No apology necessary at all Ralph. Hope he’s alright!

Thanks mate. Like the Double Metaphor! 🙂

I think Kerevi could do the job as well. Its just whether the Wallabies have it in their staff to think of this and coach it as a viable option. As it is outside the box, a concept i’m incredibly keen on as a coach. But a lot of coaches aren’t. Which is why the All Blacks are always a step ahead. And the Wallabies were under Macqueen.

Also trying to emulate this means the All Blacks will already be another step ahead by the time you achieve it. Its certainly concerning their rate of progress!

Unfortunately there will be holes. Our midfield is too unsettled. Hence releasing this before this game. But we will put our best foot forward at least.

Cheers mate

Cheers Damian, Glad you liked it mate.

Cheers Highlander

Hi Fraser,

Cheers mate. Absolutely found the criticism startling. I’d love for SBW to be in the England team. I suppose its what happens when you’re so spoilt for choice as the All Blacks are!

Cheers Peeeko. I don’t like the generic, you have to beat the All Blacks playing “Generic things everyone says” type articles. So plying my hand at this using what I have in the back of the mind 🙂

Thanks Corne, Glad you liked it!

Cheers Harry! As an Englishman, I am somewhat appalled that wasn’t a penalty. I know interpretation comes into it. But he led with the Shoulder. Plus Farrell doing that to Sonny Bill… It won’t end well.

I meant more at International level mate. But its pretty cool to hear about the u20 years. Of course the 2011 U20 AB team is the foundation of this side. Much like the England U20 2012-2014 side is now the foundation of the England team. Thats a pretty good indictment of the systems for both teams.

I wouldn’t have envied Anscombe there. Fitting all those boys in a team. That’d be troublesome!

Cheers mate, appreciate the sentiment! 🙂

For me personally, i’ve never seen Mounga play much as he has had limited AB starts and i can’t get Super Rugby. But already on the weekend against the Pumas he targeted this area and made massive gainline breaks off it. So he clearly has the speed and step work in order to exploit this area. This pattern revolves more around the 10 playing the 2nd receiver. If his Crusaders pattern allows him experience with this, rather than a pressure to be 1st receiver on every phase. He’ll get more starts.

Apparently he has better game management and his catch and pass is good as well. So if he can do the above and put players through holes, could be lethal.

I like the thought of Bender at wing and BB at 15 also. Hes shown lots of evidence he can play it, and the position behind the 2nd 3 pod will also be secured by another capable distributor in the 15. Certainly a more reliable set than McKenzie, (who i still rate highly, so that thought scares me).

Just depends on the trade-offs for having Mounga at 10, and whether losing a dynamic in the back 3 is worth playing Mounga. Hes still trialling the new Back 3 combo I feel. From Mounga playing 10, and until hes comfortable with it, I don’t think RM will get as many starts as he’d like. Even if overall, the end result in attack could be better.

I really hope this becomes a call on the field somewhere now

Thanks Sam. Appreciate it mate.

Hi Mate, definitely not recently no.

The last I wrote of the 2-4-2 was early 2017. Since then I’ve seen 2-2-2-2 and 1-3-3-1 used by the AB’s. But not the 2-4-2 as prevalent as it was.

I do. Any articles that I write are my own analysis and work. Steve proof reads them and makes the grammar on point. But I write them and do all the prior analysis for them.

I wrote it for them mate. So yes I took a bit 🙂 like spreading to the Roar as well. Good bunch of blokes.

Agreed Jacko. Thats why its a series of 5. You have to mix and match to remain unpredictable. For me you have to play with accuracy and intensity for 80 minutes, have multiple options to every attack that you run, and hit weak point after weak point.

Opportunities multiply as they are seized. You get gainline from a weakness against the AB’s, you have to hit another, immediately to keep them on the back foot. The game will be won in those moments of initiative. The AB’s are also adapting to line speed. And are changing there game to combat it. Hence they themselves used this tactic against the French in a near textbook copy of the MacQueen Brumbies. I’ve written an article on the that and the other methods they’re using for that as well. But those will be up after the 1014 releases them.

The Lions Forwards also held their own. First test they weren’t playing the 10-12 dynamic and weren’t at the races because of it, The forwards in the remaining two tests, they definitely got parity. As they did one hell of a job on the carrying. Also, 3 to 1, i think maybe a stretch. Considering I think the Wallabies in attack are becoming rather efficient on their breaks. Per line break last year, i believe they had the highest break to ratio score. Which shows they’re starting to come good.

Quite a big weakness seeing as its been a common defensive flaw for over 2 years. SA have imported the Bulls plan under Meyer, whereas Coetzee didn’t really have a plan at all. But none were anything like the Brumbies under MacQueen. It called for patience and not kicking the ball away. In Dunedin the Wallabies were patient, methodical, and scored twice hitting this area repeatedly. As did the Argentinians. When the AB’s numbered they went into a wide game which suited the AB whip defence. Which is the 5th article under this. But all they had to do was change channel and rinse repeat. Admittedly, the skillsets to play this flat and fast and with accuracy are not found in abundance. Which was why MacQueen could recreate the attack pattern with the Wallabies and not the Rebels. But in the 22, this should be an area a team should focus on. As wide play often plays to the AB strengths.

FYI for Nick Bishop. This was submitted before we had our talk on Leinster. So apologies for the misconceptions!

Fair enough mate. I won’t pester you on Leinster stuff any further! Just a curious cat when it comes to that kinda thing 🙂

And Cipriani has caused a problem (Albeit a good one!) I’ve had a lot of time for him since he started focusing on his Rugby and has clearly focused on his North-South Running which is good to see. And some experience (Albeit a tiny amount) at 15 will help us add some attack to the position.

