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 NZ Rugby World column, May 2004
I was at the Stade de France for the decisive game of the Six Nations. The first half France played as only the French can. Pace and flair built on a robust, determined tight five platform. Scintillating dynamism from the back-row and game breaking creativity at halfback. A combination of disciplined game plan and brillian improvisation. England were shell-shocked. In the second half though they almost won it. The gained momentum, French concentration slipped slightly and if the game had gone another five minutes we may have seen the travesty and injustice of an English victory. However this was not the case and France deservedly won a very exciting Six Nations. The whole of the rugby world appeared to be in Paris that day but many of us were somewhat the worse for wear because of the ridiculous 9.30pm kick-off. The traditional pre-match excitement started around midday at Rosie
O'Grady's and by 11pm fatigue was beginning to set in. |
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However, my group led by Dave Bennetts and Phillip Sycamore, two old rugby
friends from Lancaster Royal Grammar School, managed to pick up the pace and
we ended up at the Hemingway bar until 3am before moving on to Harry's where
we finally called it a day at 5am.
The sooner we get back to sensible 3pm Saturday afternoon kick-offs, the better it will be for fans, players and Sunday mornings! For New Zealand a fantastic year beckons with matches against England and France giving us the opportunity to beat the World Cup holders and the Six Nations champions. This year I was able to focus on the Six Nations as a way of rehabbing
after the World Cup disaster. A few things struck me: 1. England can be worked out and worked over England did it tough during the Six Nations. The loss of Johnson, Leonard, Back and Wilkinson (through injury) was decisive. It reminded me of New Zealand in '98 when we suffered the loss of Fitzpatrick, Brooke, Bunce and Jones. Very difficult to come back when you lose a nucleus of inspirational players like these. I think we've also seen the best of Dallaglio, Greenwood, Hill and Dawson. Referees and opponents have also wised up now to their professional fouls, their killing of the ball, and their somewhat single dimensional attack platform. It was also great to see teams attack them at lioneout time, with the rolling maul and out wide. They looked fragile, stale and predictable. Woodward may be going for one World Cup too many and it could well be that his impact on the players is lower now than it's ever been. They must be growing tired of the same old voice. I think, therefore, there is a terrific opportunity for us to put them to
the sword when they come down here. 2. France will be tough in November and in 2007 Bernard Laporte is an outstanding thinker and motivator. He is highly regarded by the players and tactically is as smart as they come. He is a terrific selector and is capable of pinpointing opponents' weaknesses and picking the right team to exploit them. He has added rock solid discipline to French flair. He has based his side on a very aggressive tight five, speed and destruction in the back-row, excellent kicking from tactical halfbacks, strength in the centres and pace out wide. They have a lot of depth in their club
rugby and will provide the All Blacks with a very tough one-off challenge in
Paris in November. This is a game not to be missed. 3. Games are still won by the tight five Italy, France and England all showed how important the tight five platform is. There is a big role for solid scrummaging and there is a role for rucks and mauls. The French were outstanding in this area and had front-row players who really kept the pressure on for the full 80 minutes. And they did it the old fashioned way.
Tight, compact, close to the ground. They also made major contributions at
lineout and kick-off time in providing consistent, solid support for their
jumpers. 4. Lineouts can make the vital difference The idea that lineouts are like scrums and need not be competed for is clearly ridiculous. The Irish murdered England as a result of fantastic attacking and defensive lineout plays. They focused on disrupting and winning England's ball as well as securing 100 percent of their own ball. They picked experts and supported them with fantastic props. Their hooker's (Byrne) throwing was spot on in all conditions and they kept their own ball. Simple, consistent, effective - playing the percentages. They used this as a platform for their first-five to dictate play just like the good old days. Graham Henry will be wise to the importance of front three and of lineout ball following his stint in the UK, and both Steve Hansen and Wayne Smith will have experienced it first-hand themselves. Our games versus England and France
will be won and lost from this platform. A great opportunity for our
forwards to stand up and make a name for themselves. Ireland, Wales and France all showed that in this era of video analysis, 100 planned moves and automated rugby league style defence, there is still room for broken play flair. Both O'Driscoll and D'Arcy were a revelation for Ireland; no one did it better than the Welsh; and the French could hit from anywhere. England have brought in Joe Lydon from their successful Sevens side to
give them more flair and attacking opions in their backs. I believe there will be plenty of thinking goin on now as to how we can move away from the predictability of eight or nine boring phases to set up the forward verus back confrontation and instead do what the Welsh did in the World Cup. Hit early and often up close with a flair player. If we can build a platform upfront, of security, and then have the
confidence to move unexpectedly, quickly and often, the game will become
more exciting again... and more geared to our strengths. 6. Finally, the Lions tour will be the greatest we've seen in New Zealand The British Lions will be very competitive combining Irish lineout forwards with English discipline and Celtic flair in the backs, all focused around Wilkinson's brilliant kicking. O'Driscoll will be an inspirational captain; Dallaglio his
disciplinarian. They will play tough, smart rugby and New Zealand will have
to play as well ad we did in 1995 to beat them. A great prospect. The only sadness is our inability to maximise this opportunity. Our infrastructure, our grounds, our hotels are just not capable of meeting the demand this tour will drive. Already in the UK there is a shortage of tickets and hotels. Without going through the four official
travel agents it's impossible to get them and the prices are already
horrendous. I don't see much we can do about this as it would be folly to further invest in stadia. However, I do wish that the Lions were playing more big games so that we and they could really make the most of this rare treat. Avoiding top teams like Auckland and Canterbury when you've go the playing strength of Great Britain to choose from is pathetic. |
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