Why the Wallabies won't be following the Springboks' rush defence under Schmidt
New Wallabies head coach Joe Schmidt has completed his coaching nucleus and with it comes a wealth of experience as well as some early indicators of how his Wallabies team will play.
The “Scrum Doctor” Mike Cron, lineout coach Geoff Parling, analyst Eoin Toolan and breakdown guru the “Lord” Laurie Fisher make up the vastly experienced team which is chalk and cheese compared to the team assembled by Eddie Jones at the start of 2023.
While an attack under Schmidt will be more intricate than seen in previous Wallabies teams the team’s defence and breakdown work will be crucial to improve their fortunes.
The adage goes ‘defence wins championships,’ and Fisher is likely to oversee defence and the contact zone as he did for Dave Rennie in 2022 as his defence coach.
Fisher will bring an attention to detail back to the Wallabies and his expectations will be clear.
His clarity also extends to how he sees the defensive side of the game, a view that has been endorsed by Schmidt.
“If you want narrow defence and balls-out line speed then I’m not your man,” Laurie Fisher told the 8-9 Podcast in early April about his conversations with Schmidt prior to signing with the Wallabies.
Fisher coaches a connected line speed defence, something which he introduced to the Brumbies and subsequently to Rennie’s Wallabies when he was parachuted in midway through their 2022 Rugby Championship.
Fisher knows system accounts for most of a defence’s success and he is forthright about his responsibility as the coach.
“The system belongs to the defence coach.”
“System looks after 80 per cent and your [the player’s] rugby nous, your talent, your work ethic, your ability to react looks after the other 20 per cent,” Fisher said on the 8-9 Podcast.
Fisher will enjoy a slightly better runway this time around than he did in 2022 but he won’t benefit from a Wallabies training camp before the Wales series in June.
The clarity of his communication will be vital to get the team on the same page heading into the July internationals.
By looking back at Fisher’s first four games as defence coach in 2022 one can get an idea of what a Wallabies defence could look like in 2024.
Fisher’s connected line speed system is on full display, with the Wallabies getting off the line quickly.
Once the Springboks play out the back of a forward pod the inner most Wallaby, who in this instance is Rob Valetini leads the line speed, readjusting for the new depth in attack accordingly.
Then Valetini, Hunter Paisami and Len Ikitau nominate and begin to backtrack, robbing the Springboks of space and their numbers advantage.
The key here is connection, the outside man never shoots and trusts the inside player will cover the distance, all the while shepherding the Boks closer to the sideline.
Here is another prime example of how line integrity and connection trumped the All Blacks’ overlap which then forced the All Blacks into making early contact.
Once again it is Valetini and Ikitau along with Marika Koroibete employing the connected line speed against Beauden Barrett, Jordie Barrett, Will Jordan and Rieko Ioane.
On paper that All Blacks backline with half a field of space carves up the three Wallabies, nine times out of ten, but the connection and their patience holds the attack at bay.
The drift and hold concedes almost 10 metres, but it’s a lot healthier than conceding a line break.
The Wallabies’ newly adopted system wasn’t implemented faultlessly, at times players were put in pressure situations which saw players break from the system, leading to grave consequences.
A series of errors here leads to the Springboks scoring in the righthand corner after just three phases in which they gained over 40m.
The first error occurs when Tom Wright jams in on Eben Etzebeth from his wing.
This creates a two-on-one overlap where a system hold-and-backpedal would have resulted in the Springboks running out of space as well as losing their overlap.
The second error comes when Jed Holloway sprints out of the line to push Makazole Mapimpi inside.
While initially it looks ok, the break in system means the Wallabies were unable to fold and hold the width which exposes them in the subsequent two phases.
Although the Wallabies concede points here, it is important to note that it was due to player error, and it highlights the success the system could have at the highest level.
This final clip on the defensive system illustrates its value.
The All Blacks win a turnover just outside the Wallabies 22m, the loss of possession leaves the Wallabies perilously low on defenders.
Only Lalakai Foketi and Valetini are left to defend six All Blacks with half a field to cover.
Brodie Retallick does the right thing by initially taking the space, but Foketi doesn’t take the bait and stays in system and backpedals.
This patience forces Retallick to pass giving other Wallaby players time to track across.
In the end Samisoni Takiaho scores but had just one of the three covering Wallabies made a chop tackle on him, the try would have been prevented.
The system is content to give up metres to allow for a secure tackle.
Should the runner take the outside shoulder then it allows for a dominant tackle away from the inside cleaner which in turn hampers ruck efficiency and thereby ruck speed giving the defence more time to set.
Fisher knows what he wants and has clear principles which he values within his structures, because for him defence is comprised of “many” things.
“Speed off the ground, speed to set, spacing and nomination, connected line speed, high hustle on the inside looks after the inside shoulder of the outside, double ups, get in front stay in front, next action,” Fisher told the 8-9 Podcast when speaking generically about his defensive systems.
Most of these principles are present in this next clip.
Most evident in this clip is the double ups, every tackle is a two-man tackle with the first man going low and arresting momentum.
The speed off the ground by the tacklers is also notable as is the hustle of the inside defender.
The Wallabies results in these first four games with Fisher as defence coach was mixed but it is clear to see that the defensive system served them well.
The system served them even better in the Autumn Internationals where they kept Ireland to just 13 points and almost beat France in Paris.
Fisher is comfortable with how he sees the game and won’t bow to the rush defence gods; he prefers his line to have integrity and trust instead of “balls out line speed” which requires impeccable scramble defence.
It’s unlikely a Wallabies squad will be announced before the end of the regular season of Super Rugby Pacific, but the coaching team alone has the Wallabies set for a higher ceiling than 2023.
Fisher is a key cog in this team and for the Wallabies to win the hearts and minds of Australians once again they’ll need a strong defence as well as a captivating attack.
Comments on RugbyPass
Ah yes, the opinion of Andy Goode… Andy Goode, the man who knows what some of the Irish players said to Eben Etzebeth after the QF, better than what Eben himself knows. And, judging by this piece, the Grandmaster of clichés.
2 Go to commentsI think this is a fair view. As a South African I am concerned about the depowering of the scrum but let’s be honest, until the SA vs FRA quarter many people didn’t even know you could take a scrum from a free kick. As you say it’s going to come down to interpretation… until then we don’t really know how this is going to impact the game. That would lead to my own objection. Do the unknowns of changing a law outweigh the cons of said law. With such an obscure law that most people had never heard of, one that had never really had an impact on the game in the first place is it worth changing to invite so much uncertainty. Better the devil you know then the devil you don’t as it were…
2 Go to comments162 comments so far and counting. i didn't realize that rugby fans are on the way to join the football brothers. what is the point to share personal opinion only to get all this shi*? it seems IRB bosses are doing the great job by killing the spirit of the game both on and outside the pitch. too sad, indeed. btw, was there anything on eben’s point of view from the boys in green, who he mentioned?
164 Go to commentsJob 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
164 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?
12 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
12 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.
35 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 ..
12 Go to commentsIt was so boring
2 Go to commentspersonally I’d go with : 1. France 2. NZ 3. England 4. Ireland 5. Scotland
35 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.
164 Go to comments