Taking on the ABs; bring back the mongrel
Roar Rookie By Matt Rowley, 27 Jun 2007 Matt Rowley is a Roar Rookie
For sixty minutes last weekend the Springboks kept the All Black genie in the bottle. Just like a golf putt revealing the line, there are some key lessons that Wallabies should be taking on board from their performance.
First, the line-out. No surprises here; perhaps because of the injuries at lock for New Zealand, this weakness is once again ready to be targeted. Vickerman and Sharpe need to take a leaf out of Matfield’s book and re-discover contested line-outs.
Second, ball retention. With the opportunity at the line-out, the temptation is to overplay a kicking game that’s never come naturally to Australian back-lines. The Springboks did well when they kept it tight and drove through the phases. They came unstuck when the game loosened up. As the Brumbies and Bulls also showed against the Crusaders, McCaw is prone to leak penalties when on the back foot. Let’s hope that Andrew Johns is showing the Wallabies how to find touch and not the arms of Kiwi back three.
Finally, and most importantly, is that illusive quality of Mongrel. The All Blacks are a well oiled machine when allowed to play, offloading in tackles and recycling quickly. Offensive defence, and never taking a backwards step, is key to disrupting this pattern. Last weekend the South Africans did a good job of this until they ran out of petrol in the final quarter. Key enforcers for the Boks included Berger, Baakies Botha and Butch James.
Mongrel isn’t just being a thug. In today’s fast paced, video refereed game, open acts of violence rightly have no place. However, there’s no doubt that those players who can impose their presence are assets to their sides. Niggle-Merchants like Botha can distract several opponents at a time and a big tackle, bullocking run or counter-ruck from a Berger can change the momentum of a game. All great teams have their Loe, Johnson, Finnegan or Kefu.
Which leaves me with two questions for you:
- Who in our current crop of players can take on this role: Elsom, Hoiles, Palu, Staniforth?
- Which Wallabies of the recent past had Mongrel and how would they fit into a World Mongrel 15?
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June 27th 2007 @ 11:35pm
DF6 said | June 27th 2007 @ 11:35pm | Report comment
Elsom has to be the enforcer, the cupcake front row australia are putting out there puts no fear into no oppositions eyes. Elsom already has the mongrel but he needs to learn how to use it properly, johnson was the same in his early days and he mastered it and maybe elsom will too.
Im not sure australia would fit into a world mongrel xv, its not their style, they have speed,amazing skills, the brains and have never relied on mongrel to win them the big matches, in saying that i think a bloke like gregan sure did show guts in his younger days, also guys like finnegan, cockbain and crowley were tough players
June 28th 2007 @ 12:11am
sheek said | June 28th 2007 @ 12:11am | Report comment
It never ceases to amaze me how simple a game rugby is, only complicated by human minds.
The All Blacks throughout their history, whilst tinkering with their methods, have generally held true to the 3 P’s – Pace, Position, Possession.
They do everything at PACE, with intensity. They get into POSITION quickly, whether to pass, receive, tackle, kick, etc. They attempt to secure POSSESSION at every opportunity, because you need the ball to score points.
When you have the ball, use it wisely . When you don’t, knock the bastards over. Play at pace, with intensity, keep the opposition unbalanced for as long as possible, even when they have possession.
Simple really.
June 28th 2007 @ 12:14am
Ben from Pretoria said | June 28th 2007 @ 12:14am | Report comment
Mongrel can also be described as “spirited” but also show a heritage of being confrontational and having to stand your ground. Mongrel, interesting enough has nothing to do with financial aspects. Schalk Burger’s dad is a successful winefarmer, don’t know too much about the rest’s upbringing but the day when a South African team is without mongrel will be the end of our rugby.
