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Roar Guru
Joined March 2020
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The back three is a place where pace and agility are mixed with the ability to claim the high ball. It is a place which fizzles with electricity, and the speed of players combines with the skill of playmakers around them to score.
At the turn of the decade we should start to analyse and appreciate certain tactics that have become trendy recently. Tactical trends come and go, and people rarely realise that they are there.
Should Willie Le Roux retain his fullback jersey for the Springboks?
This is my fourth article in this team of the year series, and I fancied getting on to the big boys – the grinders, the locks.
The backrow are the boys who do the real job. The guys who top the tackle, breakdown, and forward-handling stats. Athletic guys with power to do pretty much all the dirty work.
The midfield is a place where the most versatile skill sets mix and match to fit a variety of utilities. It is a place where quick hands, agility and brutality are all in high demand.
I think Dave Rennie has had the Wallabies develop a certain structure to their attack. Barring errors and with proper execution, it is very formidable.
The All Blacks lost once to Australia and once to Argentina, and raised some eyebrows at the current set-up.
It may seem like a boring game on paper given all the points came from penalties, but there was a lot more to the game than just the points struck by the metronomic boots of Nicolas Sanchez and Reece Hodge.
The Lions tour is one of the biggest highlights of the rugby calendar. Primed to occur in South Africa in 2021, the British and Irish Lions will take on the world champion Springboks.
Ardie Savea and Sam Cane are both predominantly sevens.
Wales were semi-finalists in 2019 but became eighth in the world and fifth in the Six Nations in 2020. One big difference is the attacking structure.
On Saturday, 14 November 2020, the inspirational Argentineans claimed a win over the All Blacks, and the ten-point margin at fulltime means that this was a convincing win, not a fluke.
The 2020 All Blacks season started slowly with a draw. Two extraordinary games, including a trashing of the Wallabies, had to sit up and take notice, but recent losses to the Wallabies and Argentina have had us think again.
Damian Willemse has always been a player with X-Factor. Imagine a back-three wearing the 10 jersey with Le Roux-esque ball skills. That is Willemse.
Since the era of Ma’a Nonu and Conrad Smith, the All Blacks are yet to find a similarly devastating midfield combo.
At the start of the Bledisloe Series, the Wallabies brought in James O’Connor and Matt To’omua at 10 and 12 respectively to serve as dual pivots.
Recently, there was talk about whether Beauden Barrett should shift to flyhalf for the All Blacks and Richie Mo’unga be benched. We saw him fielded there against the Wallabies in Bledisloe 4 and his performance was something worth chewing over.
South Africa had a world-class midfield in 2019, with Damian de Allende as a bruiser and Lukhanyo Am as an all-round centre with a good carry and wonderful ball skills.
Thanks AH, great article, are you profiling all the top european clubs?
Exeter: From rugby obscurity to kings of Europe
That’s really good in blooding youth . I thought they played their A Team in the Pro 14 final?
Dream XV 2020: Back three of the year
You mean at junior level? I thought it was Sexton/Ross – Ringrose- Henshaw
Dream XV 2020: Back three of the year
Sorry i dont watch much irish rugby, but im sure they could try to blood new 10s with a dual pivot and conway/earls at 15. Conway stepped in at first receiver at points in the 6N
Dream XV 2020: Back three of the year
No it is not. Come to think of this, Pumas are a better team than the Wallabies(In thanks to their pack, centres, and Super Sanchez), play better than the Wallabies and deserve a better result
What does a 15-all draw mean for Argentina?
In 2019, the Wallabies had triple pivots. Main pivot in Lealifano and wider distributors in Beale & JOC
Tactical trends: The dual pivot
Recommend TRK impact player for The Gif Room which analyses teams all around the globe. Here’s a sample. https://www.threeredkings.com/the-double-pivot/
The rise again of Munster rugby
AH, you seem to be a fan of mUNSTER. you should subscribe to Three Red Kings, great analysis and fan products there
The rise again of Munster rugby
He is QC but with common sense. Why i believe the ABs backline is inconsistent? No world-class 12 and a mere distributor in Goodhue, ALB not in the right position, or if he is he does not have the right midfield partner, no wide channel threat cos they removed Ben Smith from fullback and brought in BB/Dmac, and also less innovation from Foster. Mo’unga has potential and performance.
Dream XV 2020: Back three of the year
👎 It’s Mounga-Dmac. Foster is trying to have his Mounga cake and eat his Barrett cake. Inconsistenceis and mistakes-i watched full games mind you, and i dont see him dropping the ball often. a missed linekick or two but still
Dream XV 2020: Back three of the year
My article was quite long so i think he got cropped. Anyways, here it is. Johnny May played brilliantly with that X-factor and speed his possesses, certainly in the contention for being the fastest wing in the world. A go-to for England.
Dream XV 2020: Back three of the year
He is a competent defender, not great but decent enough
Tactical trends: The dual pivot
Surprise he only missed4 tackles last year in the WC and only made one tackle.
Tactical trends: The dual pivot
Kurtley is a competent tackler, not excellent, but decent and could floor people in 2018, QC(still way better than Foley), and Folau(the most all-rounded but populism in RA and Castle chased him away.
Tactical trends: The dual pivot
Some potential big bulls that have been lost-Folau, QC, Beale
Tactical trends: The dual pivot
Rennie is no clown. It is just that the current Wallaby team does not have the kind of classy playmaking and linebreaking backs to do what he wants( ie Beale(one of my favourite Wallabies ever, and im no wALLABY FAN), Cooper, Folau, Kerevi _
Tactical trends: The dual pivot
Fair point on Lowe. But a talent he is. Conway is practically Ireland’s best everything-best runner, best passer, fastest guy. Anyone considered him at FB?
Dream XV 2020: Back three of the year
I mentioned him but it got cropped, perhaps by an error or shortening of my article
Dream XV 2020: Back three of the year
Sorry mate. He only playd one test IMO i wouldnt put him there, great talent tho he is.
Dream XV 2020: Back three of the year
I think it is so they can primarily shut off the main playmaking threat, and kill the best counterattacker. Given Wille’s vision, i think at the points he dropped the abll, he could have thought of too much too soon.
Willie Le Roux is no weak link for the Springboks
Racing 92 wins races. Sale Sharks have the Saffas. Leinster look interesting. Northampton have biggar.
Exeter: From rugby obscurity to kings of Europe