Something I think is way way way off mark currently. But in the future possible, if it isn’t too late. Is Daly’s position. I sincerely believe that Daly, could be a good 10, and an inkling might be on Jones to try to get Wasps to play him there.

The same was done with Larkham when he was at 15 for the Brumbies. He had gas, the running game, and an instinct at the line along with the kicking game and great distribution. I could really see Jones tempting Young to try it out on a trial measure. As in my book Daly never really panics even when surrounded, and has that elusiveness to escape.

He has a great boot, has a great countering game and the speed to exploit the gap, good distribution, is good under the high ball and is a incredibly intelligent player. Meaning I think the game management would come pretty naturally to him. The All Blacks are definitely leading the way in the 10 department, with all of their 10’s (Barrett, MacKenzie, and Mo’unga) being proficient at the 15 position and threats to the transition zone in themselves. I think this could be the next step in the 10 dynamic and Daly could do a number for us here.

Ok so I got a little bit obsessed. I think I have a basic structure of how it was done. From what I can see. I think Leinster used the Blind with the heavy ball carriers right to the touchline within the 20metres so that the Saracens D was pulled right to the edge of the field. Being a naturally narrow D, this meant to stay connected they didn’t spread and there was an overlap.

The 1st 3 Pod went in close off 9 to hold the linespeed, which was imperative to get back with quick ball. The 9 (I don’t know how McGrath isn’t in the reckoning for Ireland) would then throw an incredibly long pass to Sexton, who would use the second 3/2 pod as a flat screen, passing back to Ringrose, who could use his outside break to isolate the last defenders, or put in a kick chase due to the Openside wing being brought up. At least thats how I’m thinking from a couple of run throughs.

Just watched the 1st 10 minutes, and that Maul from the restart was something! Sarries D was unbelievably narrow there to the point of lunacy. But good skills to exploit it. Nacewa’s break showed excellent support on the inside, the kinda stuff you see from the All Blacks with their tracking runs. So good anticipation from them. I understand if its Private IP and you can’t say, but is the speed of the drift one of the reasons why the inside is exploitable in the wide channels? Or is it going to bring up their winger, go into contact on him and then exploit the blind before it can be numbered? Or is it positional traits from Bosch? Can’t look over it too much as at work. But curious about it certainly.

As for Jones, I don’t think he intended to have this streak of losses at all. Him saying he knew and was expecting it is downright BullenSchizer in my book. But I do think its a byproduct in preparation thats happening with the England team behind the scenes. If it wasn’t i think he would’ve lost the changing room. And that last performance in SA was by a team fighting for its coach rather than trying to get him out. Hence I think the players are aware this is in response to something better or down the line. I’m just happy we had it now, rather than next year. Wisemantel coming in and replacing the 2 man pods with 3 is definitely a shift as well. I’m a massive Ford fan, but his running has not developed like I’d hoped. Though he is working on it. I’m thinking with Cips coming in we will see a development of attacking options targeting the transition zone with some inside and Tracking wing plays rather then going wide. Which is where I expect England to go if he does take up a permanent position.

But yes. Incredibly hard Autumn coming up! Do you expect the AB’s to clean sweep? Its a hard line up with Ireland this year.

Admittedly I have faith that whilst Jones never intended to have this run of defeats happen, I think he has a grand plan to improve the England side for the better. This is a part of it for me. I think England needed to rest a LOT more players than he did this Summer. But I will go with Dean Benton and Jones’ opinions gladly.

Hes too experienced a coach for me to leave anything to chance. I think Wisemantel will offer a different perspective, and the re-emergence of Saracens will massively massively help. They were poor at the start of this year, and only came into form at the final stages of the Premiership season. (This doesn’t detract from leinster, who were justifiably the form team in Europe). I’ve just never seen Sarries get beaten by wide-wide, which if Leinster did, is pretty impressive.

I stand corrected on my last statement Nick! I’ve just heard rumours that Jonny would call Ireland plays in his backline, even after Joe had left Leinster. The increased adventure in offloading and such I definitely do put down to Stuart. And certain elements of the attack as well. The 60/40 line and 1-3-3-1 kinda reminds me off a mixture of Rugby League combined with AB style variation. I maybe wrong, but for me Kearney has a massive role in this in dictating where the attack goes. I also see a similarities in the Leinster Defence out wide, which isn’t too dissimilar from NZ’s whip defence which as you say, holds off until the pass is made, pressurizing the man as the ball goes out. That ruined wide play against them for a lot of teams. Gives the illusion of space out wide but closes it down rapidly.

I’d need to watch the game again of course. But were these wide areas vulnerable after Leinster had employed their go forward close and pick and go’s? As i definitely saw advantages of keeping it close and within the 10 metres either side of the ruck, which is classic Rod MacQueen play, before going wide.

As for England, you’re quite right currently. I don’t know how this happened or how we regressed so badly but I feel Youngs needs to add a couple of steps to his play before going into this pattern. As you say, we need some Gregan-esque type play to manipulate the Pillars before employing this later. As I do believe that we were over-reliant on our forwards, with Youngs running the flat passing and that alone, I think 1-2-3 weren’t kept honest enough and only had to worry about the 1 out. Too predictable maybe?

Regardless, i’m liking Wisemantel’s contribution and hoping he can come in and add some variety to our play. Jonny May taking the short screen pass off Ford to put Daly in, in the first test was absolutely beautiful, and circumvented that Rush defence out wide wonderfully.