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Joined January 2015
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Along time ago I coached a variety of grades, mostly juniors, in Brisbane Club rugby.
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Hi Rob C,
You do put some thought into the scrum, don’t you? We could well be in trouble. I do not know about the cattle. If Slipper is not 100% then play Sio who is everyone’s first or second choice L.H. I wanted to see him start before I made a decision on him – I was not entirely convinced during the S.R. season. We may not have that luxury. I think Holmes is our best T.H. – shame the Rebel is hurt. For all his size Kepu disappoints me as a T.H. A good judge I know says it would not take long to turn him into the best L.H. in the country. He has played there before, any opinion? I suspect Big Wil will be in the run on team even if the scrum (and the lineout) is not his forte. In general play, I will be surprised if the Abs did not see the Highlanders cut him down low before he got a head of steam up. It would be crazy to nominate your V.C. one day and then not select him the next. If you are right about the Abs running us around then could Hooper prove more useful? Surely to God Pocock, the next forward picked after Moore, will not be at 8 while Big Wil is playing lock. Be interesting to see what Cheika does. The pack will be different from the one I nominated. I have yet to notice any 2 people select identical packs – to me that spells out that we may have a problem on our hands. Let us hope that Cheikas’s is the one that we should all have selected in the first place.
Picking a pack to take on the All Blacks
Hi Rob C
The best the WBs have played for some years.
Picking a pack to take on the All Blacks
Hi Pick & Go,
Thanks. As someone who waffled on about the importance of an aggressive attitude at the ruck/maul and the tackle –and about the drive in contact, I appreciate your comments on physicality. I defer to John Eales who recently stated that the particular skill of Rob Simmons as a lineout general, or words to that effect, demanded his selection – no argument. Incidentally, that skill, together with a raft of other measures form the basis of my hope that we might take a couple of their throws, or at least give them some pressured ball. The where and the when of any steals would be important questions. Clearly, I do not share the confidence of others that we can edge their scrum or their work around the paddock, unaided from other sources – parity might perhaps be possible in this latter area. It would be great if I am proved wrong.
Picking a pack to take on the All Blacks
Hi Pick & Go,
I must make no apologies for stressing the importance of the set plays, including the lineout. Both teams, on occasion, will find it appropriate to kick for touch for their own reasons. Yes, good kickers would be nice. I would just hope that we could cause the Abs to lose a couple of their throws, just as the SBs did late in the game. Those losses were ultimately crucial to the eventual outcome. I was certainly not trying to advocate a 10 man game. That is why I mentioned how important variety (and patterns of play of course) are to me. It is just that I regard good ball from set plays as a foundation stone for the intelligent running and support lines integral to varying our game, just as you would I suspect. I know I did not pick a “flyer”, but I think you and I will just have to agree to disagree on the subject of the general mobility of the unit as a whole. We do agree that we do not want to play 10 man football on a wet pitch in some dark valley over there. I do find it hard to express myself, in full, in one go, under 800 words.
Picking a pack to take on the All Blacks
Hi Wag,
Like yourself, I noted the fact that very few respondents addressed the issue I raised. I was on about the principles in selection – what are your priorities, how do you establish them and then use the selection process to reflect those decisions. Clearly people had sorted those things out for themselves and then simply named their teams.
I was pleased that no one challenged my assertion that the key criteria for making decisions would include “making the most of what you are good at and covering up what you are not so good at” as a high (chief) priority. And I was actually a bit pleased also that no one challenged my claim that the ruck/maul was primarily to be considered as a set play and not as a means to an end.
Anyway back to the ABs – what on earth could we be good at and get a clear edge when playing them? You have to make something out of that or else concede defeat before you start.
My best guess is the lineout – I think that this year their scrum will be extra good and they will be certainly competitive in the other aspects of forward play that I listed in my article. That being the case I am going for 4 jumpers – amongst other considerations we will then have the chance to contest their throws. The corollary would be that we would work hard to eliminate any consequent gaps in our lineout, as the ABs real lineout strength is exploiting opposition gaps.
The scrum will be a cover up job – in which case
• I will pick the best scrummaging props – no arguments
• I will pick a back 5 where every player will work to become a unit with the front row now. No room for anyone who does not bind tight or falls off the scrum under pressure.
I could actually see a pack, reflecting the choices for the scrum and the lineouts being effective at the ruck/maul, given 2 conditions
1. Everyone knows the team patterns and the communication systems work. If you have possession, you know what is going to happen next (well that is a high priority in my opinion). That of course then gives you an enormous advantage in getting to the next ruck/maul. My own personal bias for variety with the ball is an important corollary.
2. We are aggressive – it doesn’t matter if it their ball or our ball. For me it is not just a question of the benefits from controlled aggression. It is that this aggression is often indicative of a switched on mindset. (and this is just as important and applicable in the tackle too.) With regard to this aggression, I have a question I do not know the answer to – are working off bent knees and acceleration any longer relevant to the drive?
Maybe a “flyer” is not so essential as the ABs may not really have one – can McCaw really be classified as one these days? You could certainly pick a pack with a degree of mobility while satisfying other priorities. Many of my previous comments re the ruck/maul and the tackle are pertinent to this issue.
I agree with the respondent who said you cannot entirely dissociate forward selection from the backs selection. My example of that consideration was deleted from the article I wrote. You are looking at work at the ruck/maul and support of the running forward just as a couple of examples where the backs contribute to “forwards” play.
The pack I have selected stems from the application of the principles I have discussed. There are 2 potential problems with this application (I hope the principles are sound).
1. I know damn all about the modern game.
2. I know damn all about the current players.
I know certain players are open to criticism from the SBs game. But they have talent and it is the coach’s job to extract it.
Finally, how would my selections stand up in regard to my expressed list of desirable qualities for individual players. Mental strength and brains? God, I hope so – there are 5 national and provincial captains in the pack. Physical strength? Don’t know – I am not prepared to say yes. Controlled aggression? Good potential there.
Slipper
Moore
Holmes
Horwell
Simmons
Fardy
Higgenbotham
Pocock
Hooper – has some great skills but I do not know about his scrummaging and cleaning out.
Skelton – The Highlanders taught the rugby world how to deal with him and he has shortcomings in jumping and scrummaging at this stage of his career. I know there is a body of thought that says play both Hooper and Pocock while retaining Skelton, which leaves just two lineout jumpers – not for me.
Sio(?) – I would like to see him play first up before I made a decision about him.
In brief – cover up the scrum, accentuate the lineout and compete hard at the ruck/maul. My comments explain my view on mobility etc, etc.
Can I take it that after all this, you will never again suggest that I give some thought to picking a pack to play the Abs and explain why.
Sheek and Rob C may care to respond.
Cheers,
Roy
We cannot lift the Cup unless we pick the right pack
Hi Rob C
I have a painful memory of a game, not all that long ago, when the Abs rans us around and poured through us – precisely 2 minutes after the kick off. My concern about Kepu predates Newlands, I hope you are right. My plans for the Abs are out the window. The particular praise John Eales had for Rob Simmons led me to think that Rob might well understand the old 5 W.H. approach to getting things done – or, if not, soon would. At that time John did not give me any impression that he was considering anyone else as a comparative talent. Rob, have you ever written papers on the scrum or other aspects? Be interested. Peoples, I have no more comments to make on this subject.
Picking a pack to take on the All Blacks