The Stormers have shown yet again exactly how to beat New Zealand sides.
The Highlanders play classic New Zealand rugby; a style of rugby that is almost entirely focussed on the breakdowns. Personally, I’ve been much impressed by the Highlanders structure, commitment and tidiness at the breakdowns since Jamie Joseph took over as coach in 2011.
They (the Highlanders) commit numbers to the tackle ball and drive over in unison, creating pressure with their ability to force the opponent on the back foot with relentless presence, pressure and dominance of the trenches. On defence this dominance of the breakdowns -with superior numbers and structure- creates either turnover ball or provides slow and poor ball for the attacking team. On attack they pull the defenders in by punching holes in the midfield with their looseforwards charging in bent-over fashion into channels 1, 2 and 3, just to recycle and repeat the process until they create fast front-foot ball. From this base they send the ball either wide using long passes and decoy runners or snipe around the fringes.
The Stormers simply took them on at the breakdowns, forcing them back at each and every collision, countering the Highlanders core strategy in no uncertain terms.
On defence the Stormers rushed up in a line and made sure they tackled either on or behind the advantage line, relying on each individual to do his part in driving the ball carrier backwards or to turn the ball carrier. Turning the ball carrier slows the forward drive down mostly because the ball carrier cannot leg pump anymore, but also because the supporting incoming ruckers need to check their lines of entry. Part of this turning-strategy is also to keep the ball carrier on his feet; not forcing him to the ground before he has been turned. An additional benefit of this turning strategy is that it prevents offloads because to turn the opponent you need to tackle in on the opponnets arms and lock the ball in. Also by turning the ball carrier you close down the offload channel. This defensive strategy allowed the Stormers to commit less players to the tackle (rarely more than 3 players). In cases where they did commit more than 2 players the tacklers were on their feet and thereby able to quickly fan out and take up new positions in the defensive line.
In essence they did not try and win turnovers at every tackle but rather focussed on keeping the defensive line intact by pushing the ball carrier back and by fanning out. They only went for the turnover when it was clearly on, considering it more important to force the attacker backwards than trying to poach the ball.
It is an approach that makes perfect sense once you start to think about it. It reduces the risk of getting penalised or to get pulled into the rucks at the tackle and it stops the attackers from getting front foot ball. Furthermore the attackers are due to eventually spill the ball -going into contact- or to drop passes if they are constantly driven back at the collisions.
This strategy saw the Stormers stifle virtually every Highlanders charge into the midfield, which as a consequence provided poor recycled ball to the halfback and culminating in poor / wild passing and dropped passes. The Stormers’ tries resulted from this type of pressure.
The Stormers also put the Highlanders under pressure in the scrums and line-outs making sure that their opponents received mostly poor ball. The defensive approach described above is not new to the Stormers game as they did much of the same thing last year. What is new nevertheless is the Stormers improved srummaging ability and the contributions of the backs at the rucks.
The Stormers have yet again shown that presence, pressure and powerful tackling at the breakdown is the name of the game when you play New Zealand sides.
It’s a hard grind and not flashy but still the best way to beat the Kiwi teams.
Good on the Stormers.
Now McLook answer me this question: are the Stormers playing a better game of rugby without Rassie and his influence?
Loosehead wrote:
Is that a trick question? You obviously have an agenda with that question. I suspect you don’t particurly like Rassie as a coach. My answer would be yes. They do play better rugby without Rassie and so does the Cheetahs (Since Naka stopped using the gym for other purposes than strength training). Rassie is the most overrated Rugby coach in the world in my humble opinion.
@ McLook:
Interesting opinion. What is your opinion of the other SA coaches, especially Ludeke and Meyer?
@ Boerewors:
I like Ludeke. Reckon he is a lot more astute than most think. No nonsense type of coach that understand what rugby is all about. However I think he need some touching up on rucking skills like most SA coaches and teams because it (rucking) has never been part of the SA style of playing.
I’ve haven’t made up my mind about Meyer. Bulls were a bit too one-dimensional to my liking when he coached but to be fair I didn’t follow the Bulls closely enough during Meyer’s tenure to be certain about that conclusion. I am waiting in anticipation to see what he does with the Springboks.
@ Loosehead:I think, and I have no problem with Erasmus, that he over analyses the game a bit, and then tries to pass this on to the teams. Rugby really is a simple game, and so often we talk about going back to basics, and isn’t that what we have seen from the Stormers? Simple rugby, built on defence?
