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Is English rugby too conservative?
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<blockquote data-quote="BPM" data-source="post: 898587" data-attributes="member: 59968"><p>I agree with a fair bit of this.</p><p></p><p>England been very poor, but I would say it's more to do with poor execution and decision-making rather than conservative tactics.</p><p></p><p>Eddie's pod system hasn't worked but actually I believe the intention was to commit one less player to each ruck to allow an extra player for the next phase. This suggests that there is an intention to provide more attacking options and build momentum through quick phases, but there are a combination of reasons it hasn't worked. At a top level, I'd break it down in to three main factors that are mainly in our control. Firstly, our players have lacked the necessary aggression and accuracy on the clear out. Secondly, they've been too slow to react when the system hasn't worked. Thirdly, they've failed to adapt to different interpretations of the ruck from different referees. It's obvious to me that other coaches/teams have worked us out and are able to negate Eddie's tactics. Clearly what the opposition's coaches do is not in our control. However, I do think there's an argument to say that we are predictable and easy to work out and it is absolutely Eddie's job to make us less so and keep the opposition guessing.</p><p></p><p>At a club level, I think Fuzzy is spot on. There is something to admire in Exeter's ability to retain possession phase after phase, but it's not sexy attacking rugby ... That said, I think the majority of AP clubs do play with ambition rather than taking an overly conservative approach.</p><p></p><p>Also, what are you comparing us to? Scotland play attractive, attacking rugby, but they're not without fault. Ireland have only just started playing some nice rugby. Until recently, Schmidt's copped a decent amount of criticism for being overly formulaic and conservative. Similarly, Gatland flirted with the idea of playing more expansively and then shelved it as soon as Biggar was fit.</p><p></p><p>Glasgow, Leinster and Scarlets play nice, ambitious, attack-minded rugby, but I wouldn't have said the rest of the Pro14 teams do. Munster have some nice moments, but not as consistently IMO.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="BPM, post: 898587, member: 59968"] I agree with a fair bit of this. England been very poor, but I would say it's more to do with poor execution and decision-making rather than conservative tactics. Eddie's pod system hasn't worked but actually I believe the intention was to commit one less player to each ruck to allow an extra player for the next phase. This suggests that there is an intention to provide more attacking options and build momentum through quick phases, but there are a combination of reasons it hasn't worked. At a top level, I'd break it down in to three main factors that are mainly in our control. Firstly, our players have lacked the necessary aggression and accuracy on the clear out. Secondly, they've been too slow to react when the system hasn't worked. Thirdly, they've failed to adapt to different interpretations of the ruck from different referees. It's obvious to me that other coaches/teams have worked us out and are able to negate Eddie's tactics. Clearly what the opposition's coaches do is not in our control. However, I do think there's an argument to say that we are predictable and easy to work out and it is absolutely Eddie's job to make us less so and keep the opposition guessing. At a club level, I think Fuzzy is spot on. There is something to admire in Exeter's ability to retain possession phase after phase, but it's not sexy attacking rugby ... That said, I think the majority of AP clubs do play with ambition rather than taking an overly conservative approach. Also, what are you comparing us to? Scotland play attractive, attacking rugby, but they're not without fault. Ireland have only just started playing some nice rugby. Until recently, Schmidt's copped a decent amount of criticism for being overly formulaic and conservative. Similarly, Gatland flirted with the idea of playing more expansively and then shelved it as soon as Biggar was fit. Glasgow, Leinster and Scarlets play nice, ambitious, attack-minded rugby, but I wouldn't have said the rest of the Pro14 teams do. Munster have some nice moments, but not as consistently IMO. [/QUOTE]
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