No more scrum posts in this thread, please.
I think that the Tahs would've won if CFS scored and Carraro's try was disallowed. The Reds were only in it when the Tahs switched completely off. All it took was the Reds to score again to wake them up for a few minutes before they switched right back off.
I feel for whoever keeps the Reds flyhalf position, with the structure they play to it's a poisoned chalice. Too deep alignment, no subtly: just shovel the ball on. Not many teams are going to be defensively threatened by the Reds.
Seriously, we would be better off if the backs would mutiny before the game and commit to playing flat on 2nd/3rd phase and just running "hands" down the line with an occasional overs/unders line from 12/13.
Then again, that would have to be preceded by us getting quick ball instead of getting blasted at the ruck.
Great stills - thanks Ben.
Not only are the receivers very deep, but also flatfooted.
It's worse than that - McIntrye is already running across field in the second shot before he's received the ball (and looks like it's going to happen again in the third shot).
Angling your run like that so far behind the gain line is nothing short of a cardinal sin at first receiver. It's not QC (Quade Cooper) playing 18 inches from the line with 2 runners on each shoulder, coming across before changing the direction of attack with an inside pass.. and it isn't part of some elaborate pre-orchestrated move..
It's a classic symptom of a flyhalf falling into bad habits because there's either a lack of direction in the structure or a lack of confidence in their own head (whether it's the confidence to take on the line, confidence in the strength/accuracy of their own pass - possibly due to the second receiver standing somewhere in the South Australian Sea).
There's no way that this structure even feels remotely functional during training sessions.. I can't imagine how frustrating it must be for some of the boys right now.
