Ferns v Oz World cup
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@Crucial What do I expect - well I expect that if people buy a ticket they turn up. Outrageous I know.
Great they sold the tickets, disappointing that it was 6k short of a full house on the night.
However I didn't know it was a ticket for all 3 days, having lived in Auckland I could certainly understand the travel fatigue trying to attend for multiple days and if they couldn't be bothered come day 3, fair enough.
What was concerning for me about the NH tour was that it looked like professionals against amateur's (us being the amateurs). France and England simply looked stronger, fitter and more drilled/organized.
Whether we've caught up enough since then well find out soon enough, the players now being professional and having the professional comp certainly helped, plus the international warm-up games we had with Aussie and Japan. If that is enough to overtake the hard yards that professionalism brings (that the NH certainly has the jump on us) I'm not so sure.
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@Windows97 said in Ferns v Oz World cup:
What was concerning for me about the NH tour was that it looked like professionals against amateur's (us being the amateurs). France and England simply looked stronger, fitter and more drilled/organized.
Ummm, that's because it was. BFs only handed out paid contracts to some players this year. England and France have been pro for much longer and play in semi-pro domestic comps.
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@Crucial Yes I know that was the case
In the past we've had "the flair" to stay ahead, but on that last tour you could see that they'd not only caught up but gone past us by some considerable distance. I can only hope we've used that time wisely.
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@Windows97 said in Ferns v Oz World cup:
@Crucial Yes I know that was the case
In the past we've had "the flair" to stay ahead, but on that last tour you could see that they'd not only caught up but gone past us by some considerable distance. I can only hope we've used that time wisely.
There's no way we can catch up on the professionalism stakes in a short period. It takes planned S&C programmes for the players in the off season and full time individual skills work along with more 'camp' time to make improvements and incrementally build on them.
We have thrown whatever we can at the process and quite a few of the selections are based on players being the 'most professional' while still amateur ie those that have been able to put the time and effort in by themselves.
What is obvious though is that England's approach has been to use their time on strength and fitness which is where they will have the advantage over other teams for some time. While they have some skilled players in other areas they use them after dominating up front.
My hope (if we get to play them) is that we can dull their edge up front and force them to play a different game away from their comfortable place.
I honestly think we are a punchers chance this WC and while not at their levels on the pro front will be a hell of a lot better than that tour. In fact I know we are much better. You only have to look at something like body positions in maul defence to see that -
@Crucial I agree completely. With the first-night jitters out of the way, I'm hoping BFs can now settle into their patterns and concentrate on application and execution. Watching England v Fijiana, England were put off their stride by Fiji's abrasive style and hard, direct running especially in the first half. Whilst Fiji fell off tackles in the 2nd half, and set-piece was poor, discipline and fitness became key drivers for England but I noted with interest they still conceded a try right on full time which must have rankled.
To me while England benefit from a vast amount of experience and settled combinations, they still lack instinct and creativity, and to some extent, vision. If the BFs do meet them at any stage, it will be interesting to see how Englands decision making holds up when put under
a decent amount of sustained pressure and a more robust defensive system. -
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Mark Reason must have found a positivity hat in his attic. Some is obviously subjective and overblown but a good positive rugby article is hard to find these days so I have to commend him (this time)
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