2013 Ladies' Final: Match Analysis

Never to be outdone, the ladies from JRC and Warriors put on a great show for the 2013 Women's Final.

Here's the match video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiOvrxcChm0

Here's the analysis:

00:38
Warriors are attacking from so far behind the gain line. The pass goes 5m backwards, which is allowing the defensive line to press up and take free ground, which JRC could have capitalised better on. We would like to have see the runner taking the ball much flatter and at speed to actually challenge the defence.

00:49
The flipside to this is that JRC are falling into a bit of trap! The defenders move forwards to press-up, but at different speeds, which leaves gaps for a WRC runner to attack.

01:55
First scrum of the game. Both packs are nice and flat, so it must be raw power that gives JRC the win.

03:49
Legally, there is nothing wrong with it, but looking at the tackle by WRC's 6 on JRC's 7 we closed our eyes for a moment. The swinging, the legs everywhere - it's a knee injury begging to happen. Traditional tackle technique is so much safer and far more effective! Just a thought....

04:02
This is a great crash angle to suck in the defence and JRC get quick possession from the ruck, but the ball really needed to go wide next to exploit the space. Neither the 9 nor 10 look up at the option.

05:18
Great knowledge of the rules there by WRC's 14.

14:25
Again, all the attacking is done so far behind the gain line. The defence is happily moving up and across without pressure.

15:10
JRC's front row are getting under WRC's front row, giving them an instant advantage. WRC need to sink a little lower at the hit to counteract this.

15:35
8 won't thank the scrum-half for that! Again, the attack is giving the ball the static runners well behind the gain line and expecting miracles.... Happy days for the defence!

17:29
Ooooh, ref! Was there clear release there before the steal?....

18:25
It's a good change of angle from JRC's 12. If she had gone low at the last moment instead of going higher at the last, it would have been unstoppable. Well defended by WRC.

19:10
WRC drift nicely as a line, but the defenders are just too close together. JRC are ready for the wide attack and WRC leave themselves too much ground to cover.

21:20
Someone needed to just dive on it and secure possession. Good pressure from WRC.

22:57
Again, WRC are using a drift defence, but they are so narrow. JRC aren't doing anything special and are still attacking from very deep, yet they are still finding a big overlap. This was a recurring feature in the game.

24:58
WRC have done a good job to send up a small wall of 3 defenders, but then for some reason they start moving backwards and allow JRC to build up speed! WRC's 14 does well to make the tackle, but she also gave away 20m.

25:38
Simply poor tackling here from JRC. WRC's 12 is a powerhouse with skills, but the defenders were there - the tackles needed to hit the legs.

26:26
This is great pace from JRC's 11, but she had a spare player outside. She could have fixed the last defender and given the pass to her teammate in space. In the end, Warriors give her too much space anyway.

27:28
JRC's second try. Again, JRC pass the ball 15m backwards before the attack - how is this going unpunished?? What's strange is that Warriors are pressing up, just not all the way to make the tackle - the line comes close but always stops short of closing down the attackers and leaves them space to dance and run. Great pace from JRC's 9 for the finish, but whoever was on guard duty at that final ruck got punished.

32:05
This is the second good crash burst by WRC's hooker. The key to it is that, unlike a lot of the other ladies on the park, she accelerates into contact rather than slowing down at the last minute in anticipation of the contact.

42:59
Freeze here and check the body angles of both JRC props. Both a pointing distinctly inwards rather than straight, which is giving an unfair advantage.

HALF TIME
It has to be said that on those 40 minutes, the skills have been ridiculously good, especially in terms of offloading, support play, body positioning at rucks and scrimmaging. It rather puts the men's D1 Final to shame! In terms of improvements, the lineout is clearly an area to work on, as is attacking the gain line more, and by contrast a more effective defensive press and better man-marking.

 59:50
Interesting choice here. JRC's scrum has been totally dominant, so why not lock in the WRC forwards to one place. There would be a strong possibility of JRC's pack being able to get the drive on and milk more penalties, possibly even a card. Instead, they get close, but WRC are able to scramble the defence to steal possession.

