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Old-style tactics usher in new era
Wayne Smith | June 20, 2008
THE widespread expectation was that Robbie Deans' appointment to head the Wallabies would usher in an exciting new era of running rugby but in terms of bald statistics his debut Test as Australia coach was a throwback to the bad old days.
Against Ireland in Melbourne last Saturday, the Wallabies put boot to ball more often than their opponents, 27 times to 21, despite the fact the visitors dominated possession almost by a margin of two-to-one, 63 per cent to 37.
Equally alarming was the ball-carry statistic. The Wallabies ran it only 62 times in the match, significantly short of the John Connolly-era base rate of 80 carries a match and well adrift of the 100-plus figure Australia has regularly topped in recent years. Ireland, by contrast, had 103 carries, although admittedly while enjoying a far greater share of possession.
Although it would be entirely unrealistic to expect the Wallabies to settle immediately into the patterns Deans is hoping to play, the grim stats from Telstra Dome...Read More