Throughout the Lions tour we have seen Gatland developing the structures he believes will beat the Springboks. While most of the games were not of the highest calibre, they have provided a useful laboratory for the Lions. By looking at Adam Beard’s try against the Stormers, we can begin to see the fruits of their …
Continue reading “What does Adam Beard’s try tell us about the Lions?”
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”
The Gallagher Premiership returned last Friday, and while the ink had barely dried on the final, we were served up with some great rugby. The first two tries of the Premiership season whet the appetite, and showed what could be in store this season. Both had remarkable similarities, starting from a lineout and being finished …
Continue reading “The Lineout Launch: An analysis of the Premiership’s two opening scores”
While lockdown continues the rugby void still needs to be filled. So I have looked back instead at a game in the English Premiership, in order to see what learnings can be taken for when rugby takes. In the following piece, I examine how Exeter converted two opportunities through fly half Joe Simmonds to expose …
Continue reading “Combining Structure and Flair: Joe Simmonds brace v Harlequins”
The lineout is rugby’s holy grail when it comes to attack. This is simply down to the various options teams can use on the attack. Teams have the option to pin various amounts of forwards in the lineout and numbers in their backlines to strike. As we are still in the rugby doldrums, I look …
Continue reading “Lineout Tries – Using rugby’s most plentiful platform”
As this barren period of rugby continues, it is important to continue to learn and develop. So while the Barbarians with little preparation time may not seem the best team to learn tactical developments from. Looking back to their game against the Springboks in 2016 provides some real insight into turnover attack. This aspect of …
NOLA and New England share an impressive match in MLR Round 5. Both sides scored some great tries, however NOLA managed to take back the lead with a particularly special effort. While it had more luck than the spectacular offloading of New England’s earlier score, this was a brilliant try working through the phases before …
Continue reading “NOLA’s forwards exploit New England with wonderful finesse”
The Analysis Guy