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Le plan de Rob Howley pour contrer la « redoutable » Irlande
Rob Howley affirme que le Pays de Galles cherchera à créer un chaos rugbystique lorsqu’il affrontera l’Irlande samedi 24 février, ce que la plupart des gens considèrent comme une mission improbable.
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Le Pays de Galles n’a plus remporté de match du Tournoi des Six Nations contre l’Irlande à Dublin depuis 2012, avec un match nul et quatre défaites lors des rencontres suivantes.
De son côté, l’Irlande court après un deuxième Grand Chelem consécutif – un exploit encore jamais réalisé dans le Six Nations – et a pris une belle option après des victoires emphatiques bonifiées contre la France et l’Italie.
L’équipe d’Andy Farrell devrait en profiter pour égaler le record, actuellement détenu par l’Angleterre et établi il y a sept ans, de 11 victoires consécutives dans le Tournoi des Six Nations en cas de victoire sur le Pays de Galles.
Mission impossible ?
« Le défi pour nous est de les mettre aussi mal que possible, pendant chaque minute où nous pouvons le faire, et de leur poser des problèmes différents », a déclaré Rob Howley, l’entraîneur adjoint du Pays de Galles.
« Je pense que si nous pouvons nous sentir bien dans un match où règne le chaos et les défier, parce qu’ils sont très bien organisés, alors nous devons créer le chaos. Chacun réagit différemment sous la pression.
« Nous devons être capables de créer de la pression des deux côtés du ballon samedi, pendant chacune des 80 minutes. Si nous y parvenons, ce sera 23 contre 23 à la fin de la journée.
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« C’est notre capacité à créer de la pression des deux côtés du ballon, notre capacité à être précis quand il le faut. Il se peut qu’il n’y ait que deux ou trois occasions, et nous devons être cliniques et impitoyables.
« Contre une équipe de classe mondiale qui n’a jamais été battue, vous devez être à la hauteur pendant chacune des 80 minutes.
« L’Irlande est sortie de la Coupe du monde avec une légère déception, connaissant Andy Farrell et la façon dont il dirige son staff d’entraîneurs.
« On a une bonne occasion d’aller à Dublin et d’affronter une équipe redoutable. C’est quelque chose que nous attendons avec impatience, et nous chercherons à les défier à chaque occasion. »
Un seul changement
Le demi d’ouverture Sam Costelow a été rappelé dans le quinze de départ du Pays de Galles pour le choc de samedi.
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Le numéro 10 du Pays Galles était sorti en raison d’un problème cervical survenu lors de la défaite 27-26 du Pays de Galles face à l’Écosse, premier adversaire du Tournoi des Six Nations.
Il a été remplacé par Ioan Lloyd, qui a débuté au poste de demi d’ouverture à Twickenham contre l’Angleterre, mais Costelow fait son retour ; c’est le seul changement pour ce match.
Par ailleurs, les nouveaux venus dans l’équipe, Cameron Winnett et Alex Mann, ont été titularisés, tandis que le centre George North va vivre sa 120e sélection, devenant ainsi le troisième joueur du Pays de Galles à arriver à ce stade après Alun Wyn Jones et Gethin Jenkins.
Le troisième-ligne de Cardiff Mackenzie Martin, qui n’a pas été sélectionné, figure sur le banc des remplaçants.
Le jeune homme de 20 ans en est à sa première saison complète de rugby professionnel et ne compte que neuf apparitions à Cardiff, mais il est désormais prêt à faire ses débuts internationaux à l’Aviva Stadium.
La deuxième chance de Rob Howley
Rob Howley, qui a été entraîneur en charge de l’attaque du Pays de Galles de 2008 à 2019, est de nouveau engagé avec l’équipe nationale cette saison après sa suspension pour infraction à la réglementation sur les paris.
Il a été contraint de prendre du recul par rapport au rugby à la veille de la Coupe du Monde de Rugby 2019 lorsque son activité de parieur a été révélée, ce qui lui a valu une interdiction de rugby pendant 18 mois, dont la moitié avec sursis.