1:03:22
Textbook tackle - smashing!

1:09:45
WRC's 16 has already had a few good runs in the game and JRC haven't learned their lesson. Defenders are too preoccupied with going for the ball, which allows the WRC player to keep pumping the legs and drive forward for an extra 10m.

1:10:20
Fantastic break from WRC's 17 to open up the defence. Even better is that support arrives quickly, but the scrum-half delays the pass. Secondly, there is gaping space on the blindside which needed to be exploited! Attack runners needed to be screaming at the 9 for quick ball into that space.

1:11:25
We count 12 WRC players here (including the one who has just moved out of screen to the right), which means that there must be only 3 players covering the other side of the field. Again, it's a point of identifying where the space is to attack quickly, especially given the speed of the JRC back 3.

1:12:30
Firstly this is a much more solid scrum from WRC, giving them a good platform from which to attack. JRC also do better with their defensive press - here 14 is actively hunting for the tackle and really closing down the attackers.

1:13:08
So much lateral running. This game has been very much about 1v1 battles - who can outpace or outmuscle the other. We would have loved for WRC's 12 to change tact during this run - the defender is a full sprint to keep up and with 12's power, had she changed angle and ploughed into the defender, our money would be on 12 knocking through. Instead, JRC do a great job of simply shepherding the ball into touch.

1:17:40
This is nice from JRC - at each pass, the ball carrier commits the defender before passing or offloading to a teammate in space.

1:19:16
Nice work from WRC's 12 to create something out of nothing, but JRC make a bit of a meal of this. JRC have 3 of their fastest players against one Warrior. A simple draw and pop and the counter-attack would have been away. Brilliantly snaffled at the breakdown - 16 making an impact again.

1:21:25
Another nice steal and breakaway from 16, but again the ball needed to move faster from the ensuing ruck to capitalize on JRC retreating. Instead they have time to get back onside and reform.

1:22:15
Boom! 12 deserved a try and reminded JRC about the need for tackling lower every time! Fantastic to see the sportsmanship after the try as well.

FULL TIME

We watched this game live and really enjoyed it, but watching it back from another perspective surprised us in terms of the level of rugby on show. Sure there are areas to work on but overall there was some great rugby here. We look forward to paying much closer attention to the Ladies' SM-sarja in 2014!

2013 Men's Division 1 Final: Analysis

In the opening show of the 2013 Finals Day, the seasoned performers from Division 1 North met the high-flying newcomers from Division 1 South as Vaasa Wolves took on Old Town Shamrocks from Porvoo.

Here's the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dO0W8dQTWKo&feature=c4-overview&list=UU4VIzdCgmDTM_g4QHVE8bXg

Here's what we thought:

01:50
First scrum of the game - Vaasa have the more attacking body positions and seem more in-tune with each other, whereas OTS have different rows scummaging at different angles. OTS get lucky that the ball bounces off a Vaasa leg.

02:04
The first hint of a lack of game plan - even after the first phase OTS are grouped around the ruck rather than working in units to move play quickly. The poor fly-half is handed the ball standing still and facing a wall of waiting defenders.

03:30
On the one hand, taking points at this stage of the game is exactly the right strategy, especially after the break in play for the injury. On the other hand, a 40-50m kick is a massive ask for any kicker. Either OTS have a lot of faith in their kicker, or very little in their lineout.

04:05
Check out the tackle technique from OTS - Vaasa's 12 is not the biggest man on the park, but tacklers are going in with heads down (i.e. eyes on the ground, not the target) and arms outstretched. With a steppy back like him, mark the target, hit with the shoulder and wrap the arms.

Following on from that, did anyone else think the final pass was so far forward that Stevie Wonder could have called it?..... Great effort by OTS 13 to run down the ball carrier.

