Vodacom and New Media Publishing have launched an application for Android and iOS that provides rugby fans with detailed information about the 2014 Super Rugby season, which kicked off this month.

The Vodacom Super Rugby Stats app, which is available for free, was developed under the guidance of former SA Sports Illustrated editor Ami Kapilevich and rugby personality Andrew “Tank” Lanning. Both now work for New Media Publishing.

The app is likely to compete, at least to some extent, with the SuperSport app developed by MultiChoice.

The Vodacom app promises to provide detailed information on, for example, how many tackles Pieter Labuschagne made or how many tries Morné Steyn converted. The developers promise that even arcane statistics about players and their performance can be found in the app.

“This is an app for the hardcore rugby fan, someone who is serious about knowing more than the sound bites and snippets you get from the time-pressed general sporting media fraternity,” says Lanning in a statement.

“This app extends the game beyond the 80-minute play period. It gives people the kind of information they’ve always wanted to be able to analyse the game on social media or over a beer with their mates.”