We lost
OxonRob gives his views on the Newport game
We lost
By OxonRob
December 8 2002
Posted by OxonRob on the Message Board of this site are his thoughts on the Newport game. The comments sum up what seems to have been a very frustrating afternoon for the Irish following
We lost
December 8 2002
Posted by OxonRob on the Message Board of this site are his thoughts on the Newport game. The comments sum up what seems to have been a very frustrating afternoon for the Irish following
That was dire, and I am being kind!
Fair play to Newport (and what pleasant people they were, off the park) their returning players gave them a shape and balance they'd apparently been missing. This was not the team that Gloucester creamed a few months ago.
In the first half especially we suffered from far too many unforced errors. While giving respect to Newport for their hard work, we really did chuck potential points away with no help from them.
The pack won a fair bit of ball against a very large Newport front eight. But as Subtel (I think) put it, they were also an ageing Newport front eight. So, with 20 minutes to go, on came Kieron for Dec, Kevin Barrett for Digby and Flavin for the Nurse. Aha, a wider game to run those old war horses off their feet, we told each other, with some confidence.
A hard close-quarters tight forward battle is not Awesome's best showcase, and we carried on playing much as we had been. I am not sure that the game changed its focus one iota. And the Newport pack gallantly kept going right until the end, amazing since they all seemed to be knackered by the end of the first half.
Then in the final quarter, some more poor Irish decision-making chucked away whatever chances we had of winning. The forwards (once more) drove us up the field, and we got a penalty around half way. Barry kicked to the left corner. We won the line-out, spun the ball wide and got turned over. Then it happened again. Same kick to the corner. We won the ball again and started preparing to assault their line through N. Hatley Esq at least half way in towards the posts and only 15 yards out at the most. Another penalty to us. Obviously quite kickable, but equally quite driveable and we did need a converted try. So what do we do? You've got it, another kick to the bloody corner, and we have to try and win another line out. WHY? WHY? WHY?
If the point of kicking to the corner is to get a line out, and the point of the line out is to win the ball, and the point of winning the ball is to use the damned thing, then........... why didn't we use it? We already had it! We could have scored. As it was, we spun it from the line out, got turned over (again) and play went down the other end, never to return.
It's not that we have poor players. It's just that our tactics are so unintelligent.
More on that anon.
Fair play to Newport (and what pleasant people they were, off the park) their returning players gave them a shape and balance they'd apparently been missing. This was not the team that Gloucester creamed a few months ago.
In the first half especially we suffered from far too many unforced errors. While giving respect to Newport for their hard work, we really did chuck potential points away with no help from them.
The pack won a fair bit of ball against a very large Newport front eight. But as Subtel (I think) put it, they were also an ageing Newport front eight. So, with 20 minutes to go, on came Kieron for Dec, Kevin Barrett for Digby and Flavin for the Nurse. Aha, a wider game to run those old war horses off their feet, we told each other, with some confidence.
A hard close-quarters tight forward battle is not Awesome's best showcase, and we carried on playing much as we had been. I am not sure that the game changed its focus one iota. And the Newport pack gallantly kept going right until the end, amazing since they all seemed to be knackered by the end of the first half.
Then in the final quarter, some more poor Irish decision-making chucked away whatever chances we had of winning. The forwards (once more) drove us up the field, and we got a penalty around half way. Barry kicked to the left corner. We won the line-out, spun the ball wide and got turned over. Then it happened again. Same kick to the corner. We won the ball again and started preparing to assault their line through N. Hatley Esq at least half way in towards the posts and only 15 yards out at the most. Another penalty to us. Obviously quite kickable, but equally quite driveable and we did need a converted try. So what do we do? You've got it, another kick to the bloody corner, and we have to try and win another line out. WHY? WHY? WHY?
If the point of kicking to the corner is to get a line out, and the point of the line out is to win the ball, and the point of winning the ball is to use the damned thing, then........... why didn't we use it? We already had it! We could have scored. As it was, we spun it from the line out, got turned over (again) and play went down the other end, never to return.
It's not that we have poor players. It's just that our tactics are so unintelligent.
More on that anon.
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