Weekend wrap up
So the Welsh beat the English, and they deserved to. The first fifteen minutes they played at a pace and with an ability that I think we all knew they had, they have just managed to suppress it for the whole of the Championship so far!
The English certainly helped, when you don't compete at set piece, or the tackle area, it does always encourage a team and allow them to play at their pace, in your half and run where they like!! Rather like un-opposed training!
Then the English produced two moments of personal magic and they were back in the game. However, their forwards still did not get it, and carried on allowing the Welsh to do what they wanted, when they wanted to!
Credit to the Welsh pack though, they have been diabolical so far in the Championship, and then yesterday they produced a fine performance. They dominated, physically and mentally and they deserve the praise that will come their way.
Casting an eye over England; the positives are that they blooded a very young back row and midfield, the average age must have been 21. A hell of a cauldron to play in, a hell of an experience, and a lesson in what it takes to win in Cardiff against a proud and passionate nation.
Let's be honest, we are not going to win the World Cup, but I hope we can be competitive, and blood players that will be in a position to win in 4 1/2 years time. Maybe that is what Ashton is doing now, maybe he has realised that there is no point in trying to patch it up, we might as well just put in the talent and hope that it will be strong enough to survive a torrid year or so, and then the experience and maturity will percolate to the top and we will be back to winning?
Or am I being overly optimistic?
I know a few of you have commented about lack of physical presence. Point taken, although I would say that physical presence without pace and power is useless. I think we need pace ahead of physical presence. The likes of Haskell, Easter, Lund and Rees are as big as the All Blacks, what they do not have is the pace or skill. They can work on the skill, and maybe as their experience grows they will get to the crucial breakdowns quicker and with more impact.
It is players who make an impact that we need. Players who can break defences. Players who can create scoring opportunities.
That can be through either pace, vision, power or skill. We are too low in those areas at the moment, and Ashton's big challenge is not selection, but persuading Rob Andrew that he has to get the club V RFU issue resolved, and quickly. That might allow players the environment in which to develop their skills, their pace and power. At the moment they are on a treadmill of mediocre games, and they are not being given the time or the coaching to enable them to improve.
England need to move away from the gym, and get players back to understanding the game, to understanding space, how you create it, and how you exploit it. Change our training methods, change the focus of fitness away from ticking off bench presses, leg power and get the guys back out with the ball in their hands and players in front of them so that they can understand the dynamics again.
Let players make decisions, play what they see, not what has been planned.
Wow, what a rant!!
One more thing!!!!!
I think it is great that Italy have done so well. I hope that they can develop from here, so that the game does get a real foot hold in the country and they become a genuine force in the Championship. It is great for rugby, but of far more importance, Rome is just a great place to go for the weekend!!!!
4 comments:
I was absolutely raging at the end of that match. One of the most promising and talented packs in the UK just tripped over their own shoe laces and flopped flat on their faces.
I was just absolutely shocked. Flood, Geraghty, Catt, et al did pretty damn well retreating behind an England pack pretty much in free fall. It was absolutely painful to watch.
The nice thing was that we were much more clinical than we were against France, there were far less mistakes and allot of free running ourselves, but that counts for naught when the pack doesn't step up to the task!
I think this is one of the things where no matter how much skills training we do, no matter how much work between Club and Country or gym work or team meetings there are, if the players (or, to be more specific, the pack) simply don't have that killer instinct or that mentality to go out there and dominate the opposition, then the England pack will continue to rolled over and the England back three are going to have serious problems!
At the end of the day, you could have the most talented, best trained, clinical and most skills intensive team in the world: what is the bloody point if they the confidence of a door mouse?
I realyy think Ashton made several tactical errors in the England team. Worsley has never been a ball-carrying No8 and when they lost Easter it was an error to bring in Haskell a flanker. It left the back-row under-powered. I know there is hope that Ward-Smith will come into the side but to be honest his injury looks serious enough to eliminate him from international rugby. Why not bring in a young No8 like Jordan Crane? When Worsley was injured would he have been better to move Corry to No8?
Similarly at center, when he lost Tindall he brought in Noon, if Tindall is one-dimensional I'm not sure what that makes Noon? Would he have been better to have included Abbot or Smith. Losing Catt left the back division devoid of nous, experience, physical presence and the ability to beat their opposite number. I know size is not everything but the backs did not have the presence to stop the opposition getting over the gain line.
