Is intent enough?

[It is what it is]

Re scoring tries the formula for me looks a little like;
Intent + Capability + Execution = Tries
When we break each of these 3 elements down;
Intent - we seem to have been playing not to lose, and playing for penalties from field position....4/10?
Capability - due to injuries, poor form/fitness, constant positional changes, less potent replacements etc our try scoring capability is way down......4/10?
Execution - not enough space on G&GR to list issues here........3/10?
I'd share the blame for the lack of tries across all 3, not just intent.

 

[Ignoto]

Massive credit to the coaching staff and players that identified goal kicking as a poor area of Australian rugby and worked on it. The results speak for themselves, we won games on the back of better goal kicking.

Wait, what active steps have the coaching staff done to improve goal kicking in Australian rugby? Didn't Deans cast away our kicking coach until it bit us big time aka Giteau missing those sitters?

You can't count Harris as part of that logic because he's been a decent kicker without being part of the Australian set up. I can't comment on whether Barnes's kicking percentage has gone up (or down) over the last couple of years. I'll give you JOC (James O'Connor) has spent huge time with the kicking coach and Beale I'm guessing?

 

[spectator]

Is intent enough? Yes. Do the wallabies show intent? - no We have become risk averse since about 2003 which isnt the wallabies way. Whats more we have become what I would call rugby dumb. Maybe I was too spoilt by brumbies from 1996 to 2004 but they always seemed to find a new way (or reinvent an old way) to address a common part of the game that seemed audacious. Now we play it direct and straight with little variation - waiting for something to open up or the officials to find fault with the defenders.

Conversely, its very easy to imagine us call for a scrum after fulltime (after we had turned over the ball on the previous scrum nonetheless) during our golden years under Eales (bit like Eales pointing to the posts with no goal kicker on the field in Wellington), now its unthinkable. I use the all blacks as examples because thats what I want us to be.

As for last weeks game, it was very exciting for a spectator but only mid range as a quality test match. There has been plenty worse, including some of the wobbs games this year. I actually thought the AB's execution was poor last week (which kept us in the game). But that doesn't really matter - intent is enough if its there. See the Game from heaven in 2000, probably some of the worst defence seen in a Bledisloe yet everyone walked away knowing they had seen something special.

Somewhat agree with this post, but not entirely.

I don't think intent is enough all the time. It's a state of mind that's closely aligned with belief, and you also need the commensurate skillset and execution levels to be consistently successful.

 

[qwerty51]

Wait, what active steps have the coaching staff done to improve goal kicking in Australian rugby? Didn't Deans cast away our kicking coach until it bit us big time aka Giteau missing those sitters?

You can't count Harris as part of that logic because he's been a decent kicker without being part of the Australian set up. I can't comment on whether Barnes's kicking percentage has gone up (or down) over the last couple of years. I'll give you JOC (James O'Connor) has spent huge time with the kicking coach and Beale I'm guessing?

Barnes' kicking as improved dramatically. I'm not talking about the actual kicking being improved but a renewed focus on the importance of goal kicking. Barnes and Harris have been selected purely on their kicking abilities which is what we've needed. The kicker is the always the first picked. Barnes at 15 in Pretoria and Harris supports this. We won the Welsh series, the Rosario match and the recent draw because of goal kicking. Wouldn't have won those with pre-2012 kickers.

 

[Roundawhile]

Barnes' kicking as improved dramatically. I'm not talking about the actual kicking being improved but a renewed focus on the importance of goal kicking. Barnes and Harris have been selected purely on their kicking abilities which is what we've needed. The kicker is the always the first picked. Barnes at 15 in Pretoria and Harris supports this. We won the Welsh series, the Rosario match and the recent draw because of goal kicking. Wouldn't have won those with pre-2012 kickers.

Harris was picked because there was nobody left standing, which seems to be fortuitous in hindsight.

 

[RoffsChoice]

Harris was picked because there was nobody left standing, which seems to be fortuitous in hindsight.

I'm of the opinion that, until O'Connor is available, Harris is the choice 12. Have been since the Wales series.

The XV we saw before Rosario had no intent. They were proficient but they didn't want to work, the true depth of this being seen in South Africa and on the Gold Coast. When I saw the article by LeftArmSpinner about the Rosario XV I was skeptical but this team really has the passion it takes to win. Give them a few games together and they should be scoring tries. Give them a new coach and they should be winning competitions.

Even with Deans, however, we're okay. Not great. Okay.

 

[qwerty51]

Harris was picked for his goal kicking. I have no doubt if he was not a goal kicker he would not have been picked. Barnes was picked at 15 in Pretoria for his goal kicking, he would not have played if Beale was the sole goal kicker.

 

[The Rant]

Massive credit to the coaching staff and players that identified goal kicking as a poor area of Australian rugby and worked on it. The results speak for themselves, we won games on the back of better goal kicking.

Agree, though worth noting that out of the major issues we've had in recent times - the one thing we've really turned into a weapon is the thing that has nothing to do with Deans or his assistants...

 

[fatprop]

Agree, though worth noting that out of the major issues we've had in recent times - the one thing we've really turned into a weapon is the thing that has nothing to do with Deans or his assistants.

the law of unintended consequences wins again

Aus defends well and competes at the breakdown

Aus gets more penalties

Aus takes more kicks for goal (kicking them from near half way)

Aus converts pressure, but spends less time in the opps half

Aus has less try scoring opportunities,

but wins the game .. ...

 

[Gagger]

 

[cyclopath]

Nice ruff, Lord Gagger. You have become gentrified over there.

 

[mark_s]

but wins the game .. .

This is fine if the opposition don't score tries either, but as shown in TRC once the opposition started scoring tries, we couldn't kick enough penalties to keep up (or to compensate for our lack of try scoring ability).