Trounced Force face test of character

Tahs lost by 26 - correction

Just as bad as the Bambies and Tatas this weekend... let’s hope the Reds and Rebels do better.

Brumbies losing by 28 with Aussie ref and Tahs by 36.....another long weekend. Playing Kiwi sides 5 games in a row is taking its toll...

The game would be very different if the gap closed. It didn’t so it is a hypothetical nonsense. I expect the Force to respond to this game... as that is what a team with character will do. Go force!

Changing the coach after one season is not the way the Force operate. Simpson has done well in the first real SR season with the limited talent he have...hands off! The Rebels and Tahs can blame and sack their coach, I blame the players that didn’t execute the game plan. You cannot miss so many tackles and expect to win.

Let’s wait for the other Aussie teams to play and then judge how bad the Force performance was. It may get better as the weekend progress....

Agreed 100%

This kind of fluff is what continues to frustrate me as a Force fan. The constant refusal to address the many weaknesses and lack of rugby intelligence serves no useful purpose.

Perhaps the Force will have relearned the lesson about playing the refs whistle. They turned over quite a few possessions at the breakdown, should have dealt with all of them the way Barrett did. Playing with one hand behind the back otherwise.

As an Argentine you’ll be well aware of the Pumas ability to compete once they found parity in the aforementioned categories. Long gone are the days where Argentina’s only respite was a dominate scrum and the success of their flyhalf’s boot. Certainly Eng in 2019 SF had a strategy that as you say, was a reflection of their resources and rugby culture (paraphrasing). What is often forgotten in these rugby conversations is the obvious, but I’m glad that it’s not lost on you.

I agree J JONES. Playing styles are the natural and obligatory consequence of the cultural conditions in which rugby is likely to develop in AUS. That is why it is necessary to review the attack and defense variants of the Aussie teams, to be able to compete and sustain the competition in the greatest possible number of game records (obtaining and territorialization of the game, progress on the field, continuity of the game and pressure on the opp to finally score points). As an Argentine I have a somewhat objective reading of the situation, but I think that the decision in the alternation of the game is today in the hands of the coaches of the Australian teams.

It may seem that way, but NZ teams are very good at finding another way. I'm sure that it is not hard for us to agree that until Aust teams find parity in size, strength, speed, skill and fundamental competence (line outs, mauls, rucks etc) that any adjustments in strategy is akin to "rearranging deckchairs on the Titanic".

How are you J JONES…! NZL teams have a host of weaknesses that are not being explored 100% by the AUS. The increased speed at which they play pays tribute in the hands of conceded Turnovers (30 on average vs 30.6 for AUS). Those frequent losses of the ball in NZL are a symptom of something greater, which is the difficulty in dealing with the pressure of the opponent. The reorganization of the defensive strategy is today the order of the day for AUS, which must apply greater pressure on the game drivers. Mo’Unga, for example, has already shown us against RED how he can develop his attacking game and his defensive game, applying the pressure we would expect him to receive as a playmaker on RED’s backs.

Sadly Tim Sampson, the Force coach is also founding in his unsophisticated delusional dribble. In my opinion there appeared to be quite a disparity in many of the main facets between the teams and unfortunately the Canes were uncompromising; that’s what good teams do? Forget about the word steamrolling home; concentrate on the fundamentals, smart ball retention and defense. As the Crusader’s at home will play high octane 15 man rugby.

After almost 3 rounds of SuperRugby TransTasman maybe wait until at least 3 more games are complete? I'm not sure of what game the Aust teams are trying to develop, what I do see are the Aust teams finding it terribly difficult to deal with the speed and skill of the NZ teams in developing mis-matches. I do applaud the Aust teams for not resorting to damage control rugby, albeit at the behest of most of their fans.

it was never 23-6. It was 24-6 at one stage tho.

After almost 3 rounds of SuperRugby TransTasman, I think that the mistake of the Australian teams when facing the Kiwi side has already been mentioned in these posts: the Aussies are trying to build a rugby that is vastly impossible for them to build at the moment. It is not possible for some players to maintain possession of the ball when they are not specifically designed for it. Nor can we expect those looking to define points in a zone of 22 to do their job efficiently against a pack with almost 39 kg of difference, as was the case with Hurricanes versus Western Force. Today, the Hurricanes’ effectiveness when landing in the 22m Western Force was nearly 54%. That of Force 0%. Here are some of the problems of AUS rugby: the inability to score points when arriving in the ‘red zone’ (35.8% effective vs 51.7% for NZL) and the difficulty to progress territorially (they need 14 average carries to get to opp 22 versus 9 of the Kiwi teams). Faced with this reality, the passing game is configured as an option as interesting as it is necessary, but the difference in hierarchy between the kickers on both sides and the lack of post-kick pressure, ends up defining the contest with the loss of possession of the ball without territorial gain. At the moment, Australian teams are not designed for the type of game they intend to develop. Let’s see how the rest of the third round matches play out in SuperRugby TransTasman.

I remember it well MM. All the commentators thought NZ was mad to run into the wind and rain on that day but they were fantastic in that first half.

The Crusaders will need a big points haul in that game if they want to reach the final. Might not be pretty.

Farce that was pathetic