“I’ve Never Seen an Attacking Side Win Any Competition”
(says Stormers’ coach, Allister Coetzee)

Perhaps the Stormers’ Head Coach was not able to watch France defeat Italy by playing attacking rugby from the start of the game, (Italy who beat Scotland last week and gave England a hell of a go) but, then, none so blind as those who don’t want to see! And guess what! France are going to win a competition this year! Coetzee is extremely fortunate to have picked up Jacque Fourie and that wonderful rugby player, Habana, who have put a bit of much-wanted spark into the Stormers this year (I believe, too, that Robbie Fleck has had something to do with the resurgence of the backs – I say resurgence but that implies that they used to be good but I don’t think they were; perhaps I should have said ‘emergence’ rather than ‘resurgence’). I am glad to see that the ball is now passed to Fourie!

John Dobson, the very successful UCT coach, has just this moment sent me this quote from Roy Campbell’s book, “Broken Record”, in part of which he reminisces on his time at Oxford (fortuitous that John should send it to me now):
 
"Anyone who has seen that great rugby, the fury and fire of the attack, with the ball flashing from hand to hand, and everywhere caressed by great sculptors of motion; and above all the triumphant gaiety and humanity of men like Payn; anyone who has seen that kind of rugby laughs at the modern edition.

“The Australians have taught us a great lesson: they nearly beat us, and by generous spectacular play. All play should be spectacular; it should take for granted the intelligence of the spectator...the great player is a sort of priest or poet and he should always parade his excellence."

Uys Krige (a SACS Old Boy), also a South African poet, and Roy Campbell, great friends, both loved rugby; one has only to read the quotation above to understand just how much Campbell did. In those days poets played rugby – and coached it, too, but now?

“All play should be spectacular; it should take for granted the intelligence of the spectator...the great player is a sort of priest or poet and he should always parade his excellence."

We have lost something in the playing of this game, something infinitely precious, have we not? It has become wooden, obvious, monotonous and is not at all poetic. Dross for the most part. 

What the French proved to us, as they do from time to time, is that running, attacking rugby is effective but, of course, you must have skill to be able to play that way and be intelligent enough to make difficult decisions, risky decisions.

How did the French manage to break that deadly, smothering defence system that Mallet’s Italians used so effectively against both England and Scotland?

1. They lined deeper than most other modern sides, thus making loop support possible.
2. They supported in depth.
3. They passed before, and sometimes in, contact, BEFORE GOING TO GROUND!
4. Their passing was incredibly (by modern standards) accurate.
5. They employed long passes to stretch the opponents from quick rucks but also used the short-pass with great effect.
6. Quick hands were employed in the passing.
7. On approaching contact, their players would use their feet to dominate the situation, enabling them to get a good, creative pass to the supporter before the ball carrier was hit.
8. When, inevitably, the odd ball-carrier was taken to ground, because he had used his feet to dominate the tackle, he was able to place the ball where he wanted it, so nearly all rucks were quick rucks.
9. Fifty-fifty passes were made and taken with confidence and so were extremely successful.
10. The scrum half passed off the ground immediately the ball emerged, giving his outside man quick ball in space (despite the flat-lining of the Italians).

I really could go on and on but I believe my point is made. The French have a coach who is prepared to take risks, who is happy to create, to avoid contact in order to pass and to run rather than to kick. He allowed his players to use their own judgement on the field but they have been skilled in training to do that. Dick Muir tries to do the same thing but to break the old habits of a dour people takes time. Stormers certainly have the capability to play a similar game but I do not believe they have the heart to do so, as the French do have. I therefore dare to predict that they will lose games that they should not. They are too drilled in their thinking and most players lack the individual initiative that would enable them to crack tightly set defences (we are too flat in attack, anyway).

Our South African men in Blue from the North are a different matter, though. They want the bonus points and so, prepared to take risks to score, they give away tries that a negative approach would block -but the point is that with that approach, they score more than they give away.

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