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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August 3rd 2009 @ 4:14pm
hammer said | August 3rd 2009 @ 4:14pm | Report comment
True there’s swings and roundabouts over a long tenure – but I’d rather have Henry to sort it out rather than the someone who was brought up with the concept that the only way to fix things is to pick someone who wears a black and red jersey
August 3rd 2009 @ 4:21pm
Spencer said | August 3rd 2009 @ 4:21pm | Report comment
Based on the evidence from the past 3 weeks the ABs are really not playing well. Undoubtedly it will be a combination of fitness, ability, tactics and motivation. Whatever the combination of factors the coach must ultimately take responsibility, unless of course it really is predominantly ability, and there are no other choices.
Fitness: Some guys aren’t fit enough, and certainly not match fit.
Ability: In some positions there is a lack of ability. Hemjay may care to fill in the answers.
Tactics: All over the place. Didn’t, wouldn’t, couldn’t compete at the lineout. Nulified the rolling mall (by influencing the ref) but then what. “High risk” strategy..what is that?
Motivation: The haka looked fearsome…but when they didn’t do the throat slitting I knew the ABs were intimidated.
It’s too late to change coaches now…isn’t it? Even if they keep Henry they need to replace either Smith or Hansen, or both, simply to get some freshness and clear thinking into the planning.
Ian from NZ wrote” 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 lesser 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.”
How about Ricky Januarie in Dunedin last year?
August 3rd 2009 @ 4:26pm
Sam Taulelei said | August 3rd 2009 @ 4:26pm | Report comment
Spencer I’d go back as far as the June tests against France and Italy as evidence we’re not playing that well.
August 3rd 2009 @ 4:45pm
ohtani's jacket, said | August 3rd 2009 @ 4:45pm | Report comment
This All Blacks side peaked a long time ago, but the Boks went 2-4 last year in the Tri-Nations, the All Blacks are having their worst campaign since 2004 and who’s taking the bigger bollocking?
OK, PdV was in his first year as coach last year. That’s a free pass. But let’s face it, the Boks won the WC and for that they have a free pass until the next one. Maybe not in the eyes of diehard Boks fans, but to most. The All Blacks can’t win the WC and therefore the only thing they have going for them is to maintain a high winning record and now we’ve hit a rough patch the anti-Henry brigade are licking their lips. Don’t blame them. They had to suck a lemon last year.
The All Blacks know that the Boks are better than them. It was pretty resounding. They have a three week break now and if they come out of that playing as poorly as they have this year, then people can stick the boot in. We still have a home Test against this Springboks side and that will be an important game to win.