![]() ![]() If Ritchie McCaw sits one out, this will be it. That said, Scotland being arguably the weakest side in the Northern tour for us will face the most experimental side the All Blacks will field untill after the World Cup. This tour is all about experimenting with combinations for the benefit of the World Cup next year. If any All Blacks side can be beaten (which it can as seen in Hong Kong vs Wallabies) then it will be the side fielded against Scotland. Nothing lasts for ever, although this particular losing streak feels as though it has. However, to be fair to every single All Black rugby team, the way they react at the end of the game by seeking out opponents to shake hands with and then to praise publicly afterwards, is superb. The trouble is that, at times, their antics on the pitch make them easy to dislike. The All Blacks are a very, very good rugby team. Listen, I never beat them either, but it seems to me that it might be worth attacking what they perceive as their strengths but going close up the sides to tie in their best defenders, and then try to go through their midfield.Ĭrazy? Well, I can't see teams beating the All Blacks on the outside, but if Richie Vernon and Richie Gray can get running in midfield, or if the Lamont can come on short balls, then there is a chance. Wheels to left and right and disruption as to the height of the scrum are all party tricks and, although England seemed to subdue them, I don't think Scotland will to the same extent.Įngland played a three-point attack - the same as Saracens and London Irish - but I am not sure that's the way to play the All Blacks. So how do you beat the number one team in the world?Īt scrum time the All Blacks are wily. I don't think I've seen a team, one to 15, who are so good at getting hands on the ball when an opposing attacker has been brought to ground, and then they fire over the ball to try to win it. They defend mauls with little "mini" wheels after they smash them back, and then try to get in on the wrong side. Their rucking is extremely low to the ground, and a model for the rest of us. When the ball is out wide they trust their fast men to get in behind and offload. The All Black forwards hit up two or three times to get some forward momentum, and then they move it wide, often behind dummy runners. They are, frankly, glorious players at times. Rule two is that we all know that left back home in New Zealand are blokes who are unable to make the All Blacks but who would play for Scotland. I so wish referees would penalise the All Blacks for some of their nonsense, and I wish McCaw would stop trying to get the referee to penalise the opposition as it demeans the game. ![]() ![]() The All Blacks perform the Haka ahead of their Test against England at Twickenham. Richie McCaw, on Saturday, had one of the most unsubtle bits of lazy running, an act of which even Zinzan Brooke might have been proud. Rule number one is that All Blacks don't hold back, and the try they conceded to England was their first in their last three tours.Īnd ever since Andy Haden jumped out of a line-out in Cardiff when nobody had touched him, I think most of the world realises that the All Blacks would do anything to win. It was no training-run entry into contact, he went for it as venomously as was possible. He fielded a kick and ran into the opposition as hard as he could. What makes All Black rugby special? Well, there was one ball carry against England by Kieran Read, the number eight, which summed it up. And I liked the English crowd reaction as they tried to drown it out. Oh, and thank goodness they performed their old Haka before the England game, as the new one is an insult. Can Scotland beat the All Blacks? That's the big question for this weekend, given that we have never done so. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |