Ethan de Groot destroyed France’s tighthead prop Uini Atonio
I’ll get to Cam Roigard, but I can’t go past Ethan de Groot first.
I don’t get any of the hand-wringing over de Groot.
I thought he destroyed France’s tighthead prop Uini Atonio, in the All Blacks’ opening Rugby World Cup clash.
I was never much of a school or club rugby player, but I spent a decade playing at tighthead.
Much of it living in fear of destructive looseheads such as de Groot.
When I was taught to scrummage, destructive was the word for looseheads. Whether they butted you with their heads or bored in on an angle to squeeze your neck and make you butt your own hooker, their aim was to disrupt.
You had your mechanisms to deal with that, such as initiating the head contact yourself or turning in the loosehead’s left shoulder so they hit the deck.
I thought there were times in that France game when the pressure exerted by de Groot was intolerable for Atonio. At those moments it feels as if your head might explode.
I don’t care who thinks de Groot has technical problems or what the referee interpretations are, I just know Atonio was dominated.
And I was glad to see it. No, thrilled actually.
For too long the All Blacks have been passive scrummagers. Happy to simply try and hold and get the ball to the No.8’s feet as quickly as possible.
They stopped using the scrum as a weapon and were attacked by opponents as a consequence.
We didn’t scrum for penalties either, as many other teams have.
De Groot’s introduction to the team has brought with it a pleasing desire for destruction.
Why does that matter? Well, just ask the loose forwards and halfbacks for starters.
That gets me to Roigard.
There’s surely no dispute he’s now in New Zealand’s best 23. Whether he starts or comes off the bench, I’m not too bothered.
I just believe there’s no justification for Finlay Christie continuing to back up Aaron Smith in the games of consequence.
Ultimately, though, it won’t matter if the men such as de Groot don’t play with some grunt.
Not just at scrum time, either, but with ball in hand as well.
I’m tired of seeing good ball go wide and of seeing kicks dinked over the top.
If the All Blacks have any designs on a creditable World Cup campaign, then they have to go through the front door.
That means the forwards carrying hard and often. It means the blindside being utilised and a wing with vigour, such as the continually-impressive Leicester Fainga’anuku, working in tandem with the pack.
This tournament won’t be won with skill. It’s going to take a direct and relentless approach, otherwise Smith and Roigard will simply be left scrambling all day.
Defenders of All Blacks coach Ian Foster will say we don’t have the players. That they’re just not up to elite standard and that the coach can only do so much.
I don’t believe that.
I think success is about intent and tactics and for too long we’ve opted not to impose ourselves, in favour of footy that’s far too frivolous.
De Groot’s intent is plain for all to see and the team won’t succeed if we seek to stifle that.
Comments on RugbyPass
Job done guys. Great win in a game where things can quickly go wrong.
1 Go to commentsAlex Sanderson fantastic coach and person .So pleased he has signed another contract great days ahead for Sale under his leadership.
1 Go to commentsAndy Goode cant kick to 12
162 Go to commentsDoxed himself. Great work Johnny. You are well suited to the Saders
1 Go to comments_Best game players _
1 Go to commentsWho's Jarrad Hohepa?
1 Go to commentsSo let me get this straight. Say you have the dominant scrum. You are 99% sure you can go for a scrum pushover try on the line to win the game. The opposition knows it too. They give away a silly tap kick instead. You are now not allowed to scrum. This is ridiculous! *%@ing the game up as usual! The fact that the attacking teams are not allowed to scrum from a held up over the line is just as ridiculous. Really world rugby? Careful people might start a rebel league called True Rugby or Real Rugby.
76 Go to comments12 subs during a game? How has that been allowed to happen NB? I hate when the game goes in this monopolistic direction closing up shop, it just becomes non sport. Btw have you seen anything of how Liam Coltman was tracking for Lyon? He has just signed to return to Otago though we have a couple of young hookers developing here. He was a popular gentle natured character down here and I’m glad to see him back but maybe he will be a mentor primarily?
11 Go to commentsGreat breakdown and the global politics always confuses me a little. The southern hemisphere seems to be left out a bit but I wouldn’t even know where to start with fixing it. Club challenge could be a step in the right direction
11 Go to commentsSince he coached Free state, from that time onwards, I maintained he was the coach for the Boks. A nice, no nonsense guy with an excellent brain, who gets results.
11 Go to commentswell - they only played against 14 men and had the TMO team on their side - and still should have lost… so actually that makes sense.
33 Go to commentsSouthern hemisphere Rugby is exactly that, boring. Northern Hemisphere Rugby is soooo much more entertaining and better with better players.
2 Go to commentsIf he was to be cited for a dangerous behavior, then it’s natural that he should be. Then NTamack too, yes? And I’ll add a good whataboutism - Yeandle eye-gouging on Richie Arnold: not cited. Eye-gouging. Not high tackle. Eye-gouging. It was on French TV, with French TV directors.
5 Go to commentsReally poorly written rambling piece ..
11 Go to commentsIt was so boring
2 Go to commentspersonally I’d go with : 1. France 2. NZ 3. England 4. Ireland 5. Scotland
33 Go to commentsAndy everything becomes easier with experience therefor counting etc straight after a match becomes easier when you have 100+ caps vs 17 which is the experience you speak from.
162 Go to commentsGetting rid of the Dupont Law is a good thing and ought to have been done months ago! Officially getting rid of the croc roll is a good thing. The law about no scrums from a short arm is well intended in terms of speeding the game up but it’s an overreaction to a clever yet calculated gamble that could have blow up in South Africa’s face if they conceded a penalty from the scrum that was set after Willemse took claimed the mark in the World Cup QF.
76 Go to commentsRassie The GOAT
11 Go to commentsOf their 5 big matches in RWC Scotland and NZ were the easiest. They took a 12-3 lead against NZ and after the red decided it was best to hold the lead and take chances that came. None came and it was tight but they dug a lot deeper in the other two knock out matches. They had trounced NZ in Twickenham in a fixture that NZ must now regret. Psychology was clearly with SA in the final as a result.
33 Go to comments