Scotland had a disappointing 2019 Rugby World Cup as they exited in the pool stages having been defeated by hosts Japan and Ireland. However reaching the quarter finals this time around will be incredibly challenging with South Africa and Ireland (again) for company. The Scots will need a little luck but they do have strong …
Continue reading “Townsend and Tandy Magic: How Scotland could shock Pool B”
Ireland are well positioned for a push for World Glory, currently ranked 1st in the world and with a solid return to the field against Italy this weekend. Their current ranking is driven by an attack averaging 30 points per game, an attack based on an intricate framework looking to move the ball and stretch …
Continue reading “Work Rate and Control – Ireland’s drive for World Cup glory”
Italy provided the shock of the Six Nations beating the Welsh in Cardiff. The Azzurri won their first game in seven years off the back of a new-found pragmatic attack, and their suffocating defence. The Pragmatic Approach Italy adopted a more pragmatic approach in the 2022 Six Nations. They were previously a side happy to …
Under Wayne Pivac the Welsh lineout has been quite the roller coaster ride. In the 2020 Six Nations Wales had perhaps the worst lineout. Using Simon Gleave’s Lineout Effectiveness Metrics they sat bottom, however by the end of the 2021 competition they had risen to the top. This piece won’t focus on how they fixed …
Under Wayne Pivac, Wales had a rocky start defensively, conceding over 90 points across for the first time since 2015 in the 2020 Six Nations. The defence wasn’t any better when Wales played in the autumn, when they conceded the 3rd most points of any team. There were still some problems with the defence under …
Wales under Wayne Pivac have developed into an innovative and forward thinking side. They have melded various strategies and tactics into a high skill, attack minded gameplan. The development however has not just been on the attack, with innovation also present in their kicking strategy, whether it being double footed scrum halves, 2 man chase …
Under Wayne Pivac, Wales have developed one of the strongest attacks in the Northern Hemisphere. In the 2021 Six Nations Wales scored the most points on their way to the title. One of the main drivers of this success has been the innovations by Pivac and Stephen Jones especially around the “no numbers on back” …
France are the big story of international rugby in 2021. From the strong showing against Italy to an assured victory over Ireland, Les Bleus have continued to make good on the promise they showed in 2020. They have also been innovative, and their first try against the men in green shows a new development of …
Continue reading “How France’s Innovative Lineout Is Leading To Try Scoring Opportunities”
As Ireland arrived in Cardiff, there was a degree of dread in the Welsh capital, after a less than fruitful 2020 in which Wales had only won three games, against Italy (2) and Georgia (1). This set the background for a clash where Wales were considered the slight underdogs. However, as the game progressed Wales …
Continue reading “Wales’ tweaked attack structure bears fruit in win over Ireland”
From the team selected to the lack of preparation before the test series the lions tour to South Africa will get exponentially more coverage over the coming months. The squad selected to face the Springboks this year, will be Warren Gatland’s first major headache with the back row key to the squads success. Gatland will …
Continue reading “Player Stats Deep Dive: The Back Row to beat the Springboks.”
The Analysis Guy