: Mon Nov 16, 2009 10:21 am
I also like Tony Smith......and think he did a good job.
He could only work with what he had and to be honest our players on average are NOT as good as the antipodean ones.
That doesn't mean to say we can't beat Australia once in a blue moon.....but If I had a criticism of Smith it is that if he watched a video of how Australia attack.....he didn't consider it good enough to try and copy....and it is.
Watch a video of Australia attack when they throw the ball along the line....if you want to see what hard work, technique and practice can do.
Firstly it has a purpose....they are not just hoping.
Secondly it is fast......the oppostion had better be in position or there will be gaps.
Thirdly the passes will not be intercepted......because they are bullet passes at 45 degrees backwards.
Forthly a dummy runner always precedes the pass........god knows where the players come from, but it's well rehearsed and leaves defenders not sure whether the pass will go flat to the dummy runner or back to the man waiting in the delta wing shape.
It is predictable but relentless and wears sides down.
England by contrast don't have such systems in place and as such have to rely on flair to make holes.....except when near the try line when holes can be found by big forwards.
Plus the Aussies have flair as well.....they can play to the grinding profession sytem they use and as soon as it produces a bit of a lead can then play individual stuff like we do....only better.
Watch Billy Slater for a master class in backing up breaks......as soon as the line is breached Slater is up there offering himself for the (usually inside) pass under the posts. The number of runs that guy does is phenomenal....could you imagine an England full-back doing that?
The guy works is ass off....but in a constructive way.
We need to plan for a time when we will
thrash Australia.....not just beat them. Our aim shouldn't be to just beat them (although that would be nice at the moment).
Can you see us beating Australia some day?.....answer yes.
Can you see Australia beating us?......certainly yes.
Can you see Australia thrashing us again someday?......certainly yes.
Can you see us thrashing Australia someday?........no.
Unless we get proper systems in place on the field so we can counter the Aussie techniques and then try to match their professionalism in attack....we might as well avoid playing them....because it will be a sad tale of more humiliation.
It is not sufficient to just get a set of talented lads to together and give it a go against the Aussies.....they have to be organised properly. And failing any ideas in that direction, we might as well just try to copy them.
We can beat them for passion at times...but we need the technique to match them in general play.
