certain players in raw numbers.
