The fear stalking Northampton: 'Did we get selection strategy wrong? Time will tell'
Chris Boyd has insisted it is too early to say if Northampton have got their post-lockdown selection strategy wrong – even though their one-win-in-four record has seen them fall off the pace in the race for Gallagher Premiership top four qualification.
The Saints were in fourth when the league was shut down last March due to the pandemic. At that juncture, there were only eleven points behind leaders Exeter but they now welcome the Chiefs to Franklin’s Gardens on Friday night with Northampton 24 points behind the table-toppers.
Whereas many clubs in the Premiership have targeted wins by putting out their full strength XV for specific games and inviting inevitable defeat in others by selecting very much understrength, Northampton took the decision to have two even-strength XVs.
However, this balanced approach hasn’t produced the results they wanted and their post-lockdown form is currently the ninth-worst in the Premiership, their five-point haul from four outings enabling Wasps, who have taken three wins and 14 points, take over occupancy of fourth place, seven points clear of Boyd’s strugglers.
Boyd insisted it won’t be until Northampton complete this next block of three games – leaders Exeter this Friday, third place Bristol away next Tuesday and fellow strugglers Leicester the following Sunday – that he can definitively say whether he has got the strategy wrong or not, but current indications suggest they have.
Ooooh the zip on that James Grayson pass ?@SaintsRugby back in front, we've a cracking game on our hands here! pic.twitter.com/GO1OltwsQa
— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) August 30, 2020
Asked if he would have selected differently for the defeats to Wasps, Bath and Harlequins interspersed by their lone win at London Irish, Boyd said: “I don’t think we would have but that is probably a relevant question in three weeks’ time. We have either got this thing wholly wrong and we have underestimated or miscalculated the fact that we had two teams we thought were capable of being competitive.
“The interesting thing is if you look at Sale as an example, going strong and they put out pretty much the back end of their roster, a pretty weakened team, and they had a really good victory against Wasps.
“If you’re going to go strong, weak, strong, if your weak side is good enough to get a victory, particularly a key victory, that is an absolute bonus for you and that worked. We calculated that we thought we were too far behind points-wise to have the luxury of not chasing points across most of the games.
“Every club will be unique. It will be unique to where you started from a ladder position point of view to what your roster looked like and who you have got to play. When we sat down as a group we said with our draw that is left, what is the best way for us to do this to keep guys fresh and fit to try and get performance.
“We felt the best way to do it was to split into two relatively even teams with the four-day turnarounds (between games). What that (interchange) gave us was eight- and nine-day turnarounds. What we haven’t got is the performance, so the question is has the performance come from the selection policy or has the performance come from other factors and that is where we are challenging ourselves as a coaching group.”
Asked if he feared he had got it wrong, he added: “It’s too early to tell. But right now, one game out of four, you’d probably say yes. But in all of those games, as an example, if you have got (Alex) Moon, (David) Ribbans, (Nick) Isiekwe, (Api) Ratuniyarawa, whichever two locks we pick, I don’t think there is much performance outcome ability between those four.
“(Fraser) Dingwall, (Rory) Hutchinson, (Matt) Proctor, (Piers) Francis, we think there is not a whole lot of difference between those guys… so, did we get it wrong? Time will tell.
“If we’re trying to dig into the lack of outcome from the selection, my opinion is the lack of outcome has come from performances that came from too many errors, too many poor decisions and that inconsistency and our inability to convert points under pressure has been significant. Has that come from selection, I don’t think so? But everyone will have a different opinion.”
POST-LOCKDOWN FORM GUIDE
1. Exeter W4 PTS 18
2. Saracens W3 PTS 16
3. Bath W3 PTS 15
4. Wasps W3 PTS 14
5=. Bristol W2 PTS 10
5=. Gloucester W2 PTS 10
5=. Sale W2 PTS 10
8. Harlequins W2 PTS 9
9=. Worcester W1 PTS 5
9=. Northampton W1 PTS 5
11. Leicester W1 PTS 4
12. London Irish W0 PTS 1
Grave warning about the credibility of Euro 2020/21 ??????? https://t.co/BhFp89cSAy
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) September 3, 2020
Comments on RugbyPass
Bar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
9 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
35 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
2 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
35 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
35 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
35 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. All the Kiwis sticking up for this unprincipled individual because they can't accept justified criticism, he has zero credibility or integrity. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
35 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
35 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
2 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
35 Go to commentsArdie’s preferred position 7? Where do they get these writers from? I've no idea where he's playing in Japan, but the previous two seasons he wore the 7 jersey exactly twice.
18 Go to comments