@ Just For Kicks@5:Yes I would agree with that sentiment. Rassie do seem to over complicate/analyse stuff. Any team need a good analyst as long as he is not the head coach.
2@ McLook: No agenda, I just feel that he has been overblown as a coach.
In my opinion the Stormers are playing a better type of rugby, much harder and more physical than in the past.
What impresses me of the Stormers play is their defence on the other side of the gain line… and like McLook says tackling and driving the opposition back in almost each tackle. At this stage they deserve to be unbeaten! Stormers could well win EVERY game on tour as well, Highlanders was certainly their toughest opposition in a relatively easy tour. To my mind Schalla will be lucky to get his place back in the side, Kolisi has played very well in his place and Jean’s captaincy has been rock solid.
Good weekend for SA Rugby, bar the disapointing display by the Sharks.
Sharks will have to sort out their dicipline and their mental approach… with Doc Jannie topping the lot of them in the frustration stakes. Oubaas Rickety Knees (Puma) mentioned that he thinks Keegan Daniel is a weak captain, without the ability to pull the guys together… and I tend to agree. The Frog (Michalak) at either flyhalf or scrumhalf is a definate weak spot… he’s far too lateral and displays no attacking zip… never takes contact either.
Bulls will have to be far more aggressive in the tackle and stop the opposition on the other side of the gainline too… and then value the breakdown ball much more than they currently do… in addition to kicking less good ball away needlessly. Why do we only see patches of brilliance by them when we should expect them to play like that for 80 minutes! Bulls guilty of letting the opposition force their way of play on the game at times in stead of letting the Bulls determine how the game flows… and a lot of that has to do by surrendering possession needlessly through aimless and too much kicking. Spies seems to be a good captain and even Loosehead would have to agree that he has been good this season… and leads by example.
For once the Cheetahs defence was impenetrable… after leaking seriously at the start of the season. Still some work for them to go at the lineouts though, but a very good win by them. Adriaan Strauss is tireless and a great captain!
Lions, well I said before the season that the first 4 weeks would define their season…. and it has, with all the injuries. Now after week 7 they are down at the bottom of the pile again and will have to do something dramatic to stand up from there. Basically they have to deserve the right to go wide… and not just go wide and run at every opportunity, they are undervalueing the fact that the game HAS TO BE WON up front first. Some Lions players playing well though, like Pat Celliers, Caylib Oosthuizen, Taute… and that new lock yesterday who made Ashley Johnson his bunny on a number of occasions. Must say I expected more from the Lions thusfar this season.
Very good and interesting article. Agree with JFK that rugby is simple and shouldn’t be analyzed like its rocket science.
The saying goes… a good defense is a strong offense.
I honestly think the Stormers has turned this around. This weekend, as has been pointed out above, the Stormers tackled the opposition backwards. Applying pressure WITHOUT ball in hand. How many teams can say that they have successfully done this?
At the start of the season, the Stormers, through some very talented players, started to establish the scrum and lineout as two more cornerstones in their arsenal.
Now… the breakdown. During the World Cup, when SA lost to the Wallabies, we were all up in arms… but why? didn’t they simply play better than us? I mean really, the Bok coaching staff tried to make a piss poor copy of the Stormers defensive system without really understanding it.
The Blacks got it right though… NUMBERS. On attack and defense. On defense though, this opens you to up to counter attacks.
This is where the Stormers is getting it dead on right. Numbers on attack, preventing the opposition from bullying you off your own ball, and committing few to the breakdown on defense, trusting in the lines rather than gambling on a turnover.
Simple effective.
On attack it seems like in the last two games, they are trying to pass the ball through their hands a bit more as well, depending on support runners to take the ground to air off loads.
But the thing is that at a few very important points on attack, the runner was not to be found, or the opposition interfered. Until they get this right, they will need to continue accumulating points through the boots of Grant and Joe, turnover scraps and some individual brilliance, like that of Jean, Joe, Gio and Habana.
as a sidenote, I think had Mossie been around there might have been more tries. Juan is a great creator and he breaks the line very well, but he is not too good on rounding off. Ditto for Gio.
@ Greenpoint-Gunner:
I am not too upset about the RWC. The Boks were pretty poor the prior 2 years and very little coaching took place. If we can’t beat the Aussies with the possession and territory then there is no way we would have won a RWC. Even if we won that game the ABs should have taken us out in the next one.
I am a fan of the way the Highlanders play and thought they would beat the Stormers. But the Stormers were very good. It should be a good game vs the Crusaders.
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