The Guinness PRO14 announced its long-awaited return with seven exhilarating Round One fixtures, with a multitude of thrilling moments contributing to a breath-taking opening weekend. Each team were on the hunt to gain an early advantage in their respective pool, with Cheetahs and Edinburgh setting the early pace in Conferences A and B respectively. And despite only one game having taken place thus far, the individual player statistics offer a fascinating insight into which men tore it up for their clubs on their search for Guinness PRO14 glory. TACKLING MACHINES GIVE DEFEATED SIDES HOPE The majority of the top tacklers in the season’s opening matches came from defeated sides, offering hope that fortunes can be turned around in the games to come. As well as topping the ranks, New Zealander Callum Gibbins also posted a 100 percent tackle success rate for Warriors – last year’s Guinness PRO14 runners-up – in their defeat at the Cheetahs. Zebre’s Ian Nagle shares the top of the tackling charts following his side’s heavy defeat at the hands at Edinburgh, suggesting there is more to come from the Italian side in the upcoming weeks. Lewis Carmichael is the only representative from a Round One winning side to sit among the league’s top tacklers, demonstrating Edinburgh are strong in all areas of the pitch. Top tacklers after Round One Callum Gibbins (Glasgow Warriors) – 19 Ian Nagle (Zebre) – 19 Dan Lydiate (Ospreys) – 18 Toa Halafihi (Benetton) – 17 Eli Snyman (Benetton) – 16 Lewis Carmichael (Edinburgh) – 16 Brok Harris (Dragons) -16 Marco Lazzaroni (Benetton) – 16
