I wrote about the importance of the breakdowns before and this weekend it was dominance at the breakdowns yet again that determined the outcome of at least one of the semifinals if not both.
Blue Bulls’ coach Frans Ludeke admitted that his men were not accurate enough at the breakdowns against a side that took special care of retaining possession.
“They were accurate at the breakdown points and held onto the ball for long phases and that is how they really won the game,” he said.
“We did everything we could and we had a solid plan on the table, but at the end of the day it is the way they kept the ball and attacked from deep.
“It wasn’t a surprise for us, but their execution was very good.”
“They really kept onto the ball. They looked after it and it was tough to get it from them. They didn’t make mistakes, so well done to them”, said Victor Matfield after the match.
John Plumtree mentioned the Sharks strategy at the lineouts.
“We were worried about the Bulls’ big, driving lineout and giving them those opportunities in the last few minutes wasn’t good for anyone’s heart,” said Plumtree.
“We put a big emphasis on that [countering the Bulls’ drive] during the week.”
Countering the bulls lineout came down to avoiding lineouts and that can only be done if you keep the possession and you can only keep possession if you dominate and are precise at the breakdowns.
One has to wonder how long Bulls and Springbok rugby are going to think that having a strong lineout is enough to win matches.
In a season when the Springboks fell behind their two Tri-Nations rivals, New Zealand and Australia, because of their inability to play the quick paced game the way the Durbanites played the game on the weekend is a timely sign of hope; a timely message to those tasked with driving the national strategy.
Sharks coach John Plumtree was in no two minds in his belief that if the Boks are to stand a chance at next year’s World Cup urgent action need to be taken with regard to developing precision at the breakdown and the faster pace blow-over running game in South Africa. The way the Sharks played this game after a disappointing performance against Western Province last week emphasize that with good coaching South African sides can be precise at the breakdowns and can play the expansive game.
The bulls is in many ways probably the ultimate test –because of the ability to force mistakes through pressure and with their structure at set piece and ability to maul from the lineout. The ultimate test to determine if a team can play the precision game at the breakdowns. The fact the Sharks did it so well against this Bulls outfit who won the S14 with their pressure and set piece structured game plan is in my mind a massive sign of hope for SA rugby.
The Sharks were employing what can be regard as a Kiwi style against a team that included the primary figures of South African primary style of rugby. In many ways it was a test of a new game/approach against the old – and that being so, the new game came up trumps by some distance.
Ball retention was the key to the Sharks’ possession orientated approach, and it is hard to recall when last, if ever, a South African team was so able in holding onto the ball, and so skilful in both handling the ball and in making the right decisions.
The Sharks provided in many ways an object lesson in textbook rugby and showing others how to deal with the Bulls. They also showed direction in terms how the Springbok game plan should evolve.
They didn’t neglect physicality in their attempt to play a more flowing game in fact standing up to the Bulls at the set-pieces and the collisions was key to their victory. It was not the Brumbie recycle ad infinito flaf of yesteryear.
Impressive -and in line with the way the All Blacks played this year- was the variation in the Sharks’ play.
The Sharks denied the Bulls two of their strengths by firstly avoiding lineouts, and secondly by countering the Bulls big hits on the defence. The did this in the way they carried the ball; the way they changed the angles; the constant presence of decoy runners; the way they attacked spaces rather than running straight at the man and lastly with precision at the breakdowns.
They kept the ball secure with precision handling; by speeding the game up; by running onto the ball rather than receiving it standing still; by zealously supporting and protecting the ball-carrier. They avoided the arm wrestle at the breakdowns by the way they went in hard at the ankles of the big Bulls to knock them down rather than allow them to hold it up and set in motion a wrestle match.
The Sharks executed their game plan to perfection and in the end it was a victory for classy coaching. After the poor performance in their last match against Western Province the Sharks were a team transformed, and in that I find hope. Hope that the Springboks might be able to adjust and play the modern game.
We know we can play the structured game but the big question for me has always been can we take it to the next level namly play a top class structured game and the new style flowing game. It is in the performances of both teams on the weekend that I find hope. I’ve got hope that we can adjust and integrate the old and new style which will make us very hard to beat.
The big question is can our coaching staff deliver?
O my goodness if you read this you think somewhere you must see the score at 50-0 for the Sharks. But in fact they clung for dear life in the last minutes to win. If the Bulls used their kicking chances 15 minutes from full time that last 8 minutes would have been a 1 point game and all this brave game plans of the Kiwi coach could have come to naught.
