Slower Ball

Comments

• Wembley71  On February 16, 2011 at 9:12 am

  Permalink | Reply

  The last, winning try is just awful defending, nothing else. Watch from the lineout at 2.20, and watch the Scottish defence. All the Welsh do is pass along the line and drift into the corner, nobody fixes anyone, nobody beats anyone…

  BUT as the Scottish centres fly out of the line, the winger stays static to hit the Welsh fullback. All that has to happen is the winger to drift with his man and trust the centres to cover the inside lines.

  Pause at 2.28 when the Scottish winger has utterly sold himself… both blue centres are in play and could easily have stopped a try if the winger had just done his (simple) job, without even considering that the fullback is where he should be, just behind the line.

  That’s not great attacking by the Welsh. In fact, and in common with virtually every union backline attack before Rodgers, Sailor and Toquiri started playing, the Welsh eat their own space because the whole line drifts into the corner with nobody straightening the angle and locking the defence’s later movement. The Scottish sell themselves because they can’t defend, even though the Welsh in this instance can’t attack either.

  Ho hum.

  • JP  On February 16, 2011 at 10:34 am

    Permalink | Reply

    This is why it’s good to have you on the blog, old friend 🙂

    You don’t have *any* admiration for the acceleration and jinking of the Welsh backs?