Just watched the highlights and two problems were glaringly obvious.

We missed 40 tackles on Saturday. 40!!! That is insane. I doubt that’s been beaten this season.

Whilst that was a contributory factor, no doubt, we seemed to lose our legs in the last 15 mins when the game was still there to be won.

You have to think that our fitness is up to scratch. Perhaps the lack of defence is due to being out of position due to lack of fitness? Last season, one thing that was noticeable that we seemed to stage late comebacks when games were gone. Doesn’t feel like we’re ever the strongest team in the second halves.

I agree about fitness. I think that poor fitness leads to poor decision making and leads to giving away penalties.
When we went to the SSP over Xmas, they said that players don't work on cardio over the season as they are already fit and therefore mainly work on strength.
It would be interesting to know what other teams do.

Because there're not working for each other, they are out of position/too easily pulled out of position due to aforementioned poor tackling. Their heads went down on the 2dn try, quickly followed by a third and it was all over. Ibitoye had the space and time to make that catch, but fluffed it under minimal pressure.

This I put down to poor morale and is a player problem - they know how to tackle and at various matches this year have tackled well. Poor motivation - a player-coach problem, not one nor the other, but both (not) working together.

I'd agree our defence looked an utter shambles in that last quarter. I mean sort of stuff you expect from a school 4th XV players completely out of position and making no effort to try and put pressure on Glaws.

Where other teams rush up and apply pressure, we seem to hang back and let opponents build up a head of steam these days. Surely they weren't coached that way?

Quote:

Quinky Kin
Where other teams rush up and apply pressure, we seem to hang back and let opponents build up a head of steam these days. Surely they weren't coached that way?

Completely agree with this. It has been a real feature of our play since the turn of the year and I can't fathom why. The players aren't scared nor do I think they are disinterested. However, in attack we often only seem to have tight spaces to work in and are held up by the first tackler, whereas our opponents are dragged down by two or three of our defenders after making good ground.

It can't be a tactical decision (like defending deep in football), it wouldn't work! Maybe it is poor tackling technique - always wanting to rip the ball rather than taking the man down? Just can't work it out!