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Old 01-11-2016, 10:46 AM   #40
Slava
Franchise Player
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Calgary, Alberta
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I know that Canada as a squad just can't compete. I completely get that, and I recognize that to play against the best teams and compete you have to be playing top level talent consistently, which we just don't have in Canada. My point isn't that we should be winning pools and world cups though.

Instead what I am noting is that tactically and strategically we aren't in the same league. That's a significant difference. So when I say they should be tighter in their support going into a ruck, that's not really skill-dependent. Its strategy and positioning. Canada has excellent athletes playing for the mens club. Its not a question of them not being able to do this, but for some reason they just don't. Why else would that be? They could be doing it. Its not like its never been tried (all the top tier squads seem to be doing it). They just don't.

I agree with what you're saying about the backs and the other defence capitalizing on their miscues. I don't agree with you on 7's, but that could be because you're a forward! Its a different game, but there are excellent sevens players who can transition to 15's and be able to use some of those skills (in particular ball handling and open running). That's exactly what Canada needed in the back line...which is bizarre considering the number of 7's players in that line.

A bit more to the point of 7's being so vastly different is how different touch is to 7's or 15's. They're hardly the same game! But I you're awesome as a touch player, chances are you have some good skills to bring to the full contact game. If other players can hardly get a hand on you then an outright tackle becomes challenging. This is the kind of thing I would advocate for Canada; we have a smaller squad, but clearly good runners who are creative with the ball in hand. Use it.

And finally about the parity and things like that. (I'm kind of all over here and sorry for that), it's fine as an excuse against Ireland and France. Less so against Romania though and arguable against Italy. I'm not saying "run faster" or "kick the ball further" or things like that. Those are pure skill or athletic manoeuvres that are either there or aren't. But to say to a rugby player "bind onto the ball carrier when he goes into contact" isn't affected by parity. Its positional. If the argument is that players can't make it there because they're not fit, that's a different conversation, but we should see them doing this in the first half or more, and there should be an effort.

Like I say, I'm not an expert. I just love the game and noticed some things in watching the team play like crap for 2015.
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