I read that the Frogs are making out that a Cardiff quarter against the All Blacks would not make a dfference which I think is probably true. Initially I thought forget it and that a home game is always better especially in Stade de France. But then I recall the nightmare choke in 1999 and that it was at Twickenham.
They will have good support in Cardiff but on balance and with the Graham Henry legacy, I hope that if we meet France at Cardiff then the crowd will be 60% with the ABs.
Now to the ball issue: I believe that is real and does account for a lot of wayward kicking from Carter, Wilkenson and Pretorious on the weekend.
As for the grey jersey issue with Scotland vs. MABs: Crap...total shite. Similar jerseys do not cause you to drop balls, they cause you to pass to the wrong person or not pass cause you are confused.
The ABs have a tradition of destroying the next team they play after a poor performance. So in this respect Romania is in for a torrid time and we should expect 100+ points. In a way I think that having a weak team play the All Blacks following a poor performance (at least aspects of it were) is a good thing. The defense will be poor and the aggressiveness at the breakdown will be limited to the first 20 minutes. So this will mean the ABs will again have plenty of room to move and pass the ball. Contrast this with a stronger team in which the ABs would tighen eveything up. At least this way we might see if their handling skills/focus has improved rather than a change in game plan to keeping it tight/not passing.
I have seen the ABs play two types of games this and last season. They are capable of grinding out a ruthless no-flashy-crap game so I know Henry has that game plan available to him at anytime. Look for that game plan against France in the Quarters (or the Argies).
No comments:
Post a Comment