I feel somewhat relieved to see that South Africa is for once amazingly not be the target of ridicule and mockery, but on the other hand mildly frustrated. Here are some excerpts from some “Expert” opinions on the New Zealand Herald panel regarding this weekend’s play.
Chris Rattue
“please, please, please – if there is a sporting God, don’t let England win the World Cup with repeats of their effort against the barging Argies”
“We’re not all England naysayers down here and a few of us actually enjoy snippets of the juggernaut rugby they play, as a contrast to our hopelessly naughty, frivolous attitude to the mighty sport.”
“England, however, are all launching pad and no rocket”“The joke is on England so far. When England wear white, their stumbling game looks vaguely noble because it is their way of playing and they are proud of that.”
Full article: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/rugby-world-cup-experts/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503159&objectid=10751120
Peter Bills
“An alien newly arrived from another world in time to watch the first weekend of the 2011 Rugby World Cup would have drawn a singular conclusion from the flurry of rugby activity.”
“our friend would have watched New Zealand score four tries in the opening 32 minutes against Tonga on Friday night.”
“Had he then turned his attention to England’s match against Argentina in Dunedin the next night, he would have been confused. Just one try and only a single line break in 80 minutes from England?”
“Ah, his little scrawny face would have smiled. “I’ve got it – they are playing two different games.”
“This abomination of a display was a disgrace to the good name of rugby football. Doesn’t anyone in England understand that you can now play some cracking rugby under these much welcomed new law interpretations?”
Full article: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/rugby-world-cup-experts/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503159&objectid=10751108
Getting to the point of my article though, it seems to me that this “superiority attitude” about their game play is infecting the media, pundits and fans alike across continents like a virus.
The first thought in my mind was that game plans are horses for courses, it is very easy for the All Blacks being the superior team and skilled individuals that they are to play wide and entertain crowds with their interpretation of “exciting” rugby, and also depending on who your opponents are for the match.
It is also acceptable for England to play a more conservative arm wrestle with a team as physical as Argentina, who didn’t allow them to go guns “ablazing”
It is also true that some teams hit a competition on their feet running whilst others may warm up to some form.
I have seen as recent as a month ago, where NZ took on the South African approach to control possession and gain territory to strike outside with their midfield and come back in Brisbane against a very good Australian side.
I have seen a New Zealand team run amok in SA during this years Tri Nation breaking the gain line and beating defenders only to be stopped by cover defenders.
I saw a South African team on Sunday make over 100 tackles on the Welsh team, many a time restricting them to no gain line advantage for more than 7 phases, and then use only but a few opportunities to score tries.
For me this criticism of how teams play the game is totally unwarranted, it is creating a mass hysteria about what is good about Rugby Union and what is seen as dire game play.
Rugby is about structure, defence, control, and only when all those aspects are in place, can we put the cherry ontop with exciting back line play. I am sure for the true rugby fanatic, all of these aspects are entertaining.
There is another sport called Rugby League with all the running you can stomach, the more we are trying to convince ourselves that we must be more like Rugby League, the more we are losing the unique identity this great sport has.
Rugby Union has always been about having place for the big weightlifters of this world, the small fast and cunningly quick thinking players, the middle of the road, not too fast, but can’t pick up a car either players.
So once and for all I would like to make my position clear on this, if you do not like the way teams play the game, then simply stop watching them, but at least until NZRU is running world rugby and can convince enough member countries to totally eradicate mauls, rucks, kicks, pick and drives and merge Rugby Union with Rugby league, suck it up and enjoy the world cup.
“Rugby is about structure, defence, control, and only when all those aspects are in place, can we put the cherry ontop with exciting back line play” well said and since scrums are made potent that could not be included in that sentence.
Great view biltongbek great
Running around like mad dogs and a game against two equal strenght teams ending at 56-53 is much less interesting to me than a 15-13 win with grind and passion.
There is place in rugby for both running and the so called kicking game. For me rugby has always been about earning the right to swing the ball wide, though mauling, rucking, scrumming and winning the lineout. But,I also feel that if the opportunity to run the ball from your tryline arises, then you must take it. Some great break out tries have been scored that way. But some absorbing rugby has been played by teams playing conservative rugby.
@ Lion4ever:
also true if you run with your first ball and scores and after the kickoff runs through again why not try and smash the opponent. But dont critisize the the team that grinds it out and eventually overcome you.
On a total other point the IRB tried to make the game faster and better on numerous times. What do you think of the pods and playing out time by just protecting the ball. I have seen numerous games lately were the team protecting their lead can do just that for more than 5 minutes. What about a use it or lose it law to prevent that. No easy answers here.
@ superBul:
The problem i have with the use it or lose it idea, it is being used in rugby league.
I firmly believe if they change the law and make the ruck a free for all, allow teams to put hands in, you will very quickly see no penalties as it will be legal and secondly teams will evolve their game plan so quickly to offload in the tackle or create a better understanding of running play simply because teams would not want slow contested ball.
And that approach nearly cost us the game. I can’t remember who knocked on, butwe lost the ball right near the end, and had Wales been a bit more awake, it could have cost us the game.
Playing out the time can have an adverse result, as nearly happened on Sunday. Had Wales been a better team, we could have lost the game, because of that knock on. I can’t remember who knocked it on.
@ Lion4ever:
many teams have lost that way, Boks earlier too i think. Playing inside your own half like that will give me a heart attack.
We lost against Australia using that technique last year in the Tri Nations, remember we were blown for closing down the ruck and Curtly Beale kicked a 50 meter penalty.
And in most cases you get a penalty to seal the game and with a accurate kicker like Morne opt for a scrum and that technique. The chances that Morne will miss so badly that the ball wont go over the dead ball line is minute, maybe 10 times less than a penalty orr turnover. Him hitting the posts is maybe a thousand times less probable. Just plain stuppid. It is like playing with a Lions crown jewels.
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