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All Blacks' plans to halt Australia revealed
- Bret Harris
- From: The Australian
- July 28, 2010 12:00AM
New Zealand coach Graham Henry's notes can be seen by his side in this roated image taken during the All Blacks training session in Melbourne today. Picture: Getty Images Source: Getty Images
A PHOTOGRAPHIC scoop has revealed the All Blacks' tactics for the Bledisloe Cup Test against the Wallabies in Melbourne on Saturday night.
A page from the All Blacks play book, snapped by a press photographer at training yesterday, shows that New Zealand will target Wallabies five-eighth Matt Giteau and winger James O'Connor in defence and attempt to negate the influence of openside flanker David Pocock at the breakdown.
All Blacks coach Graham Henry was holding the page of diagrams and plans as he directed training at Melbourne's Trinity Grammar School. The first diagram shows a "dummy axe" move from a full lineout involving inside centre Ma'a Nonu and fullback Mils Muliaina with outside centre Conrad Smith receiving a short ball on the outside.
This is a two-phase play with the ball coming back to left winger Joe Rokocoko on the blindside where he will take on James O'Connor, who is starting on the right wing for only the second time.
By shifting the ball wide and then switching back again the All Blacks will hope to take Pocock out of the first two phases, which will allow them to gain momentum.
Playing the game beyond Pocock's access to the breakdown appears to be a key feature of the All Blacks' strategy.
The second play revealed by the photograph is also from a full lineout. Five-eighth Dan Carter, Nonu, Smith and Rokocoko line up in a box formation. Depending on how he reads Pocock in defence, Carter will link with Nonu or Smith in the midfield or slip a short ball to Rokocoko to run "inside 10 or around him".
In Henry's third play, a simple starter play, All Blacks loose forwards Richie McCaw and Kieran Read line up in a box formation with Rokocoko and Carter at a five-man lineout, which means they have two decoy runners.
McCaw could pass to Read or Read could link with Rokocoko to attack the midfield before switching play back to the blindside again.
The fourth play is more unusual. From a scrum on the left-hand side, Muliaina stands on the blindside wing.
Carter cuts out Nonu on the open side of the field to find Rokocoko in midfield.
The fact that Muliaina is on the blindside wing indicates the All Blacks will switch the play back again because he is too good a runner to leave out of the attacking movement, but maybe that's what they want the Wallabies to think. It is just too obvious, which means it is probably a feint.
More likely the All Blacks forwards will come around the corner to take the ball ahead before linking with Carter and the backs.
The fifth play in Henry's book originates from a midfield scrum with Carter throwing a double cut-out pass to Rokocoko to set up a one on one with O'Connor. Nonu runs "out and in" and Smith runs "in and out" to create confusion about where the pass is directed.
If O'Connor comes in off his wing to take Smith, he will leave Rokocoko with an open passage.
It is a simple, but clever, tactic to attempt to take advantage of O'Connor's inexperience.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news...-1225897753643