« Je suis tellement reconnaissant aux entraîneurs, et à Warren (Gatland, le sélectionneur du Pays de Galles) en particulier, d’avoir pensé à moi et de m’avoir remis sur les rails », estime Howley.
« De toutes les fois où je suis sorti avec ma famille, c’est la première fois que mes filles ont souri depuis longtemps. Le public a été fantastique dans ses témoignages.
« J’ai beaucoup de chance et je suis heureux de retrouver un rôle que j’aime depuis longtemps. »
Six Nations
P
W
L
D
PF
PA
PD
BP T
BP-7
BP
Total
1
Ireland
2
2
0
0
10
2
England
2
2
0
0
8
3
Scotland
2
1
1
0
5
4
France
2
1
1
0
4
5
Wales
2
0
2
0
3
6
Italy
2
0
2
0
1
Comments on RugbyPass
I think they’ll choose Scott Barret as captain, Ardie 7, Hoskins 8, Finau at 6.
2 Go to commentsSo what were saying is if you make it through to the play offs in Europe you’re likely to suffer at the tail end of the prem. No extra cash for playing in Europe, more chance of injury, fatiguing the team…while others not through rest up. whats the point??
1 Go to commentsClaims that Finau is a risky proposition are hyperbole. His tackles have been mostly perfectly timed and executed except for the Lynach one and that was a split-second out, certainly not 2 seconds. Social media criticism shows opposition fans are nervous about Finau’s impact. I see Jacobson and Blackadder as no.7s, they don’t have the power, size or dynamism to be 6 or 8 at Test level. Akira has shown he lacks the intuition and technique to play Tests. If he learnt to bend his back more and hit breakdowns and tackles low and hard, it would do wonders for his game. Finau is the standout option for 6 with Grace or Shields as his backup. I’d like to see Finau, Sotutu and Jacobson as an experimental back-row combo; lineout nous, dynamic ball carrying, hard defence, etc.
39 Go to commentsI find these articles so very interesting, giving a much more in depth series of insights than one can ever gain from “desktop” research. It is very significant that it is this English man that Joe Schmidt has turned to build the basement stability and reliability from the WB forwards that was so shredded during the Jones debacle. With his long period in Ireland, with both Leinster and Ireland, Schmidt will know Geoff Parling’s qualities as a player well, and he will have gone over, with a fine tooth comb, the mans time in Australia. This, one feels, will prove to be a shrewd decision. I’m particularly interested in Parling’s comments about the lineout, especially the differences in approach between the hemispheres. He talks about the impact of weather conditions on the type of lineout tactics employed. He is the right man to have preparing for a wet and windy game at Eden Park, the “Cake Tin”, or in Christchuch, or for that matter in Capetown. I must confess to being surprised by this comment though re Will Skelton: “ Is he a lineout jumper? No. But the lineout starts on the ground – contact work, lifting, utilising that massive body at the maul.” Geoff is spot on about the work Will does on the ground. But I would contest the view that he is not a lineout jumper. I think I have commented before on this one, so won’t go further than referring to the end of the last Cup Final in Dublin, LAR using Will on maybe 3 occasions at No 2 in the lineout. And I have seen him used by LAR in Top 14, and never seen him beaten to the catch…but in reality that would only be a total of 10 times max.
57 Go to commentsDaltons a great guy and can lead at any level with that humility
2 Go to commentsWell if Parling is an Australian citizen then I suppose that’s OK. It’s more than can be said for The Hobbit in Absentia. I’m guessing Jordan Useless won’t be getting a call up to the Wallabies then because the Melbourne Rebels lineout coached by Parling has been a complete disaster. Parling had better prove himself or it’s out. He’ll be flattered by having one of the best lineout operators in world rugby in Rodda hopefully. If Parling can teach the Wallabies one thing it would be to also teach Australian players to make a serious effort on charge downs. Only Frost and Rodda make an effort. The rest are half hearted and lazy, bar Harry Wilson’s effort last week. There are lots of big missed opportunities.
