Matfield mindful of versatile Chiefs
7 Apr 2010
Victor Matfield says the 10-12 axis of Mike Delany and Stephen Donald gives the Chiefs tactical versatility they never had before.
The Chiefs snapped a three-game losing streak with their victory over the Highlanders on Saturday. Prior to that, Donald was widely criticised in the New Zealand media for his role in the slump, with some calling for his omission.
Chiefs coach Ian Foster, however, accommodated Donald at inside centre, bringing Delany into flyhalf for the Highlanders match, and the pair seemed to complement each other well. Foster has selected the duo to front the Bulls in Hamilton on Friday.
Delany’s natural instinct is for ball in hand attack, while Donald is more suited to a tactical game. Matfield noted how their combination amplified the Chiefs’ threat.
‘They were fairly predictable in the past, and that is not meant as a snipe at them because they were very good at executing the type of game they wanted to play. It suited their strengths because they have some athletic forwards and very dangerous backs. But you generally knew what to expect.
‘However, with Donald at 12 and Delany at 10 they can play in a number of different ways. They’ve tried to stretch us in the past, but I suspect they’ll be slightly more conservative on Friday, with that pair, especially Donald, and [scrumhalf] Brendon Leonard, kicking quite a bit. They’ll probably look to get in behind us and pin us in our half.’
Coach Frans Ludeke agreed with his captain’s prediction, but stressed that they were still a formidable attacking unit.
‘They took good options against the Highlanders in terms of deciding when to kick, keep it tight and when to go wide. They’ll probably be more conservative than what we’ve become used to, but conservative shouldn’t be mistaken for less dangerous,’ Ludeke said.
‘In fact, that they showed patience in their build up play suggests that they are maturing as a team, and that makes them dangerous.’
Matfield, however, said that placing too much emphasis on the duo would be foolish. He added that the Chiefs were competitive at the set phases, were deadly from broken field, and had game breakers who have the potential to unlock even the most structured of defensive lines.
‘You have to be accurate and physical in the collisions because if they get behind you or are able to offload you’re in trouble,’ he said.
‘I actually thought we defended pretty well against the Blues on Saturday [the Bulls conceded two tries in their 32-17 defeat]. We had to make 220 tackles and you are going to miss some when you’re dealing with that type of figure, but I don’t think that was at the root at the problem. Our discipline let us down. We just conceded too many penalties and that is an area we have to improve on.’
Matfield added that the defeat hadn’t demoralised the team. ‘We started at zero on Monday and if you don’t play every game in this competition like it’s a final you’re in trouble,’ he said.
‘This game is about exerting pressure then taking your chances when they come, and that’s what we’ll look to do against the Chiefs.’
By Ryan Vrede
29 Comments
7 Apr 2010, 05:39 am
Mike Delany! not Mark. Don’t start getting names wrong like the kiwi journos do.
7 Apr 2010, 05:49 am
Somethings I am not sure were pointed out from last week’s blues game. The bulls pack got out done in tight and loose. taking a quickfire look at the blues pack they had 2 props right out of club rugby, also 2 ‘locks’ who cut their teeth as flankers for majority of their careers.
While watching the bulls warm up before that game, they looked a step short. there wasnt that accuracy that intensity in the warm up, and it showed throughout the game. they let tacklers like kaino and benson stanley stay in the game. they let a fairly untested pack dictate terms by playing a looser game. and lastly i felt like olivier and steyn tried the same lines a few too many times when olivier was not getting the same penetration when hitting it up.
all that said. i think the chiefs will be an easier prospect this week. they are struggling with injuries and their depth is starting to be investigated. steyn and kirchner should rain bombs on the new kid nainai williams. and they will need to follow those kicks with precision chasing as nainai and sweeney, masaga will return with ball in hand over and over again.
wrt to donald at 12. olivier. if you are outplayed again and this time by donald, kiss your bok chances goodbye.
7 Apr 2010, 08:16 am
agree Tomsta
Bulls were simply outmuscled and lacked the intensity on the day.
