Comments on: Back row balance: the key to South Africa’s revival

By: AlexD

AlexD — Fri, 16 Oct 2015 17:38:14 +0000

Pablito, I would say that the coach has to pick the best 15 available to him. He can’t afford not to. It used to be that he picked the best 15 and moulded the most suitable style to and around the players and their individual strengths not vice versa. It is normally COMMON SENSE who the ‘best’ are. With them in the bag (the bricks) you can build the house with the best materials (quality control perhaps). Bearing in mind this is a showcase of the ‘National’ house we’re talking about here not a two-up-two-down where the materials aren’t nearly as important and come second in the equation (money being the main factor – SL has no such problem as the RFU is stinking) Apologies for the home building analogy!
If Club coaches work like you are espousing fair enough but at National level I think not! The 15 or 21 should pick themselves whereas SL has clearly not been doing this (whatever the excuses – ref here to club v country)
We all know the obvious omissions and it amounts to the size of a virtual 2nd XV.

By: Pablito

Pablito — Fri, 16 Oct 2015 09:49:59 +0000

My problem AlexD is we’re seeing the usual knee-jerk reaction from England fans and media. This belief that if only we had one different player everything would suddenly be ok.

Its balls.

England have fundamental problems with their strategy, style of play and therefore inevitably given the first two, their selection. One particular aspect of this is that their play at the breakdown has been, with one or two notable exceptions, awful – and that is the responsibility of the entire pack. Changing one man will make very little difference to this and will have made absolutely no difference to these World Cup results.

Get the foundations in place, decide upon strategy and a style of play and then choose the personnel that fits those decisions – and then, and this is key, stick with them and don’t suddenly change the entire style of the team in a panic

Finding a replacement for Robshaw at 7 is important (and by the way, it would be idiocy to jettison Robshaw completely) but its not even close to being the most important issue facing the England team

By: AlexD

AlexD — Fri, 16 Oct 2015 06:16:28 +0000

Doesn’t detract from the near as damnit FACT that England need a 7. INCONTESTABLE by now! If you’re a bemoaner of the loss of Robshaw (quite welcome to be) he can be a member of the bench!

By: Kick Gilbert

Kick Gilbert — Thu, 15 Oct 2015 21:24:19 +0000

Just to point out, we’ve not got a bad back row ourselves you know. Lyds is king of the chop tackle, TF can carry over hard yards and has a great offload, and Warbs is both strong in the loose, and a great leader. Plus we have Tips off the bench if / when the game breaks up.

For me, the key is more the front 5. Jenks can alienate a referee if he struggles at the scrum, and although AWJ and Charteris are fantastic players, they, for me, are off the pace off Jager and Etzebeth – as a pair they are on fire at the moment.

But with no disrespect to the teams in Pool B, have SA really been tested yet, even with the Japan result? If Wales get any form of platform in the set piece, keep ball in hand, and play with the ferocity of the last 2 weeks, who knows.

By: Pablito

Pablito — Thu, 15 Oct 2015 20:11:59 +0000

Rubbish. England need to sort out their entire breakdown strategy first.

They could have had Pocock or McCaw playing at 7 and neither would have made any difference to the results.

There is no one man messiah out there. The failings are mutual not individual

By: teecee

teecee — Thu, 15 Oct 2015 16:41:28 +0000

Yet more evidence that England need to revamp the back row and move with the times. No more “six and a halves”,we need proper scavengers and carriers who can also make the hits and pass the ball.

By: Scotty2Hotty

Scotty2Hotty — Thu, 15 Oct 2015 01:39:27 +0000

Yeah I think those 3 are going to be critical for us in this game.. I feel Wales will not have enough to counter them and believe Bokke will run out comfortable winners in the end. Weather is also going to be a factor, I am hearing reports of it potentially raining on the weekend.