BS...
BS...
Have to agree with Trad on one point. He’s right about the current ABs team being unable to change tactics during a game.
It goes beyond changing tactics, change that may come from a gameplan.
The ABs lost the potential to find solutions by themselves, they rely on coaching inputs.
The game involving EN started as many games: brutally. An unintended consequence was the red card. From that point on, a 14 player english squad had to come to realization: they would go nowhere sticking to the original gameplan.
A sense of emergency arised as the usual procedure of waiting for half time for coaching inputs was not doable.
A few players managed to provide the squad with solutions, the others acting as support.
It was achieved outside of any gameplan.
NZ used to excell in the department, it was a collective contribution, all players anytime were able provide solutions by themselves making all of them dangerous. All of them were able of understandable initiatives.
Each of them was magnified by the collective and each of them could magnify the collective.
Now the ABs are assessed as a result as it is common for other teams: that player is good enough, that other player is a liability etc
TheTraditionalist
Senior player3,156 posts
EN vs AR was an interesting game as EN was forced to find solutions on the pitch and going away from their original game plan.
The solutions found were rough and implemented by a fistful of players supported by the rest of the team.
As a collective effort, it was limited. It worked though.
NZ used to shine by the quality of its adaptation on the pitch. Players were able to find solutions right out of the pot and contrary to EN while working as a unit.
NZ was also able to switch game plans even though it had to bz determined at half time.
One of the many differences with the current crop: ABs are stuck in a game plan and unable to go beyond it. They can not adapt, they keep to what they drill during the preparation week.
The loss of the adaptative capability must be traced down to the interactions with SA rugby.
SA rugby ways are monolithic. It is useless to adapt to things that does not change.
Main failure from NZ was to stop referring to themselves and start to keep tabs on SA rugby.
This has dragged NZ down to SA rugby misery.