Would we accept losses if the Wallabies were running the ball?
Roar Rookie
By CraigB, 24 Nov 2009 CraigB is a Roar Rookie
- Tagged:
- Rugby Union, running rugby, wallabies
Australia's Wallabies react after their 19-14 loss to New Zealand's All Blacks during their Bledisloe Cup match in Hong Kong Saturday, Nov. 1, 2008. AP Photo/Kin Cheung
Watching the kick fest that has become the staple of international rugby, I can’t help but hark back to my own playing days. Granted we were on rungs much lower than any professional match, we were not really told how we would play the game.
We had general tactics that played to what little strengths we may have had.
If we got super clever, we may even have tried to exploit an opposition weakness. By and large, however, we played the way we liked to.
When forwards got their hands on the ball, they just ran forward with as much aggression as they could muster. When the back got it, they tried loops or other fancy things to avoid tackles.
Sure, we kicked when we had to, but running was the name of the game and that’s what we did. We didn’t win every week, but we always had a good time.
My question to the Roarers out there is this: If Deans said “stuff this, the boys want to run, let them run and to hell with the result,” would you support it?
If he said, “we will do everything we can to win, EXCEPT KICK THE BALL AWAY,” would you support it?
Would you support it if the Wallabies, or whoever your preferred team is, decided that the spirit of the game and the manner in which it is played is more important than the score?
Even if that meant you would lose more often and by bigger margins (not really a concern for us Wallaby fans at the moment)?
It would also mean supporting a losing coach and team and not looking for blood when the results don’t fall your way.
You see, no manner of ELV’s, whinging, whining or cajoling will make any difference to the style of game we see. As long as winning is the only measure, you will not see teams who are prepared to risk defeat for a thrilling victory.
You will always get teams playing the percentages, like professional gamblers, when what we want to see is mug punters going for it all.
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rugbyfuture said | November 24th 2009 @ 3:20am | Report comment
I think alot more support would come to the wallabies by playing traditional rugby with running the ball up and phase play, but i think this has been coming for ages, granted im fresh out of school, but even in my 4th xv school team the backs were given control and kicked all the time, with our strengths in the forwards with the weight and power. i think its the way the game has been taught to play from bottom to top
Knives Out said | November 24th 2009 @ 3:58am | Report comment
‘You see, no manner of ELV’s, whinging, whining or cajoling will make any difference to the style of game we see. As long as winning is the only measure, you will not see teams who are prepared to risk defeat for a thrilling victory.’
That’s not strictly true. Look how much Ireland attempted to run the ball last weekend. Even Scotland started throwing the ball around for ther first ten minutes of the recent test until the wethaer became too dreary. Personally I think most Australian fans would be content to see the Wallabies occasionally throw the ball around, but the fact is they never do unless from a set piece move. You don’t have to throw the ball arund endlessly to garner support.
DT said | November 24th 2009 @ 6:12am | Report comment
There’s more to it than just running the ball – it needs to be run with intelligence, purpose and skill. Apart from the obvious lack of ball skills, the current Wallabies don’t any sort of vision or ability to read the play.
More importantly, they do not seem to understand how to break the defence by running angles or even the concept of running at the gaps. Every time the backs try to run the ball they drift across field. They might use an occasional switch but it’s so clearly programmed and telegraphed, it only means they run back into traffic.
Take a look at some footage of players like Burke, Roff or Horan hitting the defensive line and compare it to our clueless lot.
Ads said | November 24th 2009 @ 6:37am | Report comment
Burke, Roffy and Horan were great runners of the ball but what made them the best was they new how to support. Our guys make breaks but never anyone there to pass it to. It’s like if a guy make a break the rest of the team is dumbfounded they just sit and watch. And then on the ocassions that there is support the guy with ball never even looks to pass.
Got to get guys running the angles. Hitting the line with speed. Adam Ashley Cooper does it but very rarely sees the ball. He runs straight and hard and always make the metres (Runs like Burkey)….The other guys in the back line to take a leaf out of his book. Even Mortlock, although i think he is too injury prone to count on for the RWC, he runs with intent, drive, and always good body height, and this creates holes. With Giteau doing these one off runs and not creating the holes, he gets isolated, turned over and our back never touch the ball.
I don’t know what the answer is but if Giteau stays at number 10 we will continue to loose games. Put him at 12 or 13 where he can run it and put some one else in at 10.
Ads said | November 24th 2009 @ 6:30am | Report comment
It would be easy to endure all these losses if it was because we were atleast trying new things. Each week different opponent same game plan…Robbie Deans is regards (or was) as one of the best coaches in world rugby, yet he has managed to turn the Wallabies game into a very 2 dimensional one with limited options and far too much kicking. He says that he encourages the players to have ago and play the game as it comes….but when they run on the field it’s straight back to old habits which must come back to the directions given by the coaching staff. A side that has no winning culture and no self belief is never going to back themselves so that is when a coach needs to step in and do his job. I don’t think he deserves to loose his job but this is the ‘professional’ era and in any other business if the boss is not performing then he is performance managed and if that doesn’t work then he is let go. Bottom line is we should be seeing the Wallabies improving and building a base which will take them to the RWC 2011….If we loose versus Wales a very large question mark should appear over Mr Deans head as to whether he has what it takes to get us there. With 2 season before the RWC his job should be balancing on a knife edge and he should be treated like the players on the field. If you don’t play well then the next guy gets a chance to show what he’s got. Deans needs to find some answers otherwise if the ARU don’t get rid of him the the Australian rugby community just might.
