Cup confirms counter-attack is king

There have been a number of comments made regarding the style of rugby at this World Cup and whether it is entertaining or whether it has too much kicking and too many big players running into each other. I don't agree with that, although I do think the competition has been different to previous ones. Rugby does not have to be all running or played like basketball to be gripping, writes Matt Williams Rugby Analyst

The World Cup has reinforced my belief that rugby is essentially a game of contest in the set plays, lineout and scrum and in the tackle areas. Even the business of returning garryowens is now contested by sides, which for me has made the major games so far both enthralling and dramatic. Basketball rugby is not the only entertaining way to play the game.

The ability of teams to create space and use it has been the cornerstone of creating attacking rugby over these past five weeks. This World Cup has seen kicking behind defences for tries and, against Ireland, Freddy Michalak's kick for Vincent Clerc to touch down was one of the memorable scores so far. That was just as exciting as watching the athleticism and pace of Fiji's running game against South Africa.

This competition has also confirmed what the Canterbury Crusaders have shown us for years and that is that counter-attack is king. So far we have seen that possession gained by turning over the ball or taking advantage of loose kicking creates the opportunity for the most exciting form of attack. Teams that have used this and who have been prepared to be creative have reaped large rewards.

The organisation of defence has also led to the mantra that defence starts by winning the opposition set plays. It follows that if you can win the opposition scrums or lineouts, there is no need to tackle.

The downside to the education of rugby players in the art of defence is that Union is still years behind rugby league, so defences are getting stronger not weaker. This has led to the reduction in time and space for attackers to be creative.

Once a defence is well organised, the attacking skills are not sufficient to break down the defensive systems. We have seen this in many of the games so far.

Until half-time last Saturday, New Zealand were the only team that was able to demolish defences through their pace of possession and continuity skills. But when the psychological pressure came on, they were reduced to playing a game of pick and go from rucks. However, the French discipline and their relentless defence cannot be seen as anything other than inspirational. For a rugby nation who have traditionally been seen as ill disciplined the self-restraint and the reliance on an agreed organised plan was magnificent.

Nor should the gladiatorial aspect of rugby be lost, when considering the game's qualities. It is a contest of the mind, spirit and body and is designed for all sizes of men from the French outhalf Michalak to the 16 stone Springbok captain John Smit, who marshalled his troops against Fiji and told them that he saw in Fiji's eyes what he saw in the eyes of the Wallabies and All Blacks - defeat.

This World Cup has also illustrated how teams have gone out and lost games rather than been beaten by the opposition. New Zealand, Australia and Scotland lost their quarter-final matches rather than their opponents winning them. Leadership, courage and skills fell before the sword of pressure. I believe that teams with the courage to contest the ball and create space will win this tournament.

The evidence of this World Cup reinforces the idea that coaching players to perform under the most intense pressure is the new frontier for rugby coaching. Players now have to be prepared to be as close to 100 per cent as is possible across their total spectrum of rugby skills and one of those skills that we have seen fail spectacularly is the area of mental skills.

We saw New Zealand's failure to organise for a drop goal against France and then there was Scotland's failure in not being patient against Argentina at the end of the match. Paradoxically, for France it has been the fear of failure in front of a home crowd that has ultimately had a galvanising effect on the team. Mentally they have found strength in that fear.

The words of Raphael Ibanez, the French captain, after they beat New Zealand were: "The team was not going to permit failure."

That was a great line in a competition that has not been just a case of kicking and big players colliding but one of great contests between teams.