Ball in hand approach key
18 Feb 2013
RICHARD FERGUSON makes an early call as to which approach will win the Cup this year.
Super Rugby started with more of a whimper than a bang, but is back nonetheless and we had two Super Rugby matches on the weekend where the Rebels and the Brumbies registered wins.
Having sat through what I expected to be pretty dull Australian derby encounters, I was pretty surprised at how the game flowed in the opening match between the Rebels and the Force. The Brumbies v Reds match was less entertaining, but the general speed of play was still considerably more entertaining than anything seen from our Australian counterparts during 2012.
As can be expected from opening week games, and we are bound to witness the same when the South African and New Zealand teams kick off this weekend, the games were full of penalties and unforced errors, but more noticeably, there was a shift in focus at the breakdown.
The new interpretations that referees had to abide by were tested by quality players like David Pocock, Liam Gill and Chris Alcock, seeing how far exactly they can go this season before being penalised. This made for entertaining viewing, but it seemed that the referees still lacked consistency in how the laws were enforced.
With the breakdown becoming increasingly fifty/fifty in terms of which team will come away with the ball, the tendency to give the ball to the opposition and make them play might become a norm this season.
As witnessed on Saturday morning, the Reds were brilliant on the defence, the Brumbies attacked for long periods without getting the necessary reward. Whether the Reds won the ball at the breakdown or whether they simply outsmarted them on defence, the Brumbies could not score from going 10+ phases. Instead, they scored from a team effort in the first half (where the Reds were on attack for a long period) and by way of an intercept in the second half.
It might be too early in the season to try and predict what a team needs to win the competition but it will be interesting to see which approach is followed by the South African teams, and where exactly the focus will be in terms of balancing a good defence with a good attacking mind set.
Personally, my call is that the team with the best defence will not necessarily walk away with the cup this year, but rather the team that can do the most with ball in hand and conceding the least amount of penalties in doing so.
13 Comments
18 Feb 2013, 14:19 pm
Please AC …..No more Skop, jag and tackle…..
18 Feb 2013, 14:26 pm
The team with the best defence did not walk away with the cup last year…
18 Feb 2013, 14:34 pm
defence wins games – AC
18 Feb 2013, 15:02 pm
I have no idea. My first weekend of Superbru picks are always random guesses.
I suspect the Crusaders and a couple of SA teams will be up there. Maybe the Chiefs, although I don’t even know what personnel changes they’ve had since last year.
18 Feb 2013, 15:15 pm
@Tacitus-4: When in doubt – go with the home side for a 7-point win.
18 Feb 2013, 15:40 pm
Ball in hand in the right areas of the field has always been generally the best way to go.
Kicking will still be important
18 Feb 2013, 16:10 pm
Stormers name team for Friday Da Allende at 12,Groom starts at 9.
Elton should receive swift service then
18 Feb 2013, 16:11 pm
The Stormers are the first team to announce their lineup for this weekend’s 2nd Round of Super Rugby action. Check out this link for the STORMERS team for their big clash against the Bulls on Friday night:
http://wp.me/P2QxT1-3S
18 Feb 2013, 16:13 pm
15. Jaco Taute
14. Gio Aplon
13. Jean de Villiers (captain)
12. Damian de Allende
11. Bryan Habana
10. Elton Jantjies
9. Nic Groom
8. Duane Vermeulen
7. Rynhardt Elstadt
6. Siya Kolisi
5. Andries Bekker
4. De Kock Steenkamp
3. Pat Cilliers
2. Deon Fourie
1. Steven Kitshoff
Reserves:
16. Martin Bezuidenhout
17. Frans Malherbe
18. Don Armand
19. Nizaam Carr
20. Dewaldt Duvenage
21. Gerhard van den Heever
22. Joe Pietersen
19 Feb 2013, 03:27 am
One would need to have ball in hand to score tries and concede less penalties to be able to win….. And defence hopefully helps make sure you have the positive rtio on your side.
Is this article telling us rugby 101.
19 Feb 2013, 05:21 am
@Transformation-3:
The more things change the more they stay the same, defence still wins more matches…just ask the Cheetahs.
Walla has it spot on though, it is the ratio/balance between attack and defence that ultimately makes you a champion.
19 Feb 2013, 05:28 am
WOW, Mr. Richard Ferguson what an absolutely illuminating article, my eyes have been opened for the first time…so basically what you are saying is, the team scoring the most points and conceding the least will win? Fascinating…. I guess they are running a quota system at Keo, with a pre-determined number of articles having to be published, without any regard whatsoever to content….
19 Feb 2013, 05:37 am
@thesaint-12:
Hehehe remember keo can only employ people that is even poorer than he is..
By the way, waar in die wereld is jy deesdae? Ek vra jou elke keer hoeveel kukhuise jy onlang opgeblaas het maar jy antwoord nooit…
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