57 Go to commentsGreat read thanks and glad he’s committed to Aus rugby! The comment from the no 8 saying he’s never done lineouts before doesn’t surprise me. There often isn’t the same upbringing with rugby here as there is in nz and parts of Europe. Seems like he’s doing a great job at the Rebels
57 Go to commentsScott Barrett. End of story.
2 Go to commentsDu Plessis Kirifi will not be selected by the All Blacks. He is nowhere near 6’0” tall. He looks good in Super Rugby in wide open , fast pace rugby. That is not Test rugby. He would be rag dolled by South Africa, Ireland, France, and England.
7 Go to commentsIt’s Razor so Blackadder and Grace for starters. Although on second thoughts K Read looked in great shape on TV the other day.
39 Go to commentsGreat piece Nick, plenty to chew on. Loved this ‘biases’ line from Geoff, shows he is a thinker - “If you asked me for a shortlist of coaches who appealed to my biases, he would be on it.” I think Schmidt is towing a similar line to Rennie in regards to OS players, he is publicly saying he prefers local talent, but almost certainly will be fighting to have the likes of skelton in the team. Interesting to hear the backroom on the rebels and what a cockup that is, just when you think RA admin has hit rock bottom it digs deeper. Other bit that caught my eye was his skills focus on things like passing from 7s at the base of the lineout, great little details. but also scary that a SR level 8 didn’t know how to operate within a lineout - telling!
57 Go to commentsThoroughly enjoyed this thanks Nick. ‘The lineout starts on the ground…’ wish I’d thought of that line when discussing Will’s place in the Wallabies.
57 Go to commentsShannon Frizell’s second year is optional is how I heard it. Given nothing has been confirmed yet it gets more and more likely he signs to return next year. Cant wait to see Finau doing more work on Internal players.
39 Go to commentsBlindside flankers should be hard hitting defenders, good lineout jumper with height, and a hard worker who hits and cleans rucks. If he can be a destructive ball carrier it’s a bonus but not a necessity. Samipeni Fineau and Cullen Grace are excellent at those core skills and my choice at blindside. Brad Shields is dismissed because he is 33 but not sure why that should be a consideration for this season. Shields too does these core roles well. Just don’t pick an 8 and shift him to 6 like the wingers on The Breakdown suggest, as if 6 and 8 are interchangeable. They are not. An 8 is first and foremost a dynamic ball carrier, not necessarily a destructive defender as a 6 should be. Devon Flanders and Akira Ioane are #8 s forced to play blindside because their teams have better options at 8 than them. Do not pick them at blindside
39 Go to commentsSaints obviously didn’t get the memo, or needed an ego boost?
1 Go to commentsReturning to the Chiefs would be another good change that could only put him into a better position to succeed in black
7 Go to commentsSimply outrageous and demonstrably false to say Finau’s tackle on Lynagh was “2 seconds late” In reality it was probably 0.5 seconds after he passed the ball. If you carry the ball at speed to within 5m of the defensive line you can expect to get tackled. Finau could have pulled out of it and not absolutely flattened him for sure, but there was going to be contact either way. He seems like a high risk selection at the moment, but there is no one else like him in NZ at the moment. His big tackles make the highlight reels but he is also a great athlete, very fast for such a big man, spent most of his days at lock so also very strong in the line out.
39 Go to commentsYes, Finau looks like the best option. Blackadder is not big enough for an international 6 - he should join the queue at 7. Frizzell had the power and heft and line-out height to play lock, so maybe that is where the ABs should be looking, not at a 7 who’s not big enough for 6, but at a lock who might have the agility to play 6, like Scott Barrett, or… Natai Ah Kuoi, who absolutely fits that bill, but seldom gets to play 6 because the Chiefs have so many loosies.
39 Go to commentsPaul Quinn was a National MP.
7 Go to commentsNo need to worry about losers’ mentality hysteria from Australia. Finau has all the attributes, I don't recall a high or no arms tackle from him, and his timing has been controlled very well since the round 3 Lynagh tackle. It's an easy decision for Razor, the only question is who should back him up from the bench. He can't be overworked like Squire was in his first full season.
39 Go to comments