Between 778 and 804 CE, Charlemagne, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and King of the Franks, tried to dislodge another Germanic tribe, the Saxons, from what is now Lower Saxony and Westphalia.
Even though Charlemagne led a numerically superior force, he had to launch 18 sorties over 26 years before he was finally successful.
Because the Saxons had outstanding defence.
At Tours in 732 CE, Charlemagne’s grandfather, Charles Martel, defeated a force led by Abn ar-Rahman of the Umayyad Caliphate. 60,000 Saracens, mainly cavalrymen wearing armour or chainmail, were soundly defeated by an army of just 15,000 wearing little more than leather and fabric.
Because Martel came up with an outstanding defence.
So much for the field of battle back then.
Let’s catch a lightbeam to the Rugby World Cup in Japan this September.
The Wallabies shouldn’t have much trouble in their pool against lowly Uruguay or Georgia, who lost to Fiji in the Pacific Nations Cup by 21 points. So let’s say the Wallabies beat Fiji, get close to Wales, and make the quarter-finals.
Is this an outstanding attacking team? Can you add and subtract to the likely XV and get a side with a
brilliant and devastating attack? Probably not. Maybe this is one World Cup where we’re not going to have a team that can score from anywhere. Maybe we’re going to have to do what the Saxons and Martel’s men did – concentrate on defence.
Be super disciplined so as not to give the opposition too many chances from the tee, and organise a wall of gold that frustrates the opposition and forces them into errors.
Tight, unforgiving defence is a tactic that worked in the World Cup 24 years ago. And it was used with great success on another kind of field 1200 years ago.
Some things never change.
Waxhead
Roar Rookie
@The Crowd yeah using history is a popular device of many journos but of limited value when your average pro rugby coach or player has never heard of Charlemagne. And recommending a solid defence is hardly a tactical surprise. In fact, the Wallabies will need both outstanding defence AND ability to score from anywhere to make the semi finals of RWC. Currently, they have neither :)
Istanbul Wingman
Roar Guru
That's a fairly Eurocentric account of Tours, btw. Martel had the support of much of Christian Europe. The Moors were already overstretched and their supply lines breaking down. The Arab leadership was also preoccupied with a series of results in the Maghreb. On the whole the Moors were peaceful rulers and welcomes by much of the Spanish population as liberators from Christian rule and feudal tyranny (a similar process occurred in the Balkans when the Ottomans arrived several centuries later). They brought vast innovations to Spain in terms of science, medicine, mathematics and art, and their capital Cordoba became the largest and most advanced city on the European continent. They existed more as an extension of Mediterranean culture but their innovations would provide the basis for the Spanish Empire and the European Renaissance. Cervantes alludes to this throughout Don Quixote, an allegory of the Spanish monarchy and its foolhardy mission to rid Spain of its Muslims (and Jews) and united the kingdom under a common religion - Catholicism. Within a century the economy had collapsed and the empire was crumbling. In Cervantes' own time famine was rife, and he understood the catastrophe which had overtaken his homeland since the expulsion of the Moors. Incidentally, the Moors were mostly North African Berbers under Arab leadership. DNA testing indicates the people of the southern half of Spain today have a significant amount of Berber ancestry.
Garry
Guest
Let defense be our strength? We've become the Poms of yester years (note the history reference), and the Poms what we were. What would David Campese think? Strap on the sandwich boards again Campo.
Garry
Guest
Why is the Fiji win a given?
3Boltpale
Guest
why are we conceding to wales?
Sherry
Guest
The stirrup invention had little to do with victory in this battle. The Franks had few cavalry anyway. Martel formed his foot soldiers into a square. The Saracens attacked for six days but this defence proved impenetrable. Ar-Rahman was killed trying and his forces left the field on the seventh day.
John
Guest
Completely agree and as proof I would remind you of the RWC 1999 where the Wallabies won 7 games and the trophy by allowing just 1 try - ONE - and that was against the USA in a pool game
nickbrisbane
Guest
With Nathan Gray in charge of defence can't see this tactic working!
Electronic Swagman
Roar Rookie
Who was Charlemagne’s grandfather's defence coach and did he have them all switching positions every play?
Kashmir Pete
Roar Guru
TC Fun read - that era of history has always left my mind somewhat clouded! As to rugby - totally concur with outlook - where is Ben McCalman? Cheers KP
Linphoma
Guest
Even Charlemagne needed a Pope for that. But I appreciate the sentiment.
Howie
Roar Pro
I reckon they should follow Charlemagnes famous action and crown themselves as World Champions.
Linphoma
Guest
I heard another tack to Tours and that was that the Franks employed the stirrup in battle which made for better horse-rider control opposed to stirrup-less riders. Not being a horseman I still couldn't imagine trying to maneuver on horseback without them. That was not so much a better defence but a technological breakthrough.