The Roar
The Roar

Advertisement

Wallabies tight five key against the Welsh

8th October, 2015
Advertisement
Michael Cheika and Stephen Moore will not win the grand slam this time around.
Expert
8th October, 2015
54
3345 Reads

There would be slim few who would deny the huge influence Australia’s tight five had on the result at Twickenham.

The pressure was on and boy did they deliver, with no less than six scrum penalties and very tidy work at the lineout and around the field.

This praise goes for both the boys that ran out and the finishers that took their place.

But rather than dwell on their return to the realms of internationally respected forwards, their impact on this weekend’s crucial game against Wales will be even more influential than knocking England out early.

I say this because against the ‘Old Foe’ their role was to set the platform for our other threats to shine. The strong forward performance allowed our wide-wide attack to threaten full width, opening holes on the outside (which we failed to take early) and then the inside. It kept us in field positions where Michael Hooper and David Pocock could wreak havoc at the breakdown, free from fear of costly shots at goal.

However, against Wales our tight five have the opportunity to be more than just the foundation, they will be the threat, the sword to slay the Dragon.

Furthermore, their performance this weekend will decide our path through the finals and whether we meet the All Black’s in or prior to the final.

I say this for a few reasons. Wales’s strengths are as follows:

Advertisement

– Wide-wide attack, changed up with a fantastic ability to bring their big wingers in to attack oppositions forwards around the ruck.
– The breakdown, Sam Warburton especially.
– Defensive integrity and each player holding their line.

Sound familiar? They mirror many of Australia’s strengths, and to cut and paste the gameplan from England to Wales would invite a very close battle similar to running against your ‘B’ team at training.

Their weaknesses:

– Scrum. Fiji took two tightheads and five penalties from them.
– Lineout maul. They are loose on their own ball and similar on defence.
– Ruck defence. Apart from the man contesting possession, they fan out, leaving space through and around the ruck.

The Welsh defence is very good, sharing the honours with Australia and Ireland to have less than three tries against them during this World Cup, and they defend as desperately for the man inside and out as any team. They also have a back three who are good in the air and dangerous on counter attack, so contestable kicking has its risks – particularly if Israel Folau doesn’t play.

So you have to break them open and disorganise their line to create opportunities. There are two chances to do this.

1. After a line break.
2. On counter attack.

Advertisement

While I am not suggesting our tight five start taking kicks and countering with cut passes and chip kicks (much to their disappointment), I do think they can bend and break the Welsh line around the ruck and through the ruck.

If our forwards can take metres around the ruck, and Will Genia can put some through holes, the Welsh defence will have to pull in creating space out wide or holes in the middle. The flip side of this is that our own men will have to be on song here to stop the Welsh advance and the embarrassment of being beaten around the fringes by wingers.

Along with this, off the back of recent scrum and maul performances, our pack should be full to the brim with confidence to proactively target and destroy the Welsh pack. Our scrum should be used to exit out of our own half by holding it in and playing for penalties, as well as building a lead through points.

Our lineout maul should drive to score.

Both tactics have tangible and intangible rewards. Firstly, done right we will have penalties and tries we can touch and build pressure with. Secondly and less obviously, they mentally and physically tire the Welsh for the coup de grâce.

With Warburton leading as the head of the Dragon, Pocock and I assume Sean McMahon will have a battle here. Their tail, strong with George North and Alex Cuthbert, will have to be managed.

But in my opinion, it will be the battle of the belly, where the tight-five long have dwelled. Up the guts, that will decide how much flame the Welsh can muster.

Advertisement
close