When Henry’s under pressure, a loss from the previous week, dodgy team playing performance in most recent games. These are some of the tactical blunders Henry’s mob undergoes:
1) Select players who have had no rugby, and are expected to perform at the highest level: Brendon Leonard
2) Select tactics that only super men against a weaker team can execute. That’s run it wide, or chip kick and near every opportunity.
3) Select in the words of Henry himself a high risk strategy when the opposing team have excellent goal kickers.
4) Selecting a game plan that could possible be called ‘high risk’ in the first place.
5) Knowing your up against the best lineout in the world, selecting a shorter No8 over a taller No8 (ie Sooialo vs Read).
6) Chip kicks are extremely high risk, a short kick nearly 90% of the time gives the ball to opposition within the 10 yard circle that the kick was made. Have you ever seen a lessor team beat a better team with this tactic, no never ! Its is only used when it is known an opposing player often is out of position and clear space is available to have a chance to get the ball back.
This is not Henry first tactical blunder: The other most obvious blunder was ABs vs France RWC 2007, when the call came for ‘play for a penalty’ in the second half. What AB team plays to get penalties? Will next blunder be ABs vs Boks RWC 2011?
Ask your self this : What is the ABs game plan? What pattern do the ABs fall back on when times are tough?
A: There isn’t one, Henry jumps around tactics at will. The players become jack of all trades patterns and master of NONE !
The the most successful ABs coach Grizz Wiley (25 winning test matches in a row) formed a game plan (pattern) that all knew how to play when the heat was on. This is what Canterbury had under Robbie Deans, and this what he is trying to do with the Aussies.
Coaches are to blame more so than players. I call on the players to defy the coachs instructions and play percentage football.