I believe the Bulls will bring a fair deal of desperation to this game and as long as they dont allow the game to break up early and become loose they may get the win.
I feel the bulls are suspect out wide defensively though, and if i was Foster i would want the Chiefs to spread it and allow the Masaga and Sivivatu okes to have a full go at Van Den Heever and Hougaard.
7 Apr 2010, 08:45 am
at loftus, the bulls will kap the blues by 20+. Anyone remember how the Bulls lost to the Highlanders last year (in NZ)? these Blues are k@k, the bulls just had a off day. It happens
7 Apr 2010, 09:19 am
@grant10: It has not been an issue up to now because the Bulls have been winning, but you are right, their defence out wide is suspect. Hougaardt is a great player but is no wing. He is tough and hard but do not posses any of the basic skills required by a wing (step, in-side-out, hand-off etc). Comparing him against Habana, Mapoe, Masaga, Roccoccoco, Mitchelle and the like makes him look very ordinary for a regular starter of the defending champions.
What Hurdles looses in defence he more or less makes up for in attack.
7 Apr 2010, 09:23 am
@Dumb Supporter: 5
Ja….Van den heever will improve this defence facet with time….
Hougaard gives it his all….but certainly i feel Chiefs will sniff a weakness out wide.
7 Apr 2010, 09:30 am
@Dumb Supporter:
hougaards defence is ok, Van den heerver and dippenaar are the worries.It’s not so much the fact that they miss tackles but that they allow the ball carrier go forward or the option to off load by getting his arms through the tackle.
we need Kirchener to get nasty on defence again with some border line stuff. Set the example. Youngsters feed off that sort of defensive energy.
7 Apr 2010, 09:32 am
…and defense is easier when a side is winning the collisions.
I thought some of the defending by the Blues last weekend was borderline as well. Especially on Olivier,Spies and Flippie, another game they would have got carded.
7 Apr 2010, 09:35 am
@Brigadier Van Zyl: I am of the opinion the Blues ‘blueprint’ is the way to go. FDP was rattled and the backline suffered. The Sharks rattled Genia, he was caught behind the gainline a few times too; rare but even speedy got caught.
7 Apr 2010, 09:38 am
@RugbyRulz:
hardly a blueprint?
win the collisions and catch the opposition behind the gainline?…..
duh…
7 Apr 2010, 10:34 am
@Brigadier Van Zyl: It was more than winning collisions, they were up fast to restrict FDP and it worked a treat.
7 Apr 2010, 11:04 am
Blues already played their final.
7 Apr 2010, 11:33 am
@grant10: siti is out, mils is out. besides masaga its a new combo. sweeney is great utility. just a matter of shutting down his step.
simple gameplan, puts bombs up on masaga and nainai.
@Predawn: you probably right. but i didnt get the feel from blues that they had to try that hard in that game. my old man commented he thought the bulls only played 50%, in other words they threw the game, or were not targetting it to win it.
7 Apr 2010, 12:10 pm
@Tomsta:
The shite that comes after a Bulls loss is incredibly funny, now the Bulls threw the game and didn’t really want to win it, was your old man on the piss?
7 Apr 2010, 12:39 pm
Mils is a huge loss to the Chiefs in terms of a calming influence from the back but Im really excited about seeing young Nanai-Williams have a solid run of games, quite an excitement machine. Will expect him to make a few mistakes given he’s only just turned 20 but a good Counties boy with strong family roots so that good support network will be vital. Kia kaha !
7 Apr 2010, 12:41 pm
@NZINCHINA:
theres always excuses for a Safa team loss, unthinkable to give the opposition credit when its due – just check out the apologists lining up on the ‘Time to stop blaming the ref’ thread.
