January 23, 2015
Accenture Unveils Analysis Team for 2015 RBS 6 Nations Including Elite Rugby Expert Nick Mallett
Former rugby player and coach to provide unrivalled data analysis during ‘Rugby’s Greatest Championship’
LONDON, UK; Jan. 23, 2015 – Accenture, the Official Technology Partner of the RBS 6 Nations, is launching an analysis team to provide fans with data analytics insights on the upcoming 2015 tournament that will help them to experience the true stories behind what happens on the pitch. Nick Mallett, former head coach for Italy and South Africa national rugby union teams, will be joining the team for the duration of the Championship to offer his world-renowned rugby insight and complement the team’s data analysis expertise, helping fans to see beyond raw match data.
Known for his analytical approach, Mallett guided the Italians as head coach through four RBS 6 Nations Championships and the 2011 Rugby World Cup. As coach of the South African Springboks, Mallett masterminded a record 17 successive Test wins, an unbeaten Tri-Nations Championship, and took them to the semi-finals of the 1999 Rugby World Cup.
Combining Mallett’s experience of both northern and southern hemisphere rugby with Accenture’s expert analytics and business intelligence tools, the analysis team will provide a new data-driven perspective and rugby insights during all 15 RBS 6 Nations games taking place at Twickenham, Murrayfield, Millennium Stadium, Aviva Stadium, Stade de France and Stadio Olimpico.
Mallett commented: “The level of data insight Accenture’s analysis team will be looking to produce for fans during this year’s tournament is normally only available to international coaches. I believe the combination of the smartest analysts, Accenture’s analytics tools and indexes, and a layer of human insight will give rugby fans a glimpse of the real reasons behind game-changing moments on the pitch. I’m excited to be part of this insight curation with Accenture to further improve the RBS6N fan experience.”
Nick Millman, Managing Director, Big Data and Analytics Delivery Lead for Europe, Africa, Latin America and Asia Pacific at Accenture, added: “The aim of the analysis team is to give fans insight they wouldn’t have had before. Working with Nick Mallet, the analysis team will examine nearly two million rows of data per game to provide a deeper understanding of the match, player performance and game-changing moments than ever before. The combination of the highest quality data, innovative analytics and one of the best minds in rugby can change how fans view the game.”
Accenture is the Official Technology Partner for the RBS 6 Nations for the fourth consecutive year and committed to enhancing the digital experience for rugby fans. Using in-house data experts and analytics tools, Accenture powers the official RBS 6 Nations mobile app and provides match data analysis.
The data insights from Accenture’s analysis team will be published via the Accenture Twitter feed @AccentureRugby and hosted on www.accenture-rugby.com.
About Accenture
Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, with approximately 319,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Combining unparalleled experience, comprehensive capabilities across all industries and business functions, and extensive research on the world’s most successful companies, Accenture collaborates with clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. The company generated net revenues of US$30.0 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2014. Its home page is www.accenture.com.
Accenture and the RBS 6 Nations
Accenture is the Official Technology Partner of the RBS 6 Nations Championship for 2012-2017. Accenture is one of the world’s leading organisations providing management consulting, technology and outsourcing services. Central to the relationship is Accenture’s ability to bring technology and digital expertise to the RBS 6 Nations. Since the start of the partnership, Accenture have been working with RBS 6 Nations on a range of digital initiatives to help the Championship respond to the changing needs of its fan-base, providing enhanced audience experiences and interaction throughout the Championship.
The Accenture-designed official Championship mobile app brings all the action from the tournament into the fans’ pockets and, over the past 3 years, users across 150 countries have downloaded or updated the app 2.6 million times. In 2014, Accenture’s analytics experts processed more than 1.9 million rows of data during every match to deliver unique insights into game-changing moments of the Championship. The analysis and up-to-the-minute statistics were fully integrated into the mobile app throughout the Championship, bringing fans closer than ever before to the action.
Accenture Analytics
Accenture Analytics, part of Accenture Digital, delivers insight-driven outcomes at scale to help organisations improve their performance. With deep industry, functional, business process and technical experience, Accenture Analytics develops innovative consulting and outsourcing services for clients to help ensure they receive returns on their analytics investments. For more information, follow @ISpeakAnalytics and visit www.accenture.com/analytics.
About Nick Mallett
Nick Mallett, 58, is a former South Africa rugby union player and coach who is part of the Accenture Analysis Team for the 2015 RBS 6 Nations.
His career has seen him coach leading southern and northern hemisphere teams and he has become known as one of the most analytical thinking coaches in the rugby world.
In his tenure as head coach of South Africa from 1997-2000, Nick guided the Springboks to a record of 17 consecutive Test wins, an unbeaten 1998 Tri-Nations Championship, the semi-finals of the 1999 Rugby World Cup and record-breaking victories against England, Wales, Ireland, France, Scotland and Italy.
Nick went on to become head coach of Italy from 2007-2011 and led to team through four RBS 6 Nations Championships and the 2011 Rugby World Cup as well as masterminding memorable wins over Argentina and France.
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Contacts:
Molly McDonagh
Accenture
+ 44 (0)7825 023 622
molly.mcdonagh@accenture.com
Jennifer Mitton, Synergy
+ 44 (0) 203 128 6844
Jennifer.Mitton@synergy-sponsorship.com