Wales quicker to realise need for new game plan

RUGBY:For over an hour I felt we were still going to win despite not playing well, but around the 65-minute mark Wales completely altered their system of play, writes BOB CASEY

PERSONALLY, I don’t think the pre-game management of referees makes any real difference in the lead up to games but after Saturday’s debacle, leading to Mike Phillips’ try, the much-maligned officials in our game remain under the spotlight.

Warren Gatland certainly made an attempt to influence matters last week when he supported Scotland coach Andy Robinson’s assertion that Ireland are illegally slowing down opposition ball.

The “I’m sure we will get the cooperation from Mr Kaplan” line only serves to annoy the opposition, especially considering he neglected to highlight the 39 penalties Wales had given up in their previous three matches.

The Irish lads have been heavily criticised for coughing up penalties at the breakdown this, and last, season but I could see they were desperately keen not to present Wales with kicks at goal.

Okay, they were penalised for three dull penalties, leading to nine points, in the first half but the benefit of the doubt always tends to go with the attacking team and that is a good thing.

They endeavoured to increase their levels of communication with Jonathan Kaplan. Guys asking “Am I okay, ref?” and more pronounced hand gestures to indicate the removal of a body. It led to five turnovers through Mike Ross, Donncha O’Callaghan, Paul O’Connell and the backrow. I know from my time in the squad this was due to what defence coach Les Kiss calls “choking the ball”. It is when two men hold up the man in possession. At best, it presents a turnover but at worst it commits five or six opponents to the ruck to retrieve their own possession, thereby slowing the attacking momentum.

My other concern is the paltry 17 penalties Ireland had been awarded before the weekend, especially in contrast to Italy who had amassed an astonishing 46. Something is simply not right there.

This supports the theory that there are preconceived notions of Ireland in the eyes of officials but a top referee should not let himself be influenced by newspapers or TV pundits leading up to a Test match.

The really good refs, and that’s the majority of those refereeing Ireland games, like Kaplan, are like all the best players in that they referee what is in front of them and react as matters unfold.That doesn’t mean teams don’t attempt plenty of ploys leading up to kick-off. When the referee enters the dressingroom for the usual pre-game stuff – checking studs and a chat with the captain and frontrow – a lap-top will be produced with video clips of concerns about the opposition and queries about what will be tolerated.

Alan Lewis, in an interview with BBC Sport, spoke last week about his 13 years as a rugby referee. Some coaches don’t bother talking to him, others come with a smile and a lap top of examples. Sometimes there are phone calls in the week leading up to games.

Other more subtle methods are used to plant a seed of doubt in a referee’s mind about the other team. It is almost subliminal. And certainly sneaky.

On his arrival into a team environment pre-game, the ref will be met by a wall of carefully-highlighted posters about the opposition being the most penalised in the competition at the breakdown or scrum. I did say it doesn’t make that much of a difference but I’ve always taken up the opportunity to speak with referees. I do it for my own piece of mind. I will be armed with two or three suggestions or questions about the lineout. Maybe just asking him to watch out for taking out jumpers in the air or two-man pull downs; little things I know the other team has gotten away with in the past.

It is just another piece of the jigsaw in most teams’ overall game plan.

Now, when playing against a Shaun Edwards-coached side your tactics must also cater for the rushing four-up defence. That has always been the Edwards way and Ireland knew this.There are really only two ways to deal with it – go over it or go through it, because it is really difficult to get around it. That means some chips and crossfield kicking must be employed or the forwards control matters with around-the-corner carries until a chink appears.

Ireland tried to kick over the blitz in the early stages. You could see it in the way Ronan O’Gara went looking for Tommy Bowe on the right touchline not long after Brian O’Driscoll’s try. Unfortunately, it led to a Welsh penalty and three points.

A game plan becomes fairly irrelevant, however, if the execution is not there. Some early chips didn’t go to hand either and the running threat out of their 22 from restarts didn’t yield the required result. But they were merely implementing the most effective game plan. It was a risk/reward strategy that seemed like the smartest ploy against the Welsh, who always leave four in the back field. With Lee Byrne and Shane Williams back there, why give them free ball to run? Ireland were aware of this and hence they sought other methods to break them down.

They had done their homework but when the rain came the Edwards defensive system was only ever going to become more effective as the players’ ball skills were stretched by the slippery ball.When conditions change, a team must adapt as well. We have been guilty at London Irish of sticking rigidly to our pre-planned tactics for 80 minutes, even when the rewards are not coming. After 20 minutes the decision makers in a team should always reassess things. Nothing should be set in stone because there will always be the development of games within the game. It isn’t easy for a rugby player to alter his programmed mentality in the heat of battle.

Both teams’ game plans were fairly transparent on Saturday. Jamie Roberts and Jonathan Davies came flooding down the 10 channel forcing Tommy Bowe off his wing to provide additional cover. They may have foreseen this as an opportunity to create space out wide. For over an hour I felt we were still going to win despite not playing well. The lineout and scrum were providing enough decent possession to keep probing the Welsh defence but around the 65-minute mark Wales completely altered their game plan. They began to pick and go around the fringes followed by decent front-foot kicking that ate into the clock. It was not pretty but it was a momentum changer. No one wanted to lose but Wales caught on quicker to what they needed to do to win.