Handle9:

 

Our game plan is extremely simplistic and hasn't evolved. Most of it relies on the players making a half break or offload which isn't sustainable against good defences.

 

Basically we haven't evolved from introducing pods and other teams have, they are better coached and better prepared than the All Blacks. The game has evolved since 2016 and we have not.

 

I always look at kickoffs as one of the key indicators of how well coached a team is. If that is organised then there's a good chance the rest of the game plan will be as well. Our kickoffs are not that effective anymore. I think a great indicator of that was late in the French game Jordie Barrett was sent after the kickoff, which is a good move. He's really effective on kickoffs. The problem was there was no coverage at full back. A well coached side knows who should be there and they are moving as soon as the ball was kicked off. We were scrambling. It's par for the course for the last 5 years against well organised strong sides.

 

One thing I am wondering is, was this years focus about getting through a big season and introducing a lot of new players or extending young players experience, and seeing who copes under pressure and less about evolving the game plan, or do you think the coaches just don't know how to evolve any more? Foster and Mcleod are from the old coaching team, but Plumtree, Moar, and Feeks are new to the AB's and surely, they would have some new ideas, even if Foster was resistant. I do wonder if the reason we haven't 'done' much is because adding that to everything else would have just made the situation worse? I am kind of hoping that, and that next year we should see more structure and some new attack ideas. I see a lot of people writing us off already for the RWC 2023 which seems a bit crazy given how much can change in a week or two let alone a year or two.. My feeling is that there is a plan, I am just not sure what it is, or how innovative or not it will be. France and Ireland look good right now, the question is, can they sustain that through the the RWC?