05:40
Vaasa could have been much more clinical. Firstly, the tap-and-go is an odd call when they have such a strong lineout jumper, but ok. Secondly, Vaasa don't work as a unit: we have the number 8 taking the ball in essentially alone - we would have liked to see his support players latch on to him and drive him into the defensive line - the extra weight might have been enough to make the difference, as Porvoo allow him to run all the way to the line.

From the ruck, look how many Porvoo players are in or around the ruck. Vaasa get a bit of white line fever and squander the chance to sling it wide. Well defended by Porvoo.

08:42
Again, we're seeing a lack of structure to OTS's attack. Players are standing around well behind the gain line. There are no pods formed to take the crash ball up and no clear next phase attack. Here, we would like to see the fly-half taking more control and organizing the players around him. The kick serves no real purpose and essentially hands Vaasa possession.

10:10
It was harder not to score than to score here..... Vaasa's 4 just needed to give the pass earlier and the overlap would have done the work for him.

19:01
For the front rows: freeze here and compare the body position of Vaasa's loosehead with OTS's tighthead. The Vaasa prop has his weight forward, back straight and knee's bent - the ideal pushing position. Right from the start, the OTS prop's hips are too high, his legs too straight and actually his body is pointing in towards the hooker, which is a) illegal and b) making his own pushing ability weaker.

25:10
Great pressure and opportunism from OTS's number 4, but there was no reason that Vaasa shouldn't have been able to regroup and secure that.

26:17
Kicking was a horrendous option! He had support players there so he could have taken the ball into contact and set up a ruck.

29:15
This is bizarre: the OTS player has done everything right - he lined up the attacker, got into a good body position to make the tackle and makes a good hit......then he lets him go. Please listen when we say that tackle practice is the number 1 requirement this off-season.

30:50
Again, it's the organisation: OTS have had some great phases of attack, thanks to numbers 14 and 15, and the team has done well to secure possession - but then the ideas run out. Here, the big number 4 is given the ball while he is still moving backwards, so not only does he have no attacking momentum, but it also allows Vaasa to press up and reclaim several metres. It's only raw strength that gets 4 out of trouble.

41:05
What kills OTS is their failure to form a defensive line quickly. Vaasa move the ball quickly and exploit open space. On a positive note, check out a nice tackle by OTS number 10 on Vaasa's 4. Because there is not line pressing up on Vaasa, they are able to keep forward momentum and make steady progress until the line breaks. The final tackle attempt left a lot to be desired - again, it's a technique issue.

HALF TIME

48:48
Again, compare the difference in bodyweight distribution between the two props. Vaasa are in a much stronger position to win the hit as the prop is already leaning forward. OTS's prop has his body weight back over his second row, so pushing forward is going to be far more difficult.


50:30
It's good pressure from Vaasa, but OTS's fly-half really needed to dive on the ball rather than trying to kick it. Securing possession would have been the much safer move. Instead, Vaasa are able to claim the loose ball and grab another try.

1:26:30
This is better play from Porvoo: their scrum is becoming more secure, they drag Vaasa across the field one way, then the other. The key thing is that they send in a crash runner with fast support, so that they can suck in defenders and move the ball away quickly. It's a great solo effort from 14 to finish the try, but it was a good team build-up as well.

FULL TIME
Vaasa: 33 - 5 Old Town Shamrocks

In truth, it was not a polished performance from Vaasa. There were plenty of handling errors and it was a far more open game than it needed to be. Vaasa were by far the more alert squad - support play was quicker to arrive and better positioned. The attack phases were also better organised in terms of the next wave being ready and in-tune with each other as to what to do next.

There were elements for OTS to be happy about: they were highly competitive at the breakdown an their game improved considerably in the later stages of the match. Yet they left themselves so much to do and it was too little too late. A key issue seemed to be adapting their game style from the free-flowing 10-a-side game that they have been playing in D1 South to the 15-a-side game, which relies so much more on phase play. Considering this is their first proper season of rugby, OTS should be extremely happy at making the final and look to build on the experience for their first season in the Championship next year.