Ruck Tales brings you the match video from the game between Eagles RFC and table-topping Warriors RC, as always with a few notes jotted down (ok, actually a lot of notes).
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U33hkq3XA4k&feature=youtu.be
0:02:35
We have already seen plenty of examples of this in the opening rounds of the ITM Cup in New Zealand: one of the key features of the new scrum sequence is that referees have been told to watch closely for 'feeding' (not putting the ball into the scrum straight) - with the aim of returning the scrum to a more fair contest. Sharp reffing.
0:03:20
In our minds, there is no excuse for letting this try through. The ball was carried back all the way across the pitch for the tap-and-go, and all it took was one pass. That's nothing short of poor defending and failing to mark properly.
0:05:12
Here we see a key difference between the two teams. A hungry team is always alert for opportunities wherever they may be, and penalties (especially those close to the opposition line) present excellent opportunities for 5 points. Yet compared to the earlier try at the other end, notice how fast Warriors are to get back and face the opposition. There's no hanging around. At the same time there is very little alertness from Turku to the opportunity: players are standing around - no-one is shouting for a tap so they can charge and take advantage. We also see clever play from Warriors' 13, taking those extra few seconds to clarify with the ref as to why the penalty was given. Missing the penalty at that range is just salt in the wound.
0:07:40
This is clever play. Turku have already given away a chunk of territory, now playing for a psychological advantage by putting them back near their own line both puts the pressure on and gives the attackers a few more seconds of rest to prepare. A well-executed kick.
0:08:30
Here we see a good example of a driving maul. The drive does not come immediately but instead waits and absorbs the initial defensive drive before moving. Two mistakes are then made. Firstly, the ball is removed at the first sign of trouble in the maul. In Southern Hemisphere rugby (especially with South African rugby) we see driving mauls snaking their way up the field, turning around defenders as new obstacles hit it. Here Eagles remove the ball as soon as the maul turns, but they could have repositioned men who were no longer in a good driving position and continued. It is a matter of patience and discipline.
Secondly is the issue of the clearance kick. The box kick in this situation should either find touch or should be a kick to be chased down by the waiting back line. Here it does neither. Box kicks to be chased need to be communicated to the back line, who should be starting to move already as the scrum-half takes the ball, so that they have less ground to cover. Here, Turku's backline is still well back and clearly not expecting the box kick.
0:11:00
It's a decent backs' move, but in the end Turku had Warriors' 13 pinned on the touch line and should have killed the attack then and there. From that, notice that while Turku have 2-3 players involved in the tackle, there is no-one standing at the guard/pillar position, which allows the drive to continue almost unchallenged.
0:15:52
A horrendous wasted opportunity. We have seen this in previous instances, notably with the national team: if the opposition have just had a player sent to the sin bin for 10 minutes, how does it help to tap and charge into the most densely-defended place? Eagles' line-out has been working reasonably well (remember the earlier driving maul) and Warriors have just lost one of their jumpers. Logic would have suggested a kick to touch - instead opportunity passed by.
0:16:10
It's a questionable decision by Turku's 15 to kick across field with only one real chaser to go for it, but in the end it pays off thanks to the work-rate of Eagles' 12!
0:17:50
Compare this now to the first try earlier. Warriors see the Eagles player running back to possibly take a quick tap and they react to get into position (albeit offside).
0:18:15
It's a brute force try. Turku are lucky to retain possession with some of the body positions that go into contact, which is a credit to the support play. In the end it is simply overwhelming to defence with ruck after ruck - solid forwards' try.
0:22:10
Another good driving maul, this time with better continuation play by the pack.
HALF TIME
0:28:50
It's a good option by Eagles' 10. The pass was not great and it gave the defence time to press up. Shame about the dropped catch.
0:31:25
Again, Eagles are caught knapping. Granted there is some confusion from the ref's arm signal, but it's about the reactions of both teams. Eagles turn their backs are walking away, Warriors seize the opportunity. Once Warriors are in behind the defence, a key moment is Eagles' 13 shooting out of the line for an interception attempt. It should have been more directly fatal to the defence but the scrambling holds it off for a little longer before the try.
0:37:45
A nice bit of initial skill from the Eagles lock, but as we saw in the Kuopio game reviews, it's about knowing when to offload and when to go to ground. 99 times out of 100, it's likely that a second row will not pull off an Aaron Cruden-style offload while descending.
0:38:07
Please note here the importance of good tackle technique. Eagles' 11 has been tackling like a lion, but his technique is costing him. This is the second time he has his head in an incorrect position and for the second time he is left staggering. Always keep your head on the outside of the target!
0:41:00
Great work by Warriors' pack to flip possession despite losing their hooker.
0:48:35
Apparently Elton John and Boy George judged that line-out.
0:52:40
Good to see Eagles increase the tempo and make ground. The hiccup always seems to come with the follow-up play.
0:54:00
Eagles are perhaps very lucky here. The initial problem is the running angle taken by the crash runner, Eagles' number 4. By running almost sideways, he presents an easy target to tackle while risking running away from his support players. From the ruck, we would question whether the Warriors player who disrupts the Eagles 9 was onside, but nonetheless it's great pressure from Eagles' 13 to grab a poacher's try.
0:56:10
Although we don't usually approve of forwards kicking, this is a good net territory gain for Eagles to get out of a defensive hole.
0:56:37
That's very hard luck on the Eagles' 19, who stole the ball - we see a clear release shown before going for the ball. However, Eagles failed to adhere to rule number 1: the ref doesn't see everything but you must react to what he/she does see and say, and again we see Eagles are slow to react to a penalty against them, while Warriors pounce on the opportunity.
0:58:18
This is a really well-worked try, coming from the timing of a pass and the angle of the runner. That gets Warriors in behind the defence. From there it's a matter of good balance and well-timed offloads. A good bit of skill.
1:02:15
A nice example of strong counter-attack running from Eagles' 22, twisting and turning out of three tackles before going to ground. Then comes a good example of strong counter-rucking: nothing fancy, simply Warriors players getting in low and driving out the legs.
1:02:50
The story of the day - again Eagles lose focus when they concede a penalty. This time even the urgency is off but Warriors are still looking for the opportunities. Despite some good tackling from Eagles, Warriors find a simple mismatch: a steppy centre against a prop and second row, then it's good individual skill to run in the try.
Full time
Final score: Warriors 34 - 12 Eagles
General notes:
Decision-making played a significant part in the outcome. Warriors were sharper at identifying and exploiting opportunities when the presented themselves. Eagles, by contrast looked sluggish. Warriors actually gave away a large number of penalties and were playing with 14 men for 20 minutes of the games, yet Eagles failed often failed to capitalise on chances because of decisions on where to go next.
Eagles did not actually play a bad game. In general, tackling was good, passing was not world-class but not awful either and ruck play was decent. Where they lost it was not on skills, but on work rate. Steve Hansen said in a recent interview that games are often won not on the things that require specific skills, but on the basic work rate: getting up fast after tackles, moving into the right position for attack and defence, getting back onside. In this game, Warriors built success on working these simple things better than Turku.
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