Comments on: Playing to win

By: Bokhoring(Bokhoring)

Bokhoring(Bokhoring) — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 08:50:48 +0000

It is not about kicking or running – it is being predictable. Mostly the opposition can predict what the Boks will do 5 moves ahead, and adjust accordingly

I hope HM can do something about that.

By: whatever(whatever)

whatever(whatever) — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 08:41:01 +0000

Here we go again, it’s only the keeewees who play attractive running rugby. Talk about giving yourself a BJ…… Makes me want to kotz

By: Te Rangatira(Te Rangatira)

Te Rangatira(Te Rangatira) — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 06:45:46 +0000

If the Boks aren’t running the ball incessantly into tacklers, then their kicking the leather off the fricken thing, perhaps this read should be focusing on the real way to achieve winning rugby, that is the ability to put runners into holes with a beautifully timed pass.

By: slavedriver(slavedriver)

slavedriver(slavedriver) — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 05:56:30 +0000

@Hurricane(Hurricane)-17: no just showed you how to do it

By: lepel(lepel)

lepel(lepel) — Thu, 31 May 2012 20:14:18 +0000

Kicking can be an extremely dangerous weapon, but kicking for the sake of kicking is just stupid.

By: lepel(lepel)

lepel(lepel) — Thu, 31 May 2012 20:13:45 +0000

The idea behind kicking is to create pressure. Either through kicking it slightly shorter and having good chasers, or by kicking it over the heads and forcing them to fall back. I recently watched a school rugby match where the opposing flyhalf just kept nudging the ball over our winger’s head, out in the corner, ’bout 22m from the tryline. While the first 5 lineouts were fine, you miss number 6 and you’re suddenly under serious pressure.

This kick-and-hope ping-pong strategy is nonsense though. Up-and-unders are also far less effective than they were not too long ago, but the laws around retreating and so forth have rendered them a gamble. 50/50 chance of retaining a ball and maybe winning 10m, or keep it through 4 phases and win 10m, but 90% chance of retaining ball.

By: Alucard(Alucard)

Alucard(Alucard) — Thu, 31 May 2012 17:30:11 +0000

Tactical kicking is not kicking for the corner only. It is also targeting any one of the back three who might be poor in the air, or kicking into space to pull defenders out of position, kicking high balls just in behind the midfield to condense their backline and prevent them from being able to counter attack whilst you ae able to pressure them for penalties. Kicks can also be used to turn around a flat line defence, or put a big winger in for a try when the defence is too narrow and you can isolate a smaller one. Or a clever grubber when you are isolated. There are many possible uses for tactical kicking and to be quite honest, our players are actually very good at this for the most part. Far better than they used to be eight or so years ago.

My backline would be (for England)

15.Joe Pietersen
14.JPP
13.de Jongh
12.Frans
11.Habana
10.Morne
09.Du Preez

With 9-10-12-15 we have unequalled ability to play a tactical game without sacrificing the ability to use the ball. It’s extraordiarily balanced.

By: Train(Train)

Train(Train) — Thu, 31 May 2012 12:14:39 +0000

1 Beast
2 Bismark
3 Jannie
4 Bakkies
5 Kruger
6 Brussouw
7 JP Potgieter
8 Spies
9 Fourie
10 M Steyn
11 Hougaard
12 Frans
13 Jean
14 Basson
15 Lambie

By: The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food(The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food)

Thu, 31 May 2012 11:42:39 +0000

@Hurricane(Hurricane)-17: No, that would be the Bulls of 1632.....

By: Michael(mikeybrass)

Michael(mikeybrass) — Thu, 31 May 2012 10:20:11 +0000

@Hurricane(Hurricane)-17: Don't be an idiot.

By: wallabie.(wallabie.)

wallabie.(wallabie.) — Thu, 31 May 2012 10:15:59 +0000

Bloody autocorrect!!

By: wallabie.(wallabie.)

wallabie.(wallabie.) — Thu, 31 May 2012 10:15:27 +0000

Its not about kicking its got to do with where you kick the damn ball. He kicks for touch more often?

By: Hurricane(Hurricane)

Hurricane(Hurricane) — Thu, 31 May 2012 10:07:54 +0000

@Michael(mikeybrass)-16: So you saying the Boks of 2009 invented the kicking game?

By: Michael(mikeybrass)

Michael(mikeybrass) — Thu, 31 May 2012 09:48:27 +0000

@Transformation(Transformation)-13: The ABs play a balanced game now they incorporated more kicking since their 2009 defeats. The point of course is they bitched about our kicking and what do they go and do, kick themselves. Only difference is they have the backline to capitalise on it to a greater extent than the Boks.

By: Michael(mikeybrass)

Michael(mikeybrass) — Thu, 31 May 2012 09:45:59 +0000

@Hurricane(Hurricane)-11: Our kicks were perfectly fine in 2009 when we beat you and you guys bleated. Then you guys started incorporating more kicking into your game and all of a sudden it is ok when you do it. The point is about hypocrisy. Two points we do agree on: Kicking is perfectly fine, when executed accurately. The ABs have a superior backline.

By: ufo(ufo)

ufo(ufo) — Thu, 31 May 2012 09:28:05 +0000

@Staal(Staal)-2:

hehehe…

imo your opinion is spot on…!!

By: Transformation(Transformation)

Transformation(Transformation) — Thu, 31 May 2012 09:17:10 +0000

@Michael(mikeybrass)-10: were they kicking the ball the WHOLE world cup?

By: Hurricane(Hurricane)

Hurricane(Hurricane) — Thu, 31 May 2012 09:17:09 +0000

@Michael(mikeybrass)-10:
Its called adapting to the play/oposition.
You cant run every game, you need a plan.
GH had a plan for the Ozzies and we took them part in the RWC, best game played all tournament.
France he may have had a different plan for the final.
All i know is it worked.

By: Hurricane(Hurricane)

Hurricane(Hurricane) — Thu, 31 May 2012 09:13:52 +0000

@Michael(mikeybrass)-3:
So we kick more do we?
Looked at the last 4 games vs the Boks and actually the Boks kicked more with percentage of posession in all those games.
So if we kick more in a game, maybe we had more posession.
By the way, our backline is superstars, you bad kicks does not make us look any better.
wew still have to come up with a play of some sort.
Fact is AB backline is better. Has been for a while now.

By: Michael(mikeybrass)

Michael(mikeybrass) — Thu, 31 May 2012 09:06:11 +0000

@Transformation(Transformation)-9: No they don’t – they didn’t ***** and moan at their side for winning the WC by kicking the ball.