mattwnz:Handle9:
50:50 odds of regathering and gaining 20 metres is much easier than getting bashed for 10 phases to gain the same distance.
That is probably why rugby IMO has become so boring and predicable in the way it is played. The expansive game there were often breaks on the wing, but very little of that in the semis. IMO, the current game has become very much like rugby league, with advantage played for far too long and often milked by teams.
It is very rare that world cup semis or finals are expansive. There are a few exceptions (usually blowouts) but mostly they are very very tight.