Blinky Bill from Bellingen said | November 24th 2009 @ 6:54am | Report comment
‘If he said, “we will do everything we can to win, EXCEPT KICK THE BALL AWAY,” would you support it? ‘ = YES!!!!
formeropenside said | November 24th 2009 @ 8:03am | Report comment
Winning is winning. Remember Queensland in the 90′s played complete rugby with powerful fowards and speedy backs, and yet perennial losers NSW tried “running rugby” to little effect.
That said, I’d prefer to watch a rolling maul being worked 30m upfield than some twinkle-toed back run the same distance, so my views on “fun” may not be universal.
Matt0931 said | November 24th 2009 @ 8:29am | Report comment
Not a chance in hell I would support it. What I would ask is that they kick when required and run the ball when the option is there. i.e kicking smart.
I know people are upset about the kicking and I agree it is getting a bit too much these days but we aren’t really doing it more than many other teams.
As an example I have two lots of stats from Aus-NZ games
22nd Aug – Aus kicks = 31 NZ kicks = 28. Aus runs = 72 NZ runs = 82
31st Oct – Aus kicks = 17 NZ kicks = 21. Aus runs = 75 NZ runs = 51
The point being that although the amount of kicking is quite similar NZ are renouned for their running because they have the skill set to identify when it’s best to kick and when it’s best to run. As such, viewers are happy to watch their rugby style with the same amount of kicking.
If the wallabies had the skill to run they would (something KO has been harping on about for a long time now). They certainly do not seem to know how to identify the best time to kick or run so what you get are pointless kcks and runs/breaks that go no where fast.
Andystath said | November 24th 2009 @ 8:34am | Report comment
The strength of the Deans’ Crusaders was there ability to counter attack from anywhere on the field,there were props linking up with the wingers and fullback to take the ball from one end of the field to the other.I fail to understand why as national coach Deans has not been able to mould the cream of our nations players.The current backline is impotent in attack and the forwards with the exception of a few have shown less spine than a jellyfish.The argument of it being a young and inexperienced team is garbage as a number of senior players have been put out to pasture with little or no explaination other than the old mantra of “rebuilding for the world cup.”I support a smaller more mobile forward pack that runs after everything,I support resigning kicking to soccer,I support running rugby.
Pippinu said | November 24th 2009 @ 8:39am | Report comment
Footy fans from many backgrounds will often claim that they would be happier with a loss, or string of losses, if their teams was doing this or that, or having a dip, or whatever.
But personally, I don’t really believe it, or at least it only helps to a marginal extent (fans not going off the deep end after a string of losses).
In some respects, a string of very close losses can be every bit as devastating as a string of shellackings.
Vented Relief said | November 24th 2009 @ 10:31am | Report comment
As a Reds supporter, I would give my left arm to see the team win as many games as the Waratahs have recently. You’re right though, in that the style we played with this year did help, but only in allowing us some pride…. it did not make the losses any easier to swallow.
stillmissit said | November 24th 2009 @ 10:53am | Report comment
VR – I said last year the Reds would make the finals and some of the old roarers laughed, with good reason as it turned out. I think I was a year out, McKenzie has fallen on his feet as I think the Reds are the fast improver’s. The only issue is McK can get you to the finals but he cant win one as he always takes the conservative route.
Bring in Alfie Langer as coach for the finals. Not for coaching, just to focus on what it takes to win and keep McKenzie out of it.
Parisien said | November 24th 2009 @ 11:50am | Report comment
If its any consolation, I definitely preferred watching the Reds to the Tahs, even if the Reds lost more often than not. They were one of the most enjoyable teams to watch and made the competition lively. I dread what Ewen McKenzie will do to them.
BennO said | November 24th 2009 @ 1:40pm | Report comment
Me too!
I hope we win a few cos like Vented relief I’m just hanging out for a good season at the reds! I’ll take a few dreary wins. But McKenzie is such a prop in every way. I’m worried.
PastHisBest said | November 24th 2009 @ 1:39pm | Report comment
Yup. The ‘tahs were dire.
Josh Capelin said | November 24th 2009 @ 10:23am | Report comment
All sports evolve based on the players and coaches in the game. And the differences of each, give sports their entertainment value. For some reason, bar NZ and France, international Rugby teams have all adopted similar playing styles over the last few years effectively nullifying each other and bringing the game to its knees. Just look at the diversity of playing strategies of AFL teams, and recall the dimension Parramatta brought for the NRL. I feel like we’re playing in response to the rules more than anything else.
Pippinu said | November 24th 2009 @ 10:50am | Report comment
It’s a good point you raise, and an interesting one for a part time rugby fan as I am.
It’s very hard to compare to AFL, because we’re all aware just how unstructured it is (which means coaches have carte blanche to experiment in any way they want – and often do with mixed results – but as soon as someone latches onto a good idea – absolutely everyone is onto it like sheep, or at least working out something new to counter it) – there’s this constant battle of trying out new things, of countering it, and for the learned fan that in itself can be quite absorbing.
Rugby is very structured.
No problem there – that’s the game – but I sometimes wonder whether innovations are still possibile within this structure, or whether coaches are being lazy in not trying something new.
There remains a bewildering array of methods of moving the ball from one end of the field to the other – but for a team to be comfortable with even half of these methods takes an enormous amount of training effort from coaches and players alike – one missing detail, and the risks are huge – 7 pointers don’t come easily, so you don’t want to give them away easily.
Anyway, as an uneducated observer, I am often struck by how strictly teams stick to given structures – when in fact – there are many scenarios where the structures do not necessarily apply – where there’s a bit more room to do things differently – I’m dissappointed sometimes that these opportunities aren’t explored further to do something innovative.