Huddles keep England minds on the job

ENGLAND have adopted the American Footballstyle huddles we have seen in their recent Six Nations wins against France and Ireland as a means of improving communication within the team, and keeping each other on their toes.

An important component is trying to arrest the tendency in team sports to have a concentration lapse after a success, such as scoring a try.

This is especially noticeable in rugby, where teams will frequently concede points or penalties immediately after they have scored.

This week Joe Launchbury revealed that the difference between the England huddles and those across the pond is that time-outs in the NFL enable coaches to come onto the field with their messages, whereas the Red Rose version are player-led.

The Wasps lock explained: “We are trying to use the time when the game stops much better. Whether that’s the full 15, or sub units, or just the front row, I think there has been a conscious effort to discuss what may be going well or not so well. We review stuff that’s happened rather than wait ‘til half-time to speak about the previous 40 minutes, and what we can improve on.

“It’s about keeping the momentum going... there are opportunities to get together rather than walk off in our ones and twos around the pitch.

“When you score a try you want to keep focused, keep thinking about the next thing, which is to take the restart and build more go forward pressure. It’s about stopping little things happening that might go wrong after doing something well.”

In the past this would have been the remit of any good captain, or pack leader. Talk about reinventing the wheel.