'The way the game's going': Andrew Goodman talks Ireland's next evolution

Ireland’s innovations are a trending topic this week, with All Blacks defence coach Tamati Ellison singing the praises of successive Irish coaching regimes, and the team’s attack coach, Andrew Goodman, sharing what area he’s targeting to stay ahead of the global game.

Ellison spoke with reporters in Chicago on Tuesday and shared his admiration for Ireland’s response to modern, high-line-speed defences, and also praised Goodman, a fellow Kiwi manning the helm of a key portfolio for a Test rugby heavyweight.

The former All Black was cautiously optimistic about his defence’s chances against Goodman’s attack when the two collide this weekend at Soldier Field, but knew his counterpart would have some tricks up his sleeve.

In a separate interview, Goodman spoke about the future of attacking rugby and about balancing the rehearsed moves with unpredictable chaos.

“Looking at the way the game’s going now, the transitional attack and the counterattack, we’re just having a deep look at that area of the game and how we can make the most of those opportunities,” he told the Aotearoa Rugby Pod.

“It’s a big part of the game when defences aren’t set as well as they would be off set piece, etc.

“It’s trying to find that balance through the week, around how much time you’re putting into your set piece specials vs how much time you’re working on that transitional part of the game.

“It’s massive, isn’t it? You’ve seen through the Rugby Championship, the team that can dominate the air, or the scraps battle on the ground, and then can transition well into the attack or defence. The best are the teams that are often coming out on top.

“That’s a big part of the game we’re looking at at the moment, and we’ll see if we can find some good stuff that we can use in Test matches, and stay ahead in that area.”

Seeking and creating loose-ball opportunities is a dangerous game, so Goodman is emphasising execution as he primes his men for game-breaking brilliance.

“You’ve got to be so precise with your scan and your communications, and then your skillset in that timeframe to be able to keep the opposition in chaos. A back-shoulder pass, or you don’t quite see the space, it only takes one or two phases and the team is usually back set in that defensive line.

“So I think it is something like that first 15 seconds being really precise; for one, how you communicate, and two, how you get the ball to space with good accuracy to put and keep teams under pressure in the defensive line.”

That responsibility for communication and exploiting space is shared throughout the 15 on the pitch, not just the game drivers.

“With the way the game’s going, with the different ways a linebreak or slap back, etc. might happen, I think it’s about growing the whole team.

“You’re not necessarily going to have a tight five player who’s just been in a scrum or a maul communicating as well as a 10 or 15 might be from the backfield, but if you can make your players aware around what they should be looking for, who they should be connecting for, and the ability to play the game in front of them, I think it’s huge to grow right throughout the team.

“The way the modern game’s going, the skillsets required of a Test match player these days are not only in the backline, but as a forward as well.”