Are we just finding fault with our national coach because it is the easy way out?
With all the running at angles, the collapsing of the Bulls mauls, the so great breakdown play(all legal?) the Bulls was never out of this game, i can not recall a single time when we were down by more than 9 points, in fact, is it not at most 7? How on form was some of our(Bulls) players? Hougaard was not at his very best, Danie and Chillyboy did not play their best games. Werner and Greyling was blown up a lot by a ref who could not understand the pressure of a decent scrum contest.
Look i said it enough, i accept the outcome and i accept the fact that the Sharks won fair and square. But i started to pick up the trend since yesterday that every Tom Dick and Harry rubbishes the Bulls game plan. This game plan gave us great wins , not only us but also the Springboks against the BIL and in 2009 Tri Nations. We need to grow from that foundation and introduce some new plans , that i agree. But the basics is already there.
If the opponents undermines our one big foundation the line outs we must play to force more line outs. Bring back the line out to its rightful place. The fact that they avoid it means one thing they cant beat us in it. We must work harder to force their play towards the touch line. Prevent them from playing it back, i saw a lot more of this this happening this weekend so it is possible. Two crucial line outs was wasted by Chillyboys throw inns. The Springboks also lost games before, when John Smit missed a line out throw.
For me this game was won by the accuracy of the Sharks passing and the way they never spilled a ball. They tackled like demons just like the Bulls did but they almost never spilled a ball. I recall a few spilled balls by the Bulls. Great defense from the Sharks.
superBul wrote:
I think you misunderstand my intent. Look at the second last sentence: “It is in the performances of both teams on the weekend that I find hope. I’ve got hope that we can adjust and integrate the old and new style which will make us very hard to beat.”
The bulls is a class outfit and the fact that the Sharks could play a different game plan and came out victorous is significant for me. I never said the Sharks totally outplayed the bulls. The Sharks had to play a kiwi type game plan and the fact that the were able to cling on to the ball and counter the bulls strengths is what make we feel SA rugby might be able to adjust and play a game in line with what we saw from the AB this year.
Good article McLook. Can the Boks play this kinda game? Not so sure. The problem lays with the coaching. Sorry to say that but there lays our problem. Might have to wait until after world cup 2011 until we get a new coach.
@ McLook:
McLook your article is OK and i know a lot of what you said was quoted or relayed from other post all over the cyber world. The thing that irks me is the fact that we are late runners to the NEW style of game , we are rushing to play the All Blacks way. We try again to play catch up.
A few months ago you and i almost agreed that we must innovate and force the game Laws into our playing style or the style that suits us. We are to late to catch this train, watch the ABs with new variations on their EOYT.
I must go to work now but will talk about this again.
The fact is i dont believe we can beat the All Blacks at their game.
It is not about a new style of rugby, it is retaining the strengths of SA rugby and adjusting basic decision making principles and execution of that.
The basic foundations has always been there, but the world has adjusted to counter our strengths, line out scrums etc. The best way to win a line out is to avoid it, we scored half our tries in the BI Lions series and two Tri nations series and if teams avoid those facets of play half our try scoring is gone.
It is then about how we approach rucks and breakdowns, once again these can be avoided by accurate passing and offloads.
We can’t continue just wanting to bully teams, we need to play smarter and faster.
This is a great article Mcklook, but there are a number of us that has been advocating this for quite some time.
Also possesion, retention of possesion is two fold, you are controlling the pace by retaining possesion and the opposition can’t score points.
Simple philosophy really.
@ biltongbek:
Exactly Biltong, this way of playing is not a new NZ method at all.
This is just creative, fast paced rugby that is all about posession and handling skills to retain that posession.Of course one of the other important points is that when you retain posession for a long time you make the opposition tackle and no team in the world can tackle over and over again before cracking.
Maintaining posession delivers slow poison to the legs of the opoosition.
probeer dit vir snorman vertel,hy en sy 2 maatjies muir en gold het nie die kennis om van die sharks se moves te steel nie.
superBul wrote:
This is exactly why I compiled this piece and what I mean when I say the Sharks perfromance is a message of hope.
My general feeling was also that it is too late to change our style and that we should not try and play like the All Blacks. After the weekend’s game I am starting to think maybe we can incorporate some of that blow-over and keep the possession stuff into our game. Maybe it is not too late. With some good coaching I believ we can integrate the hang on to possesion and blow-over with our structured game and the pods.
Kick and chase is clearly not the way to go into the WC or the EOYT.
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