Australia set to continue attacking style of play for Test against Wales in Cardiff

[travelling_gerry]

• Numbers point to Wallabies romp

Australia set to continue attacking style of play for Test against Wales in Cardiff

• By Iain Payten
• From The Daily Telegraph
• November 02, 2010 8:10AM

Directors ... Quade Cooper (L), Robbie Deans (R) will plot Wales' downfall. Source: Gregg Porteous / News Limited


Wallabies coach Robbie Deans says his side won't shirk the tough stuff in Europe but will still try to run their rivals off their feet with the same cracking game speed seen throughout the Tri Nations.

It appears a smart strategy, with IRB figures showing the vast gulf in attacking potency between sides in the southern hemisphere competition and their stodgy Six Nations opponents.
The battle of the rugby hemispheres is always enticing in November but this year will be particularly intriguing, with the high-paced running game used by Australia and New Zealand clashing with the traditional, field-position style in Europe.
The IRB statistical breakdown of the Tri Nations painted a glowing picture of the southern game as opposed to the static northern game, with new SANZAR breakdown interpretations having a dramatic effect.
With teams now confident of retaining possession, 52 tries were scored in the nine Tri Nations games at an average 5.8 per game. That is up from just 27 tries in 2009, at an average of three per game.


The 2010 Six Nations averaged just 3.2 tries per game.
With sides keen to attack, the ball in play went up to 45 per cent and the amount of kicking was slashed, with the 2009 average of 60 kicks a match down to 37.
The IRB release gushed that the shift in style, if maintained, could be a "seminal moment in the shape of the game". But while the numbers show a southern advantage, whether the Wallabies can impose their style on Wales, England, Italy and France remains to be seen.
Deans, who is expecting Wales to seek revenge on Saturday for last year's 33-12 thumping, said Australia would have to master the forward battles in order to use their newly expansive game.
"There's no shortcuts to it," Deans said. "You have to earn the right to go wide, essentially. Just playing laterally, there'll be no benefit. We will want to use it, that's one of our assets.
"We have got pace, we have the ability to move the ball and the more we can demand of the opposition, then the more we will sap energy out of their legs and hopefully the more we will profit.
"But you don't sap energy just by throwing the ball around, you have to engage and we started direct [against New Zealand]."
Australia arrived in Wales on Monday ahead of Saturday's Test match at Millennium Stadium.
The Wallabies' hopes of using width will be boosted by Wales' approach, who also like to run the ball under Kiwi coach Warren Gatland.
"They, of all the UK sides, play a closer style to the way we play," Deans said.
"They will be smarting from our last visit there. They will have us in their sights.
"They will be lying in wait, first outing, excited as hell."


http://www.foxsports.com.au/rugby/wa...-1225946464508

[zimeric]

All this doom & gloom Journalism from the North is not exactly the way i see it.. Ive been watching a lot of Top14 rugby over the last few weeks and their rugby is not far off that which we are seeing in the South, plenty of running with perhaps a bit more forwards work and tactical kicking, but the Lineouts and scrum certainly arent as game defining as they historically have been..

The last thing i would like the Wallabies and AB's to do is be blindsided by a couple of the NH teams playing Running rugby as opposed to the normal "dross" .. in fact im almost betting on them doing it.. the key is whether they can do it as well as we can...

[James]

I think the French probably could and maybe Wales and Ireland but I'm not convinced the others have the imagination or the skills or fitness to be a running threat and maintain it for 80 minutes. Maybe the heavy field in Europe will make it a bit harder for Oz and NZ to play the running game.

[TOCC]

The Top14 is different, especially in the summer, the winter is when it gets bogged down, happens every year
Posted via Mobile Device

[zimeric]

valid points both... I do think though that England can turn it on at times and their "greatest ever win" against the Aussies earlier in the year is a good example of what they can do with ball in hand and confidence to run it at the opposition rather than kick for field position. maybe the physical environment does force the limitation of this style of play, lets see shall we? im looking forward to it regardless