The Reds have the style, the Tahs have the substance, which is better is a matter of preference. Do you like your team to grind the opposition into submission, or do you like your team to play the style of rugby that makes you want to watch?
The Tahs have ground out results this year based on their low risk, percentage game plan, it may have left some screaming in frustration, but others basking in its brutality. There is nothing subtle about the Tahs, they play to win and are not ashamed of the affect it has on crowds or Rupert’s pay-TV ratings. I like the way they command the game, there is nowhere for the weaker opposition to hide.
The opposite is true of the Reds. I like their game because they don’t seem bound by the normal conventions of what makes a winning rugby side. They are like the Crusaders before they learnt how to defend – the mentality of “sure, you might score 26 points in the game, but we are going to score 36!!”
Where will this leave us come late Friday night well read on…
The Tahs don’t seem to be entirely comfortable when they have the ball, all too often they will give it away and then rely on the conservative nature of the opposing team to make a mistake. The Reds aren’t conservative, and, as Reds’ assistant Damon Emtage, said somewhat prophetically stated after last week’s win against the Cheetahs – “You kick to us at your peril!”
The Reds will challenge the Tahs to tackle and contain them, every game thus far the Reds have displayed a run-it mentality that may have been to their detriment, but has yielded tries. If the Reds can temper this enthusiasm with some well placed kicks from Cooper and Barnes, the Tahs may well struggle to get the field position they need to get the cheap points they specialise in.
The Tahs on the other hand can totally stuff the Reds by making the game a slug-fest, which is what I expect them to do. They may well have the better of the Reds in tight and will use Cliffy as the basis for most of their attacking raids. The Tahs will want this game to be won at the bottom of the rucks and mauls, the dirty stuff that they are so adept at.
Sun Tzu, the ancient Chinese military strategist, probably had this game in mind when he said words to the effect of – to win a battle you must draw your opponent from his position of strength, and make him fight on your battle field – this is what both teams will be trying to do.
Which team can impose their style on the other and make the game the one type they are most comfortable playing?
The Reds finally showed last week that they can control possession; they dominated although they didn’t turn this advantage into tries. The Tahs on the other hand don’t seem to be able to create things for themselves; they are like low level predators that prey on the weak and infirm.
The Reds could well match the Tahs in the Piggies and this should allow the rapier-like backline of the Reds to ask questions, which, the unsettled Tahs’ mid-field will struggle to answer. Last week the Reds showed a penchant to off-load the ball the ball rather than go into contact at the breakdown. This worked well and it is not something the Tahs have come up against this year.
The game won’t be pretty, it won’t be expansive but I still expect the Reds to have the scoring power and the defensive prowess to get the better of the Tahs…style over substance?
Cote (who is a Man of style) says – Reds by 9
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="1545 https://www.greenandgoldrugby.com/?p=1545">14 Comments
I will not risk a guess, as this year’s Super 14 seems totally unpredictable.
The Blues receiving 9 from the Bulls, the Force winning at Canberra, the Crusaders outscoring the Hurricanes in number of tries but losing the game…
So I don’t dare to make a prediction. But still, I like ‘tahs power and I think they, despite what kiwis and saffers say, they are clear favourites to win the title this year. Ahead of the Sharks.
But I like the Reds, too. Talent, the same talent that the Force possesses, too. And so the Chiefs. But somehow having talent does not always mean delivering. Delivering is an art in rugby, and I guess your national coach is one of the best at it.
Juan mate, you’ve done a great job – apparently it’s a straight forward battle of rugby good vs evil!!
If the Reds can play a beautiful flowing game and win, then good on them. But a few facts to the contrary:
There will be no substance abuse on Friday. Tahs by 6
fact:
tahs have yet to be tested. Cheifs and Highlanders both havn’t won anything. any team with the salt could have done that to the highlanders
Tahs beat Hurricanes in Wellington. Hurricanes beat Crusaders in Jade stadium…
canes played like an old dog
you can only play what’s in front of you…
This from the Tah mouthpiece, the Sydney Morning Herald, about the Tahs
“Points for: superior fitness, outstanding defence, strong set piece and self belief by the bucketloads. Points against: too scrappy and lack fluency. Conclusion: The Reds’s unpredictablity may yet be their undoing”.
Even Grumbles Growden and his cohort are concerned
The Reds have come up against far superior opposition and have done it mostly on the other side of the world.
This year, the Tahs have played 20 minutes of decent rugby, first up against an almost unrecognisable Canes outfit.
To me the Tahs are a big fish in a small pond.
Sun Tzu…..? Is he any relation to Kosta Tzu? Or perhaps a distant cousin of Gobane Bobo? In the words of that other well known rugby strategist, Alan Jones – I’d rather be black than gay because when you’re black you don’t have to tell your mother…….
No he’s the brother of Taronga Park
I’ll be at the Pineapple Hotel if anyone wants to join me HA!. Or, i may go to Ballymore…members bar if anyone is looking.
haha
All jokes aside….this is going to be a very difficult game for either side to dominate. It might be a case of fewest errors wins, or last person with the ball wins, because serisouly…if the Tahs make inroads into the ruck-Fly half channels, and even around the 10-12 channel, the reds could be back peddling all day….however, if the kicking game is off a smidgen, the counter of the reds could carve up metres into tahs territory and good ontnuity could get the reds over for the T R Y.
so its perhaps a case of minimising errors.
Let it be said, that i think the reds will win the terriotry battle…..however, is their lineout good enough to pressure the Tahs set piece, or take advantage of scrum time when the tahs are tired and in their own territory? If Van Humphries ha anythingnto say about the lineout im sure its positive, beucase at the moment he is the only real option, MMM comes back, Higgers gets more involved, maybe the set piece will be a necessary force.
This is a bit like France vs NZ in 2007. NZ controlled, direct football (alhtough NSW is a bit more forwards oriented a the moment)…and lets look at the linups…nonu at 12 – tahu…Smith at 13 – Horne. Carter at 10 – Beale…carter offers an attacking option who can go for himself or distribute with creative flair…lets admit it Quade Cooper Supporters…Beale can do it too…but so can Quade…
and Qld is France. Zippy and powerfuly in the back 3….
a midfield that is controlledwith a second playmaker at 12…and a 10 who offers a legitimate running threat.
this is going to be a game i dont think many will expect to be played the way it is. 2 vastly contrasting styles.
who will win…
hmm…i go reds by 6…and a climactic finish as the tahs search for that try, but desperate defence and a lack of OPTIONS (comes back to haunt them) menas th reds hold on.
but…im not 100% ocnfident…hasnt stopped me before though…TAB here i come.
I can’t believe anyone, even for the purposes of an analogy, would compare Tahu/Beale to Nonu/Carter!!!
I am hoping for the reds but my tipping score will probably regret it :(
and i hate the Tahs…just goes to show how ludicrous i think any talk of the Tahs is. HAHA.
i mean style of game Patrick…
tahu is renowned for being an aggressive runner, and brutal defender, but not tactically good in that respect, often getting found out when it ocmes to positioning.
Carter, well, beale shouldnt be mentioned int he same sentence (if only for the fact that Carter can tackle HA), but they penchant for running the ball offers credibility to that analogy…
Good write up Mr Cote.
I’m following you and taking the Reds to win by 6+