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Largely, because those halcyon days never really existed - which isn't 100% accurate, as they did exist for 3-4 years at the turn of the century, but that was more down to being (along with NZ) the only properly professional outfit in international rugby (as opposed to paid hobbeyists).For 16 years I've watched our forwards do 1 out running into contact, to no effect. Maybe longer. Our structures in attack to reset, things in place to reset play but keep the ball in hand and secure are not there.
Why did we stop having forwards running onto the ball at pace to punch a hole, ala teams of old?
Just feels like if we could get Vesty and Blackett in, purely as guidance for 6 weeks or so, to help and develop Wigglesworth and maybe borthwick too, we might start getting somewhere. Or on the summer tour to NZ. Lord god help us. But since 2003 we've never ever been coherent in attack if it's not set phase or insanely overcoached. There's no comfort being on the ball, whilst on the attack. It's got to end.
Oh, and you need to go (a little) further back than 2003 to say that we've been coherent in attack outside of set phases or overcoaching. That phase can pretty much be defined as "that bit when Brian Ashton was England's attack coach before being pushed out"
Of the coaches who's teams I remember watching, if you think that Geoff Cooke, Jack Rowell, SCW (95-98), SCW (02-04), Andy Robinson or Brian Ashton as head coach (16 years ago takes us to 2008) were playing that sort of rugby, then you remember it very differently from myself.