Uruguay grabbed the Rugby World Cup by the scruff of the neck against Fiji and with just a 3 day turnaround the feat of reproducing this performance looked herculean. But they gave it all as can always be expected of Los Terros. Georgia on the other hand had a 6 day turnaround following a resilient second half against Wales.
From the first scrum the game looked imbalanced. The Georgian pack pushing Uruguay and being completely dominant. The way Uruguay avoided a yellow card as long as they did in itself was remarkable. However whilst the Uruguayans lacked ballast and technique yet again there can be no fault in terms of effort.
The same defensive system was used as against Fiji from the very first minute. While simplistic in its creation the Uruguayan defence was built on pure work ethic and the forcing of mistakes working to great effect, even when tired.
This still from the first 40 seconds shows the Uruguayan defence in its simple nature. Common knowledge is to place a Winger opposite the outside man, try and slow the ball down in the ruck and then once the defence is beaten scramble. Obviously there are subtle difference in various teams but the rush defence in the modern game relies on this.
Instead Uruguay consistently defend the fringes of the ruck and apply pressure from the very first defender. The example above shows the Uruguayan scrum half having tackled his Goergian counterpart. The ball therefore is disrupted. However despite the traditional wisdom of drifting immediately and giving up ground in order to push Georgia out of options Uruguay still defend with intent. Rushing forward and forcing the Georgian first receiver to fire a pass across exploiting a ‘ghost’ space.
If we play the clip on we see that Georgia where once they had the entire 15 m area practically free they now have only the 5m Channel. This due solely to the aggression of the Uruguayan defence. IF they had drifted immediately Georgia could have attacked with all their players forcing a slower drift and using up the 10m area gradually rather than this immediate transference which puts their handling under pressure.
By forcing Georgia to reach a bar with handling it changes their psyche. Instead of being relaxed and able to control their own thoughts, they are forced to focus under pressure on their basic skills. As a result of the pure effort from Uruguay they force a mistake preventing true momentum and Georgia exposing a defence which probably could be seen as structurally flawed.
This is not to say it worked completely, and it has one major weakness. Georgia were able to progress 61% of the time by the 28th minute. This just increased pressure on Los Teros as the Lelos were able to pin them back. This coupled with a lack of fluidity from Los Teros, surrendering 66% of possession really didn’t help to ease the pressure.
Above shows a graphic from the Rugby United project that I am part and which provides the majority of the stats for these blogs. It points to georgia being able to progress from their 22 100% of the time with both platforms by the 28th minute ending in at least the Uruguayan half. Whilst they lacked progression once in the Uruguayan half, only progressing 3/10 of the times in attacks outside the Uruguayan 22. The 5 platforms in the 22 by themselves tell the story. A continuous pressure which uruguay were unable to really escape.
The ability to control play was coupled with a kicking game which really trapped Uruguay and enabled Georgia to capitalise. The space in behind a rush defence being the easiest to exploit and overall this is where georgia targeted. They often forced Uruguay to turn around on one occasion even forcing a 5m scrum. The overall control due to the kick was something to be admired and applauded and showed flashes of a Tier One nation.
Overall Georgia should be happy with how they played. The overall performance was mature and relied on their strengths. After this game it tees up a game against Fiji. The playoff for third is what will add to the excitement of the group, continuing the flow of great games. Uruguay should not be disheartened a strong attack and practice for their structure is not something that can be overlooked. But the game itself was enticing while Georgia relied on their brawn Uruguay scrambled remarkably well in the first game to require water break. Despite the heat and humidity the game fitted the bill and showed both teams strengths and weaknesses.
The Analysis Guy 