Coping With Intensity

By | August 31, 2011

Given two teams of equal ability if one comes out with intensity that is not matched the other team must react by going to Plan B to keep in the game.

This may happen at the start of the game but most frequently happens after the re-start at halftime. The trailing team, if they are worth their salt, usually throws the kitchen sink at the leading team in order to make up lost ground.

This situation happens more frequently following half time but top teams are capable of doing this from the kick off.

In this situation decisions have to be made to change things are the answer is not to try harder, to force the pass, to run the ball from deep in your own territory nor to run willy nilly looking for a miracle cure.

What are the ingredients of Plan B?

  • Win your own ball.
  • Keep hold of it while at the same time taking it forward.
  • Hold onto it long enough to create space behind the opposition.
  • Kick to that space to either enable the ball to be contested and at best regained;or; for distance and chase – steady up to retain agility and then tackle, operating as a chasing unit.
  • Not getting impatient about a kicking duel.
  • With the ball in hand make plays that get over the gain line but also ensure support so possession is regained. Play to the overlap side of the source of possession – if there is one.

Seldom is an opponent able to maintain the intensity and when the storm has been weathered you want to look around and find you have come out of it in pretty good shape.

I remember Canterbury and Auckland teams in the late 1980’s and 1990’s who were unbeatable. They played to a pattern guided by strong willed, tactically sound and skillful #10’s who ran the ship. They were known for some excellent open play but not before Plan A set the platform.

This was based on:

  • Recovered kick starts.
  • Strong scrumming to at least win your own ball and the same for line-outs.
  • Using kicking and a strong chase pattern to gain field position.
  • Keeping the ball close to take it out of the opposition forwards so that they were less effective later in the game. This was done using the loose forwards, the halfback, the blind-side wing and sometimes the fullback. They kept it close and belted into the opposition.
  • Pressure created points. The tough points were the try, the easy points, when pressure caused the opposition to infringe, from accurate goal kicking.
  • The aim was to build a lead and force the opposition to play catch up. As the score mounted they were forced to play outside their skill set increasing the pressure. This caused mistakes and a chance for more points. This also allowed the team to open the game up.
  • And most fundamentally, when they did score they played a pattern that took them right back where they came from to do it all over again. There was no charity, no mucking around with the ball in their own half where points could be conceded.

To me this is fundamental rugby based on a sound foundation that serves a team well at any level when they play against an opponent of similar ability, when the game is tight.

The key is that it is simple and teams are able to use it as the foundation and add their own unique character to it.

 

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