Keeping your eye on the ball

If round two of Super Rugby has learned us anything, it’s to play your own game, focus on what you've prepared for, and play accordingly. I believe that most Blues fans will not only forgive me but most likely agree with me that had the Blues played their own game against the Stormers of South Africa, they most probably would have won their round 2 fixture against a team who seemingly lacked creativity.

Watching the game reminded me so much of the “Coyote” and the “Road Runner”. The Coyote was forever trying to catch the Road Runner by setting up traps, ambushes and using explosives. The Road Runner on the contrary, would just go about doing his own thing, surviving by doing what he does best, running!

So often we witness  teams trying to slow down the opponent’s ball, disrupting them at the break-downs, playing on the offside line and generally getting on the wrong side of the whistle. The Blues made themselves guilty of this phenomenon  on Saturday and the reality of it is that they were actually the more dangerous side on the park. When the game became more of a running game the Blues, playing with only 14 men, were indeed very dangerous and at times had the Stormers’ defence at sixes and sevens. The fact that they couldn't dictate their own game plan and became more focussed on disrupting the opposition, halted their own momentum and was as useful to them as the explosives to the Coyote.

Ireland and Samoa are two international sides that very often find themselves in similar situations. While the Irish have it well within their capabilities to beat any Northern Hemisphere side at any given day, they seem to struggle against New Zealand, South Africa and the Australians. Whenever Ireland play in the Six Nations, they play towards their own strengths. The forwards are big and heavy and they tend to dominate the breakdowns, creating good go forward ball for a first five-eight who pretty much always dictate matters.

This formation seems to fly out the window whenever Ireland face up with the Heavyweights of the Southern Hemisphere. Before you know it they are setting up traps and planting explosives which pretty much explodes in their own faces and they end up on the wrong side of the score board, not because they were the inferior team but ultimately because they didn't play towards their own strengths and abilities.

Samoa tend to be so physical that they start playing towards the contact and not the space. Rugby is all about creating space and then playing into those spaces created.

Late in 2013 the All Blacks got flabbergasted by an Irish side that played like men possessed. There were no niggles , nags and no off the ball nonsense from the Irish. Just 15 men playing for the spaces and most importantly playing for each other. The Irish were very unfortunate when Crotty scored in the dying seconds and Cruden converted on his “second” attempt. With that performance Ireland proved that they are serious 2015 World Cup contenders and playing the World Cup very close to their own backyard, they are definitely not to be underestimated and could dish up some controversy come September.

I sincerely hope to see less of this Coyote slowing up our game, and more of the Road Runner just going about, doing what he does best, RUNNING.