Anatomy of a Try – Reiko Ioane vs Wales November 2017
A good attacking play is about using space when it's presented to you. That space can be created that in a multitude of ways by building phases and momentum, counter-attacking or a 1st phase set play (or a strike move). With the complexity of modern defensive systems you'd be forgiven for thinking that you need more and more complex moves to break them down, but in reality, you just need to execute simple things well and this...
The Anatomy of a (No)Try – Marika Koroibete
As a coach, there are lots of things to worry about but all fall into the single category of things you can control. The ref’s and their decisions aren’t one of them so post-game analysis has to focus on two things "what did we do well and what can we have done differently"? Koroibetes no try against England, while a highly debated and controversial decision, is in fact a fantastic example of where analysis can...
The Anatomy of a Try – Watson vs New Zealand Provincial Barbarians
Anyone who watched the opening game of the lions tour can’t have failed to be disappointed with the manner in which the Lions limped over the finish line. Opening games of a Lions tour shouldn’t be like this. They should be statements of intent a chance to stand up and show it’s gone up a level. In short if not a perfect performance then one that should be electric and brimming with intensity. Sure there are a fair smattering...
England – Strike Move Analysis
The pressures of winning test matches, along with the set piece fiasco of late, have led to a decrease in 1st phase strike moves. Most test sides, at least in the northern hemisphere, have started taking the safer option of creating space through phase play, more often than not crashing up a runner first to set a platform they can build from. However with England, much as he did with Japan, Eddie Jones has started...
Australia vs England 1st Test – Analysis
Test match Rugby is won and lost on decision making, you get the calls right you win, you get them wrong you lose. It’s really that simple. Every single time anything happens it’s a series of decisions, made by the player, that impacts on the wider test match. Cause and Effect. That is why you hear modern players and coaches constantly talking about "what they can control". That can be a decision, a...