February 28, 2023

United Rugby Championship Predictions for Week 15

Team Ratings for Week 15

The basic method is described on my Department home page.
Here are the team ratings prior to this week’s games, along with the ratings at the start of the season.

Current Rating Rating at Season Start Difference
Leinster 16.51 16.79 -0.30
Munster 10.87 9.78 1.10
Ulster 9.48 9.27 0.20
Stormers 8.47 7.14 1.30
Bulls 6.05 7.84 -1.80
Sharks 5.22 6.95 -1.70
Glasgow 3.48 -0.00 3.50
Connacht 2.32 -1.60 3.90
Edinburgh 0.61 3.58 -3.00
Scarlets -2.64 -1.23 -1.40
Ospreys -2.82 -0.83 -2.00
Benetton -4.20 -3.68 -0.50
Lions -4.63 -1.74 -2.90
Cardiff Rugby -4.78 -7.42 2.60
Dragons -10.48 -11.81 1.30
Zebre -17.41 -16.99 -0.40

 

Performance So Far

So far there have been 112 matches played, 81 of which were correctly predicted, a success rate of 72.3%.
Here are the predictions for last week’s games.

Game Date Score Prediction Correct
1 Lions vs. Glasgow Feb 26 35 – 41 -3.00 TRUE
2 Sharks vs. Ulster Feb 26 24 – 31 1.10 FALSE

 

Predictions for Week 15

Here are the predictions for Week 15. The prediction is my estimated expected points difference with a positive margin being a win to the home team, and a negative margin a win to the away team.

Game Date Winner Prediction
1 Glasgow vs. Zebre Mar 04 Glasgow 25.40
2 Munster vs. Scarlets Mar 04 Munster 18.00
3 Stormers vs. Sharks Mar 05 Stormers 7.20
4 Bulls vs. Lions Mar 05 Bulls 14.70
5 Edinburgh vs. Leinster Mar 05 Leinster -11.40
6 Ospreys vs. Benetton Mar 05 Ospreys 5.90
7 Cardiff Rugby vs. Ulster Mar 05 Ulster -9.80
8 Dragons vs. Connacht Mar 05 Connacht -8.30

 

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David Scott obtained a BA and PhD from the Australian National University and then commenced his university teaching career at La Trobe University in 1972. He has taught at La Trobe University, the University of Sheffield, Bond University and Colorado State University, joining the University of Auckland, based at Tamaki Campus, in mid-1995. He has been Head of Department at La Trobe University, Acting Dean and Associate Dean (Academic) at Bond University, and Associate Director of the Centre for Quality Management and Data Analysis at Bond University with responsibility for Short Courses. He was Head of the Department of Statistics in 2000, and is a past President of the New Zealand Statistical Assocation. See all posts by David Scott »