RWC! SCOTLAND! A good result! But the ruck..............WTF?

Question

But my question regards all the northern hemisphere teams! The clean up in the ruck?

We fail many times to win the ball in the ruck………Why is this?

The southern hemisphere manage to do it, but the home nations fail, 99% of the time!

We sooooooo need to clean up the rucks, but never do!

WHY?????????

Answer 1

I have a theory, just a thought really,

I wonder how beneficial winter Rugby is.  The Northern Hemispheres have always played in the winter months and as such our play has always been known for it's strong but slow and 'grinding' formula, using large lumbersome packs most beneficial in rain and mud.

The Southern Hemispheres in contrast, play in summer months, and have always had a much faster paced, more fluid style of play.

Now, I'm not saying our players aren't incredibly fit and able, but the Southern teams have again stepped up the benchmark.

They clear the rucks and mauls so fast, with players hitting hard and at pace, while commiting fewer players as they are not getting 'bogged' down.  In this way they have more options and runners off the ball to launch an attack against an opponent on the back foot.  

We are giving teams time to reform their defensive lines, commiting too many players and telegraphing any plays.  

We need a rethink in our game.

Answer 2

Fitness, skill sets, set phase equations and completion - coaching

When a ruck forms, it is not an excuse to catch a breather.

Forming a ruck (at the international test match level) is not a random action - it is a conscious choice, often a phase of play in a set piece that has be rehearsed a billion times.

I think the NH teams have only recently worked out that possession and territory are keys to enjoying success - if we have the ball and the clock is ticking the other side can't score. Rucks are all good as long as we don't turn the ball over.

Meanwhile the tri-nations teams have been launching clinical and sophisticated multi-phase sets from deep inside their own territory  - backing themselves that the set will end in points and that possession will be kicked back to them once the points are on the board. Embedding rucks with in these sets is often a necessary evil but the ball is rarely turned over or snuffed out because the whole team knows where and when the ruck will form, the appropriate bods are there to secure the ball and move play on to the next phase.

Allblack rugby is fast becoming just a string of attacking sets from start to finish depending on the D that the opposition is running at them and great multi-point leadership on the pitch (the days of one captain are long gone, no one can see and run it all)

For me the big thrill of this world cup will be watching the new sets that NZ has been cooking up for the rush and drift defensive patterns. Which were basically developed in response to Wayne Smiths flat back line. Smith's next generation of back line sets have been a long time coming and over the next month the whole world will get to see them.

Sadly the NH are still contemplating the ins and outs of rucks and mauls and accurate penalty kicking - too blinded by the last NH WC victory to grasp just how far behind the top three they have slid over the last ten years.

Rucks are but a tiny wee part of the equation.

Answer 3

easy southern hemisphere iss way more dominant! The southern teams play in winter aswell!!! hence rugby is a winter sporttt!

Answer 4

Scotlands was a good result against Romainia but they should have put a lot more on them in my opinion.

The Northern hemisphere players arent as bulky as the Southern guys & are not as street wise as them as well.

Answer 5

They go in in twos and threes instantly...the NH teams go in-  in ones and either gets pushed back or turned over.

So yep it's attrocious coaching by our boy gyppo.