**To celebrate the return of the Vodacom Bulls, Emirates Lions, Cell C Sharks and DHL Stormers to Vodacom United Rugby Championship action this weekend, we’re putting a South African twist on the power rankings, using the [URC StatMaster expected points (xp) metric](https://www.unitedrugby.com/latest/news/introducing-the-urcs-expected-points-xp-player-ratings).** Like “expected points added” (EPA) in the NFL and “expected goals” (xG) in football, this revolutionary new stat measures the impact each player has on his side’s chances of scoring. Using a collection of machine-learning algorithms, URC StatMaster has analysed the average effect each event on the field has on the scoreboard. Here, we take a look at the top 10 players from South African sides ranked by their xP values per 80 minutes this season, discounting those who have played fewer than 80 minutes in the competition.