And another thing...
What is it with the England pack, 3 or 4 forwards standing a meter or two behind the gain line getting the ball standing still. Once might be an error but it happened so often it had to be a tactic, what was the purpose? The opposition simply brings the ball carrier to ground and England lose a couple of metres. In fact the English ball carriers seem to go to ground without being tackled, often isolated.
What summed up the game for me was when in the 60th minute I saw Tait having his first run at the welsh midfield. I thought tait defended amazingly yesterday and if it wasn't for a few big tackles from him wales would have been home and dry but i've watched tait rip up defences in the premiership and i couldnt believe it had taken 60 minutes before he had his first attack.
Credit to the welsh; their forwards shows up, ours didnt.
I am dissappointed that we did not win the title, but not surprised. I think the team were right to not take the penalty at the end and try to get a last try, and the maximum amount of points that they possibly could. I think that in a team, that shows a huge amount of courage and is not often seen. I am very proud of the boys and think the points where dinnie hickey compared our position now as being in a simliar position to the england team that won the world cup are valid. That is, in that they narrowly lost out on a few grandslams just before they made the big step to beating the sh sides away. My only fear for this team, is that the world cup is coming a year too soon for them. Very similiar to what graham henry said, that the lions were two years too young, which was true. I just hope that the team can raise themselves to that level of intensity and concentration before the world cup. We are playing with consistancy though (apart from the one minute of madness) and that is so crucial in qualifying for the last 8. I think every thing is there, apart from moments of loss in concentration, which must be worked so hard on to keep the intensity up for 80 minutes. I thought that one of the most important games england won in that worldcup was the game against samoa. I remember Martin Johnson said that, "they could have won that game, simple as that!" which is why concentration is paramount. Seeing Italy progress we all now know that next year in the six nations and this year in the worldcup that any team can beat any team on the day. So the key word for Ireland which was obvious in every game apart from the england one, is concentration! The lineout was apalling and the scrum was beaten up in the italy game, and I think george hook said "It must be a world record for the amount of tries scored (8) when your losing every set piece" It is concentration which we must improve. Anyway on to england :)
It was a must win game for wales, in cardiff and a fresh faced england team. I thought the english backs performed admirably and mike catt going off was a real pity and crucial in the result. James Hook is a star, there is no doubt about that now and in ashtons adventurous selections england have unearthed some very promising new talent in strettle and geheraty especially. I think that those two have a very southern hemisphere style about their play, and are some of the first of an era of new age players which will be able to compete with the players ole zinny was talking about, that are playing with such intensity in the super 14s. I thought that the lack of experience in the back row told for england, but that is not to say that there are no options there. I think ashton is doing a good job and is slowly but surely finding his best team, his team for the future. I am sure now that rees and co. have got their first proper taste of international rugby that they will be relishing playing leinster in the hc, and it is good to see their hunger, for it is games like this which will help them step up to the next level.
France have been a very mixed bag this six nations but the key to their victory was not due to french flair as we have seen in the past, it was due to the fact that they did the basics well and their concentration levels were very high. They have some smashing players, and I noticed brusque making his international comeback near the end. He is a far superior player to poitreneau and with him and pelous back it gives them some serious firepower come worldcup time. this team can really take on the allblacks at full strength. I truly believe that come worldcup time that the french will have an equal to, if not better squad of players to choose from than the allblacks. The mad scientist (youve gotta love him) is sailing right on course.
The scots had little to offer for the whole competition, and I feel they deserve the wooden spoon outright. If i was frank hadden I would not be smiling about that performance against france, he seemed to think they played well, i thought they played very badly throughout the whole competition for a team that has the potential to produce performances.
Italy, well they are getting closer. I still think they will be another few years in the bottom half of the table.One of the key things that they have improved on which they were badly punished on in previous tournaments is disipline. Parise had a wonderful tournament and the italian forwards can match any pack on their day. Their hamstring is pace out wide, the likes of hickey, strettle, clerc, williams. Players that can do real damage. If they can find that , they will be a force.
My hands are sore so i think ill stop now. Just my thoughts. Anyone agree/disagree ?
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