Ireland Team Talk X: The Long Hard Road to a Semi. MOD WARNING POSTS #1, #1474, #5707

Shefwedfan wrote: »

troyzer wrote: »

Isn't that what happened in 2011?

Happened in 2015 as well

Also the soccer team

Also the canteen

I find it impossible not to adore France with all of their bull**** and ridiculousness. If we can't win the world cup, I hope they go on and batter everyone else to a victory.

Vive la France. Time for another revolution.

Any homesick Irish living in NZ...?

The Blood & Mud podcast was just talking about England's new chip chase game. Obviously they haven't come across a top back line yet but it's likely that this is the way forward to negate the blitz.

It was obvious that this was always going to be the way forward and I have no idea why it wasn't used earlier but for whatever reason this is clearly a new strategy. They reckon this year, including the world cup, will be defined by the chip chase and which teams can take advantage of an easing up of the blitz defense.

Ireland can go one of three ways here:

Either we go balls deep on the chip chase and abandon everything to date.

We stick with what we're doing.

Or we heavily incorporate the chip chase as a way of loosening defences to make it easier to make metres on our current attack.

I think it's too late to do the first effectively, the second isn't working. But the third one might be a recipe for success.

irishbucsfan wrote: »

It’s absolutely been used before. It’s just media bait

I agree that it has. But I've never seen anything like the amount of times England used the kick as a tactical, offensive weapon.

It's hard to see how a 13 man blitz can realistically counter it when executed properly. Even when it doesn't work, you're still pinning them inside the 22 which is where Ireland were strangled.

9s will adapt and negate it by focusing more on the backfield again and it’ll stop immediately because it’s a very inefficient way of playing if you’re losing possession. France “invented” this before.

Carbery and Kilcoyne both retained within Irish camp. Looking like they'll be starting against Italy. It appears that Beirne almost certainly won't be involved according to JVG:

“Tadhg and CJ are still a few weeks away. They are on the normal procedure back, it’s good that both of them have started running. Both of them are on their feet. So, I think are in their time frame as released by the national squad, but no rugby training as of yet.

Zzippy wrote: »

I bet you've never seen an international team play 4 centres and 0 wingers before too. Between Ireland playing Henshaw at 15 but sticking with our 14 up defence, and France leaving their backfield like a tumbleweed scene in a western movie, England would have been naive not to exploit the space on offer. It doesn't mean international rugby has suddenly seen a revolution in the form of the "chip chase".

That's the thing. It's hard to know where they're at when France and even Ireland played so dreadfully.

I'm not trying to suggest there's been a revolution in the chip chase. As I've said already, it seems obvious to try and counter the blitz with a chip chase game but England seem to be the first ones to actually do it.

In fairness the ref has enough to be watching they really need help from the ARs. They used to be very vocal in calling offsides in the defensive line before but they seem to just be completely ignoring it fully now.

I'd expect most top teams to adjust to blitz defences with a sniping 9 or a few dinks over the top, very surprised Ireland didn't adapt in either game to that.

deisedude wrote: »

Very good point about the chip kicks. You would wonder why it isn't utilized more. Is it that teams are too afraid to give away possession at this level?

I think ultimately, the box kick has been so successful that they haven't bothered.

But it doesn't work when you do it over and over again and the opposition are getting away with screening the catch. It's not a 50/50 kick then. You're just handing the ball back.

That Carty chip kick against Leinster was class. That's all just speed of thought. Identifying the space and exploiting it. But that's down to his individual skill, England are currently the only team so far that have an entire system built around it. When Ford came on against France, they kept doing it.

Eod100 wrote: »

Yeah I wondered about that. Could Sexton have dropped back and kicked for terroritory or chipped over the top and have runners chasing? I know mid game it's probably hard to change up tactics

Not sure I buy that. Joe has the best view in the house, and is linked to the H2O guys, who are on and off the pitch like yo-yos.

leakyboots wrote: »

Not sure if anyone else is noticing this or I'm wrong... but there seems to be an amount of wonky lineouts not getting called for not being straight... maybe it's the camera angles messing with me but that's what I seem to be seeing anyways

The player throwing in the ball stands on the mark of touch with both feet outside the field of play. The thrower must not step into the field of play until the ball has been thrown. Sanction: Option of lineout or scrum.

Probably the least enforced law in rugby.

There was a huge crackdown on crooked scrum feeds. World Rugby made a lot of noise about fixing that area.

Lasted about 6 weeks before reverting.

Shefwedfan wrote: »

Clegg wrote: »

There was a huge crackdown on crooked scrum feeds. World Rugby made a lot of noise about fixing that area.

Lasted about 6 weeks before reverting.

because the ball went in and never came back out....

Yeah, World Rugby actually formalised the current setup when they changed the scrum laws. For about twenty years they just didn't enforce it but now it's not required to have a straight feed, you're just not allowed to feed it to your second row.