Introducing the Tom Carter Scale of Averageness

Tom Carter - Rugby's benchmark

Even Tom Carter admits he'll never play for the Wallabies. But Tom Carter is also too good for the Waratahs bench. The long-term Waratah centre carves it up playing for Sydney Uni but would get hammered by any decent international team. In other words, Tom Carter is the ultimate Super Rugby player and all other players can judge their ability against his. So that's what the Rolling Maul has done.

UPDATE - The Tom Carter Scale of Averageness has been superseded by Overrated vs Underrated - the newest aid to help you tip against your favourite team and justify it to your mates.

From this weekend and until the end of the season, the likely outcome of all Waratahs matches against other Australian Super Rugby provinces will be determined using the Tom Carter Scale of Averageness.

Starting this weekend, when the Tahs take on the Reds, every player will be rated from between 0 (someone sitting in the grandstand) and 3 (a World XV standout) Tom Carters. Thus a determination of the relative strengths and weaknesses of each team will be able to be determined and thus the ultimate winner will be revealed.

This system should prove to be of great benefit to tipsters and punters alike. No doubt South Africans and New Zealanders (or anyone from anywhere for that matter) can conduct their own relative tallies against Tom Carter or any similar ultimate average local player who the Rolling Maul has never heard of (and hence why we're sticking to Waratahs local derbies).

So without further ado (drum roll please)...

NSW WARATAHS
Adam Ashley-Cooper - 2.5
Tom Kingston - 0.8
Rob Horne - 1.6
Tom Carter - 1 (of course)
Brackin Karauria-Henry - 0.7
Daniel Halangahu (capt) - 1.3
Sarel Pretorius - 1.6
Backs sub total - 9.5
Wycliff Palu - 2.1
Chris Alcock - 1.3
Dave Dennis - 1.8
Dean Mumm - 1.9
Kane Douglas - 1.1
Sekope Kepu - 1.8
Tatafu Polota-Nau - 2.3
Benn Robinson - 2.7
Forwards sub total - 14.9
Damien Fitzpatrick - 1.1
Paddy Ryan - 0.8
Lopeti Timani - 0.6
Jono Jenkins - 0.9
Brendan McKibbin - 1
Bernard Foley - 0.9
Nathan Trist - 0.8
Reserves sub total - 6.1
TOTAL - 30.5

QUEENSLAND REDS
Luke Morahan - 1.1
Dom Shipperley - 0.8
Anthony Faingaa - 1.5
Ben Tapuai - 1
Digby Ioane - 2.8
Mike Harris - 1.3
Will Genia - 3
Backs sub total - 11.5
Jake Schatz - 0.9
Beau Robinson - 1.4
Scott Higginbotham - 2
James Horwill (capt) - 2.1
Rob Simmons - 1.4
James Slipper - 1.1
James Hanson - 0.8
Ben Daley - 1.4
Forwards sub-total - 11.1
Albert Anae - 0.6
Greg Holmes - 1.2
Van Humphries - 1.2
Radike Samo - 1.6
Liam Gill - 0.7
Ben Lucas - 0.9
Jono Lance - 0.7
Reserves sub total - 6.9
TOTAL - 29.5


CONCLUSION
The Reds have a clear advantage in the backs being 2 Tom Carters stronger primarily due to two of the best players on the planet in Will Genia and Digby Ioane. Otherwise they're as Tom Cater average as the Waratahs. It's in the forwards though that the Waratahs have the greatest advantage being almost 4 Tom Carters stronger. This may be why Ewen McKenzie has left Radike Samo on the bench (he probably uses the Tom Carter Scale of Averageness too), hoping for some forward impact late in the game when his inexperienced pack begin to tire. It won't work though as the Tahs bench is almost as strong.

The Tahs are a clear Tom Carter stronger overall, a fact that Tom would no doubt agree with.