MAY 2006

CRUSADERS AGAIN

The Super 14 has finished for the Australian teams with the Waratahs losing on Friday 19th May to the Hurricanes 16-14 in Wellington. Apart from some highlights from the Waratahs and Brumbies it has been a pretty ordinary Super 14 campaign for the Australian teams. It does not bode well for the Wallabies this year and I predict another tough year for them. We are really lacking some authority in our tight fives across all Super 14 franchises. I will say that props Benn Robinson and Rodney Blake could step up to the mark this year, I am sure they will get their chance.

My predictions at the start of the Super 14 were pretty good, almost spot on.
Bubba’s predictions for Australian Teams and Auckland Blues in the 2006 Super 14
Waratahs to finish 1-4, Actual finish 3rd
Brumbies to finish 6-10, Actual finish 6th
Western Force to finish bottom 4, Actual finish 14th
Reds to finish bottom 4, Actual finish 12th
Auckland blues 3-6, Actual finish 8th

Watching the Brumbies play the Waratahs in Sydney on April 16th I could not help but think that the Wallabies were again going to have a tough year. Full marks to the Waratahs they won the match 37-11 but the skills that were displayed by the forwards were totally alien to what is required in a Test Match. I did not get caught up in the post match hype of what a great match it was. Looking at it clinically though very exciting I could not believe the techniques and skills that were displayed, exclusively unique to Super 14 Rugby with no transference to Test Match Rugby.

I watched a complete 80 minutes with both sets of forwards came to complete halt at every single breakdown. When I say a complete halt I mean just that, it was if there was a red stop light at the top of every single ruck. The attacking side bridged over the man on the ground the defending side only put in two players and the rest fanned in defence. In Test Match Rugby the bridging players would be demolished by 4 or more players exploding into the ruck area refusing to concede the ball. A good example of this was the 2001 British Lions Test in Brisbane where George Smith was simple bashed aside by the Lions forwards launching themselves into the ruck area with a go forward at all cost attitude.

Another surprising technique from this game was the willingness of both teams to go wide off every single breakdown. It was halfback to five eighth and even wider off every single ruck. There was no go forward from the forwards and the basic pattern of you must go forward before you go across was non-existent. It was ruck, bridge spin it wide, ruck, bridge spin it wide the whole game. If you are not going forward at the ruck area, it allows the opposition to commit only 1 or 2 players to the ruck and stand the rest of the forwards immediately either side of the ruck. This means your only option is to go wide as the defensive wall is impenetrable because of the excess numbers. Unfortunately for the Wallabies our forwards have completed another season where they have not played the techniques required for Test Matches where you must go forward in attack and defence in the ruck area. Look to the All Blacks this year to demolish the Wallabies in the rucks as the Wallabies try to bridge over the ball and the All Blacks hit them with 4 or more defenders intent on turning over the ball.

Another sad outcome from this match was the solitary maul done by the Waratahs when they tried to drive over a maul from a lineout. Again the Wallabies will pay for this lack of basics being done by the leading provinces. People will again be super critical of the Wallabies when the Springboks and All Blacks grind the Wallabies down with power mauling. Not hard to do when the leading Australian provinces refuse to practice mauling let alone use it in their matches.

A very predictable finish to the Super 14, looking at the semi-finals last week I thought the Hurricanes by 10 and the Crusaders by 30 over the Bulls. Waratahs fought all the way, but it is almost impossible to win an away semi-final; only 4 have been won away in the whole history of Super Rugby. Next week the Crusaders will predictably win the Final, hopefully the Hurricanes will put up some fight. They certainly have the firepower in the backrow and backline to keep it close for a while.

So that’s it Super 14 Rugby almost over for another year, the Wallabies heading into another International Season. Unfortunately after all the talk last year about prop schools and the lack of tight forwards in the country still nothing done by the ARU. You would have thought there was going to be immediate action after our forward pack was a national embarrassment during last years European Tour. But no by the looks of it the Super 14 franchises were again allowed to do minimum scrums, mauling and lineouts and the Wallabies will again pay the price.