Robinson planning ways to bring down Kiwis
Scotland coach Andy Robinson has said that he's mulling over a number of game plans ahead of New Zealand's visit this autumn.
The All Blacks are in fine form at the moment and sit atop of the Tri Nations table. Scotland have just returned from a successful tour of Argentina but will have to find a new way to play against the Kiwis if they don't want to be humiliated in their own country.
Robinson has only just released a list of players that will take part in a training camp ahead of the new domestic and international season. These players will have to all be at their peaks if Scotland are to have any chance against the best side in the world at the moment.
There are a number of game plans that Robinson could deploy. However, it will be the basics that Scotland have to do right if they are going to win because New Zealand will pounce on any errors.
Different game plans
One approach Robinson could go with is the absorb and block method that was used a few times during his reign over the England side. This means a side will soak up and block all of the pressure that an opposition team can create before counter attacking to score.
Scotland have some very fast players in wide areas such as Alex Grove. If they can keep the ball in these wide areas then it will be much more difficult for the Kiwis to defend against. Scotland need to switch the ball to the flanks as soon as they can because more chances to score will appear in wide areas.
Man marking is a tactic used across many sports. If Scotland used this method then they would put certain players from their own team on certain players from the opposition team. This is a direct tactic to stop players from having any impact on a game.
Robinson said: "For anyone who hasn't watched their game last Saturday, I recommend they do. As a team, I think that's one of the best performances from a side in the professional era. It was a fantastic performance, right across the board and the way they went about the game. So that's a huge game for us. We have already started a plan of how we get the beating of it."
The basics
The simpletons of rugby will argue that all Scotland have to do is all of the basic things well. This means cutting out all unforced errors and staying tight as a defensive unit. These are basic techniques but they could frustrate the Kiwis in to making mistakes of their own.
The passing has to be spot on. Quite often a team will gain possession when an ambitious pass is attempted or someone just doesn't look where they are throwing it. New Zealand are very good at pinching the play.
Robinson added: "Everyone wants to be in the team, and that's a real excitement for me - seeing the players perform over the next couple of months and fight their way into the side to play against New Zealand - When you come over for the autumn internationals, what changes slightly, in Scotland especially, is it's a little bit colder and wetter. We have to look at how we can perform in these conditions and put pressure on them."
Betting advice
Scotland's preparation for the autumn tests against New Zealand looks to be spot on but it will still take a very brave betting man to bet against the Kiwis who look like hot favourites for the World Cup next summer at the moment. Back New Zealand to win with relative ease.
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