Sharks set piece bite

As the Cell C Sharks head for the Scottish capital to take on Edinburgh, it’s revealing to look at what the stats say about their attacking approach.

They have thrown fewer passes than any other team (1,053), but have scored the most tries from scrums, with almost half of their touchdowns coming from first phase. So Edinburgh will have a good idea where the primary threat lies.

They come into this game fresh from their notable Heineken Champions Cup victory over Saracens. One of the stars of that show was Fijian No 8 Viliame Mata and he will have a pivotal role to play in getting over the gainline against the Sharks.

He had made more carries (131), more contact metres (98) and more dominant carry contacts (34) than any other player in the Edinburgh squad.