June 28th 2007 @ 12:58am
Ben from Pretoria said | June 28th 2007 @ 12:58am | Report comment
Lifted from http://www.supersport.co.za
IRB World Rankings 18 June 2007
Position Team Points
1 NEW ZEALAND 94.59
2 SOUTH AFRICA 85.87
3 FRANCE 85.66
4 AUSTRALIA 84.80
5 IRELAND 82.52
6 ARGENTINA 82.43
7 ENGLAND 78.93
8 WALES 76.26
9 ITALY 75.53
10 SAMOA 74.97
11 SCOTLAND 73.94
12 FIJI 70.52
13 CANADA 70.06
14 TONGA 67.52
15 USA 67.20
16 ROMANIA 66.79
17 GEORGIA 66.38
18 JAPAN 65.85
19 RUSSIA 64.37
20 URUGUAY 63.29
21 PORTUGAL 62.03
22 SPAIN 59.49
23 CHILE 59.27
24 NAMIBIA 58.96
25 KOREA 58.02
26 GERMANY 56.67
27 MOROCCO 55.67
28 MOLDOVA 54.84
29 HONG KONG 54.65
30 PARAGUAY 53.82
31 POLAND 52.95
32 TUNISIA 52.65
33 BELGIUM 52.38
34 BRAZIL 52.31
35 CZECH REPUBLIC 51.97
36 KAZAKHSTAN 50.90
37 UKRAINE 50.89
38 SWEDEN 49.84
39 LATVIA 49.43
40 CHINESE TAIPEI 49.22
41 IVORY COAST 48.91
42 CHINA 48.74
43 NETHERLANDS 48.41
44 MADAGASCAR 47.95
45 UGANDA 47.77
46 KENYA 47.43
47 ARABIAN GULF 47.32
48 CROATIA 46.28
49 SRI LANKA 46.21
50 COOK ISLANDS 45.87
51 ZIMBABWE 45.51
52 SWITZERLAND 45.12
53 PAPUA NEW GUINEA 45.09
54 SINGAPORE 44.91
55 MALTA 44.89
56 LITHUANIA 44.86
57 DENMARK 44.64
58 TRINIDAD & TOBAGO 43.97
59 CAYMAN 43.87
60 VENEZUELA 43.40
61 ANDORRA 43.16
62 BARBADOS 43.13
63 SLOVENIA 42.42
64 PERU 41.75
65 BERMUDA 41.69
66 COLOMBIA 41.69
67 SENEGAL 41.44
68 HUNGARY 41.44
69 ZAMBIA 41.35
70 NIUE ISLANDS 40.96
71 MALAYSIA 40.64
72 GUYANA 40.35
73 SERBIA 40.33
74 THAILAND 40.00
75 ST. VINCENT & THE GRENADINES 39.30
76 SOLOMON ISLANDS 39.06
77 JAMAICA 38.97
78 MONACO 38.81
79 BOTSWANA 38.64
80 CAMEROON 38.52
81 LUXEMBOURG 38.40
82 GUAM 38.13
83 SWAZILAND 37.57
84 ST. LUCIA 37.57
85 AUSTRIA 36.99
86 NORWAY 36.90
87 TAHITI 36.25
88 INDIA 36.20
89 NIGERIA 36.00
90 BAHAMAS 35.61
91 BULGARIA 34.91
92 VANUATU 34.77
93 ISRAEL 32.74
94 FINLAND 31.71
95 BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA 29.25
June 28th 2007 @ 9:40am
Zac Zavos said | June 28th 2007 @ 9:40am | Report comment
Anyone for putting together a team to take on Bosnia & Herzegovina?
June 28th 2007 @ 9:46am
Stu said | June 28th 2007 @ 9:46am | Report comment
Zac – I’m interested in principal but lets go somewhere warmer – Vanuatu, the Bahamas or Tahiti?
June 28th 2007 @ 11:27am
Rick said | June 28th 2007 @ 11:27am | Report comment
What about Phil Waugh? If I had to chose a player to play as though my life depended on it I’d chose him every time. I know there’s cause to argue Smith’s the classier, more potent breakaway but for sheer guts and courage he gets my vote.
June 28th 2007 @ 11:49am
well informed said | June 28th 2007 @ 11:49am | Report comment
Ben from Pretoria,
I must have blinked
Position Team Points
1 NEW ZEALAND 95.02
2 FRANCE 85.66
3 SOUTH AFRICA 85.44
4 AUSTRALIA 84.80
5 IRELAND 82.52
6 ARGENTINA 82.43
7 ENGLAND 78.93
8 WALES 76.26
9 ITALY 75.53
10 SAMOA 74.97
as per today …
June 28th 2007 @ 12:15pm
spiro zavos said | June 28th 2007 @ 12:15pm | Report comment
Zac
We’d certainly get Borat to be the captain. With him chatting to the referee, or even trying to chat him up, our team probably wouldn’t need too many other players.
June 28th 2007 @ 3:19pm
bokjaimiebok said | June 28th 2007 @ 3:19pm | Report comment
The only guys with mongrel in Australia are Elsom, David Croft, Phil Waugh, James Horwill and David Pusey. Only Elsom and Waugh are in the team. Play them both…Palu only shines against weak opposition. It is time Australia went back to their 2 fetchers (Waugh/Smith) and then Elsom as a hard runner. I see that as their best option, they lack the forward pack to play a tight game…why, when you have 2 world class #7′s only play 1?
Ps. How is hoiles an enforcer, matt?