Henry’s tactics: This is what scares me

 
The Crowd Roar Pro

By Ian from NZ, 3 Aug 2009 The Crowd is a Roar Pro

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Graham Henry’s under pressure, with a loss from the previous week, dodgy team playing performance in most recent past games, and a number of tactical blunders under his belt.

Henry’s tactical blunders include:

1) Selecting players who have played no rugby recently, and are expected to perform at the highest level: e.g Jason Leonard

2) Select tactics that only super men against a weaker team can execute. That’s run it wide, or chip kick at nearly every opportunity.

3) Select, in the words of Henry himself, a high risk strategy when the opposing team have excellent goal kickers.

4) Selecting a game plan that could possible be called ‘high risk’ in the first place.

5) Knowing you’re up against the best lineout in the world, selecting a shorter No 8 over a taller No 8 (ie Sooialo vs Read).

6) Chip kicks are extremely high risk, a short kick nearly 90% of the time gives the ball to opposition within the 10 yard circle that the kick was made. Have you ever seen a lessor team beat a better team with this tactic, no never! It’s is only used when it is known an opposing player often is out of position and clear space is available to have a chance to get the ball back.

This is not Henry first tactical blunder. The other most obvious blunder was All Blacks vs France RWC 2007, when the call came for ‘play for a penalty’ in the second half. What All Blacks team plays to get penalties? Will next blunder be All Blacks vs Boks RWC 2011?

Ask yourself this: What is the All Blacks game plan? What pattern do the All Blacks fall back on when times are tough?

A: There isn’t one, Henry jumps around tactics at will and the players become jack of all trades, patterns and master of none.

The most successful All Blacks coach, Grizz Wiley (50 winning test matches in a row), formed a game plan (pattern) that all knew how to play when the heat was on. This is what Canterbury had under Robbie Deans, and this what he is trying to do with the Aussies.

Coaches are to blame more so than players. I call on the players to defy the coach’s instructions and play percentage football.

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