DON’T BE AFRAID OF PENALTIES
tries were following a lineout, and six following a scrum.
What did those 15 situations have in common? Set piece quality was 100 per cent. That means the opposition didn’t contest the lineout, didn’t disrupt the scrum, didn’t scare the catcher at a restart. They didn’t do anything to affect the quality of ball.
The moral of the story is that you need to contest every lineout. Target Kieran Read and Sam Whitelock, who take in about 90 per cent of All Blacks lineout ball, and make it tough for them. Do all you can to contest the scrum, making things tough.
Cheat if you have to, because sometimes you won’t get caught. If you’re taking a restart, making it contestable, or deep into the 22m forcing the All Blacks to kick clear. It’s simple.
WORK THE INSIDE BALL
On attack, there are few gaps you’ll find in the All Blacks defence. But one that has been spotted is when attacking the space defended by the halfback, using an inside ball.
Two of the five tries New Zealand conceded in the Rugby Championship came from these situations. Argentina and South Africa went wide to their first-five, before throwing an inside pass to a big ball runner heading straight at Aaron Smith.
From the resulting break, both sides had super quick ball from the next breakdown, leading to a try within seconds.
The inside ball is a simple way to alter the angle of attack, and appears one way to stretch the All Blacks defence. Heading wide isn’t an option, because the All Blacks come up out wide in the same fashion we have advocated for above. That can leave space on the inside, but you have to know how to use it, and which defender to attack.
ATTACK THE FRINGES
Inside passes work, but so does attacking the edges of the ruck. Argentina have had a lot of success with pick-and-goes around the sides of the ruck in their two games.
To be clear, it’s not going to get you huge yardage, but moving three metres up field is better than heading backwards, which often happens when the ball goes wide.
The quality of ball is also very important, so this needs to happen in numbers. Support runners must be on hand to cleanout, and the pick-and-goes need to happen at pace. Don’t give Matt Todd or Ardie Savea time to snaffle the pill. All going well, the plans set out here have worked and you’re playing in a tight one. Well, get ready to reap the benefits.
If there is one area the All Blacks really fail to deliver, it’s off the kicking tee. Problem is, nobody has been able to get into a position to make the most of that fact.
According to goalkickers.co.za, oh-so-hot-right-now Beauden Barrett has actually cost New Zealand 13 points with his performance off the tee compared to your stock standard goal kicker. He gains that back with his general play, but still.
That sort of kicking performance will cost the All Blacks in a tight game, or so we’re told. If the stars have aligned, it’s time to test the theory and put the pressure on Barrett’s boot. You may well claim victory as a result.