Re: RD 5 | St Helens (H) : Thu Mar 14, 2024 7:29 pm
It will be interesting to see how close we are to their intensity and fitness levels tomorrow. I think Saints dominance in recent years has had a lot to do with those two attributes. There were theories that our defenders just “absorbing” tackles was being coached as a passive type of defence. I’m not sure we had comparable physical specimens to compete with some other teams over the last 5 or 6 years to be honest, and maybe defending on the back foot was the best they could do. Likewise, our forwards carrying the ball from 3 or 4 yards behind the passer was maybe an indication of a less fit team than some others who hit a flat/slightly forward pass at speed. There’s no doubt there’s a number of ways combined to win a game, but in our sport the fittest and strongest will always stand a much better chance.
