IBM To Launch TryTracker For RFU

The Rugby Football Union (RFU) and IBM have agreed a new five year agreement. As Official Analytics Partner for the RFU, IBM will implement an analytics solution to provide fans with real-time insights into the game, including information about individual performance by players – the IBM TryTracker. 

In a first for rugby, IBM’s Predictive Analytics software will analyse historic and current rugby data provided by Opta, the world’s leading sports data provider, to provide in-game stats. It will give viewers access to insights that will heighten their understanding of what to watch for in each game and explain what needs to be done to increase the likelihood of a team win against specific opponents. 

The IBM TryTracker will include the ‘Keys to the Game’, to provide play-by-play insights during the game, and predict three crucial areas of performance specific to each team ahead of match day. For example, the system may predict that if a side hits their target in these aspects of their game then they are more likely to increase their chances of victory, such as the proportion of scrums won or rate of successful kicks.  The data collected and provided by Opta for all England internationals is analysed by IBM, before being hosted on RFU.com.