7 Apr 2010, 13:05 pm
Worthwhile noting that this weekend’s match will be Spies’ & Gurthro’s 50th Super match
7 Apr 2010, 13:32 pm
@Black Panther: No apologies from this fan well done to the Blues. I still think even after last week both the Bulls and Stormers are goin to win there gsmes this week. All the guys who were blogging about the Blues tackling and cleaning out shame on you this is how rugby should be played hard and uncompromising just wish they bring back rucking
7 Apr 2010, 13:56 pm
@Airwell:
On ya.
couldnt agree with you more – BRING BACK RUCKING !
wont happen tho, the IRB have been infiltrated by too many pastey Pommie Mums.
7 Apr 2010, 14:04 pm
@Black Panther: is there any real need for rucking with these new reffing interpretations? I don’t see it.
7 Apr 2010, 14:33 pm
@Big Hit:
But BH, these new ‘interpretations’ are surely just a Aus/NZ ruse to fool the opposition in to their wicked self-interested ways. Dont go telling me your lifes work is now being flushed down the outhouse and youre actually seeing something positive in them for once ?
I still think rucking is more faithful to the ball being ‘contested’, which is what makes R.Union so distinct from R.League, and so very much more interesting because of it.
And as much as the rugby in this years S14 has been so much better than the previous 2-3 seasons of aerial ping-pong, I must say Im missing the thrill of the McCaw/Brussow/G.Smith tackle-turnovers. They are becoming a distant memory already, much like backline alignments suddenly re-shuffling because of (1) the scrum tightheads (extinct since crooked scrumfeeds go unpenalised) and (2) the lineout-turnovers (crooked throws, meaning opposition hardly bother attacking the throw). What do we get instead – boring old league-alignments in a straight line across the pitch…..zzzzzzzz
7 Apr 2010, 16:37 pm
Rucking will and should never return. I have never heard many coaches or players asking for its return. It simply doesn’t make financial sense. Being kicked and trampled and injured is not inline with the cost of losing a player in the professional era.
7 Apr 2010, 23:04 pm
@NZINCHINA: i think he was down the pub for it
will just have to wait and see how they play this week. compare their intensity to what they dished up for the blues game.
7 Apr 2010, 23:18 pm
@Black Panther: I think the interpretations are going well so far. Whilst POB did create the slow ball situation with allowing fetchers hands-in as long as they want, credit to him for fixing it by keeping their hands out completely. We now have counter-rucking instead of tackle-turnovers, a much better situation for referees. A balance might’ve been better but can’t deny the spectacle has improved in both hemispheres. So yeah, I see a bright 2010/2011 coming up for RU generally…IF…they have the sense to leave things alone.
7 Apr 2010, 23:19 pm
@grant10: Bulls were outmuscled because they LET teh blues players get up to speed. they need to nip that in the bud with good kick chases.
7 Apr 2010, 23:22 pm
@Black Panther: just on your last point, I do see the league alignments from time to time (notably in the Wasps/London Irish game), and it’s not a good thing but thankfully the maul is there to pull players in and make it distinct from league. Agree that the ball should be thrown into lineouts straight, but crooked feeds are unlikely to be overcome.
8 Apr 2010, 00:20 am
@Big Hit:
I cant understand why crooked feeds cant be overcome ?! B.Leonard was specifically warned for Chiefs last round vs Highlanders, only to feed right under the locks feet after the reset – DUMB ! but the ref pinged him immed, thank fark. No, its down to the ref which is just BS that they are so inconsistent on these rules; being a tight-fwd myself, getting a tighthead against the feed was what bought the beers at the bar.
8 Apr 2010, 12:45 pm
@Black Panther: I think there are too many problems with the scrum engage at present for refs to fuss over the feed too. It’s almost an achievement in itself if we see a clean well-worked scrum these days free from a penalty or free-kick offence, so to police the feed stringently would put another obstacle in the way. They need to sort out the scrums once and for all, whether it means old school shirts for props to ensure better binding or sequential engagement like the 70s, then they can look at the feed.
8 Apr 2010, 15:53 pm
@Big Hit:
Im starting to worry that when you actualy talk about rugby, that we agree more than not.
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