Of Arrogance and Discipline
Rugbyman asked me a couple of things in comment the other day - poor boy, he doesn't know me well enough not to ask my opinion on anything because I don't need a second invitation to spew forth a lot of crap about stuff I know fuck all about.
Q1: Are you worried about the All Black's (lack of) discipline and fear this could hurt them come World Cup time when they may be against opposition who are proficient in retaining possession and a lot closer to them on the scoreboard?
No. Exhibit 1 - first Tri Nations game against Australia this year. Same defensive effort with a 13-9 scoreline. Actually, I have a theory about the ABs and discipline. Over the years, AB teams never seem to end up with the lion's share of possession in meaningful games. Maybe it's the way we're brought up to play the game, I don't know. But it should be fairly obvious that the team without the majority share of possession will end up being penalised more - because they are trying to get the ball as opposed to keeping it.
According to the match stats I saw, the All Blacks had just 40% possession against Wales. So it doesn't surprise me the ABs were penalised more. I'm sure in the first half of the Australia v Ireland game the Aussies got pinged as well but it's not an issue because they lost.
So it's not a "lack of discipline" problem, it's a "lack of possession" problem. What the other teams in world rugby should worry about is the improvement in ABs will come from "winning possession" (or more correctly, not losing it e.g. at lineout time) and if we have 50%, 60% possession we will be penalised a lot less. And the scary thing is, if we can win a game against a decent side 45-10 with only 40% of the pill, what will happen when we have 50%, or 60%?
Q2: The haka debacle at the weekend.
Sad. If there's one blot on the month of champagne rugby I've witnessed, it's the suggestion of arrogance that may be seeping into the All Black culture.
Anton Oliver calls the English fans "ignorant and arrogant". Graham Henry admonishes the English fans for singing during the Haka. Now the All Blacks pack a sad because they can't do the Haka when they want to.
Not a good look. To be fair, the Welsh RU are just as culpable for the mess in the weekend and the episode is one I witness daily whenever my stepson and stepdaughter are within 5 feet of each other. I wasn't going to comment on it, but watching grown adults behave like kids in the sandpit is, well, sad - no other word springs to mind.
Q1: Are you worried about the All Black's (lack of) discipline and fear this could hurt them come World Cup time when they may be against opposition who are proficient in retaining possession and a lot closer to them on the scoreboard?
No. Exhibit 1 - first Tri Nations game against Australia this year. Same defensive effort with a 13-9 scoreline. Actually, I have a theory about the ABs and discipline. Over the years, AB teams never seem to end up with the lion's share of possession in meaningful games. Maybe it's the way we're brought up to play the game, I don't know. But it should be fairly obvious that the team without the majority share of possession will end up being penalised more - because they are trying to get the ball as opposed to keeping it.
According to the match stats I saw, the All Blacks had just 40% possession against Wales. So it doesn't surprise me the ABs were penalised more. I'm sure in the first half of the Australia v Ireland game the Aussies got pinged as well but it's not an issue because they lost.
So it's not a "lack of discipline" problem, it's a "lack of possession" problem. What the other teams in world rugby should worry about is the improvement in ABs will come from "winning possession" (or more correctly, not losing it e.g. at lineout time) and if we have 50%, 60% possession we will be penalised a lot less. And the scary thing is, if we can win a game against a decent side 45-10 with only 40% of the pill, what will happen when we have 50%, or 60%?
Q2: The haka debacle at the weekend.
Sad. If there's one blot on the month of champagne rugby I've witnessed, it's the suggestion of arrogance that may be seeping into the All Black culture.
Anton Oliver calls the English fans "ignorant and arrogant". Graham Henry admonishes the English fans for singing during the Haka. Now the All Blacks pack a sad because they can't do the Haka when they want to.
Not a good look. To be fair, the Welsh RU are just as culpable for the mess in the weekend and the episode is one I witness daily whenever my stepson and stepdaughter are within 5 feet of each other. I wasn't going to comment on it, but watching grown adults behave like kids in the sandpit is, well, sad - no other word springs to mind.
Labels: opinion
posted by Rob Crawford at 11:43 AM
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