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Smarter rugby means better results

21st April, 2014
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Can the Force snag a win against the Highlanders? (AAP Image/Theron Kirkman)
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21st April, 2014
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‘Reading the game’ is not a rugby term used in the press and said by commentators to fill word count and dead air. It is a serious and very important part of the game, and an ability that some players lack.

Generally, players who can’t read the game are inexperienced or are too stubborn to listen, but the players that do have this ability are the ones that can direct and control a game.

The South African teams of late all lack the experience in the pivotal roles of 9 and 10 and it shows with the placings on the league table. The Sharks are an exception, but their coach is legendary and the experienced players that surround the young blokes allow for the mistakes. Still, this type of team structure is like building a house of cards during a storm – things will eventually collapse in spectacular fashion.

Besides the pivotal roles lacking in experience, game plans and open play rugby is predictable and unimaginative. When watching the Sharks versus Cheetahs (Round 10), I could call how the Sharks would play the ball after watching 10 minutes of the game. If an arm chair commentator was able to decipher the game plan in 10 minutes, a top tier coach would have seen the future of the game after the first few phases.

The Sharks played most of the game within a few metres of the breakdown play. A ruck formed, 9 was at the back ready to distribute and about 80 per cent of the time, a big runner took the pop pass and crashed up towards the gain line. Defences were ready for this and stopped the player every time.

Either Charl McLeod was afraid of giving the ball to the new bloke, Tim Swiel, or the team didn’t adapt the game plan and create space.

I don’t entirely blame the Sharks for using big runners. They have the athletes to do this but don’t use them in an imaginative way. If one of these men were to make a run coming through the back line, it would have been more imaginative than just off broken play.

At the halftime interview, Jake White said the communication between the forwards and backs wasn’t strong and a connection needed to happen. This connection comes from the 9 and 10. McLeod is sometimes a little erratic but he is improving every season. With Pat Lambie and Fred Zeilinga on the injury list, a third-string flyhalf was picked and he was nervous. Putting Morne Steyn at flyhalf was a no-brainer, but I guess with injuries, this was logical but not possible.

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A team that has a strong and decisive fly half is more likely to win games than not. In this position, the ability to read the game counts for much. The options are simple – either kick or pass – but the consequences are complex. A slow pass or at an inopportune time will allow defensive lines to hound the back line, an inaccurate kick will allow a counter-attack to be launched. These accurate decisions come with time and experience, but both seem to be missing in the current South African team.

Some players are born with this ability and are mature for their game and position but others need time and guidance to achieve it. The correct mix of control from the back and communication with the big men will build an attacking force that can be unstoppable, but don’t just let attacking be the only weapon. A strong defensive unit that doesn’t allow points to be scored and keeps the discipline will make a team feared by most.

If a team can tackle the opposition backwards, force a counter ruck, smuggle the ball and launch a counter attack with big units posing a threat, what team would be comfortable trying to stop this?

The All Blacks are not the biggest unit in world rugby but they are the smartest. South Africa may have one of the biggest teams in the world but they lack the rugby smarts, so they lie second in the rankings.

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