Western Force vs The Crusaders, Why were they Crying ?

I'm sure many of you have heard of this, but what really happened ?

The match was only in the ninth round of the Super League campaign. Force placed 13th in the table defeating to mid table rivals Crusaders this was a big accomplishment to the side,as they had only won 3 of their last 18 matches, hopefully this victory will give the squad a confidence boost and lead them onto a domino effect !

Match Review

Two minutes more or less the game was opened by an underdog try from Forces outhalf Sam Norton-Knight, a quick ball from the breakdown lead to a soft try from a great dummy five meters out. Quiet a few phases were put into this however you can never write of the Crusaders at any given time, never mind at the very beginning of the match. Jayden Hayward successfully converted the kick to give a 7-0 lead. This was short lived as in less than 20 minutes later second rower Luke Romano supported an easy push over offload to shorten the loss to 8-10 to Force. Force were persevering, and held the lead by two points. Play went on and Forces efforts were paying off leading by double Crusaders points by 16 to 8, veering half time. Luke Romano held bitterness and spite as he quickly picked over Forces line in the corner, however this was not to be as in the same play of phases, fullback Israel Dagg gave a forward pass, this disallowed the try and gave Force the chance to keep their heads above water until half time.

                        In the second half the Crusaders began to panic as time was not of their essence and they had to be assertive in gaining the points, they then gained momentum and caught up with Force. In the eightieth minute they were winning 16-14. Crusaders gave it their all in their last efforts to run the ball and hope for a break in the line. Force kept up their intensity and held onto the victory. The match was that of one played in Coronation Street, plenty of drama, ups and downs but held it together and fought for the win. They had beaten their enemies from New Zealand and were ecstatic, so much so that Rory Walton was reduced to tears. 

Profile and Background

Manu Samoa Tuilagi profile.

Manu Tuilagi more commonly known, is quite honestly one of the best players to the new style of game. He has been in the public eye a number of times for good and for bad. Renowned for his head knocking right dig to Chris Ashton. In my eyes, he is a young version of Jonah Lomu. He has the physique of that of a prop, the speed of a back, immense amount of strength and the way he carries himself, weaving past weak arms is the same of a winger, and pounces in and out of contact is a phenomenon. He is quite a specimen, weighing at 110 kilos (Thats the same as Cian Healy) and standing at only 6 foot. He still remains only 21. This is one of his incredible feats, as he is considerably young for the starting 15 of an international squad.

He has although got plenty more to come, in terms of play and drama.

                           Tuilagi was born in Samoa. He lived there until he moved to England, on that of a tourist's visa, to 5 of his brothers which played with Leicester Tigers at the time. He was only 12 when he moved. He spoke little English, only of which was learnt in school. His first match was for Hinckley Rugby Club, playing for the under 14's. He says he was smaller and somewhat fatter than the other boys, and his first impression was that he couldn't believe that everybody else was the same age as him. In 2009 he was in risk of deportation, the visa had ran out. His first reaction was that he didn't exactly care, although when his ambitions in rugby came into play, he only became concerned then. Obviously he wasn't deported in the end.
                           He quickly made an impact to the international spotlight in his performance against New Zealand, being one of many to come. He in the match played outstandingly when he needed to, in the 53rd minute he gave an assist on the 5 meter line. 4 minutes later, he broke the midfield channel line, shaking off 3 attempted tackles to which was another assist, funnily enough to Chris Ashton. This was the point of no return, England were ahead by 2 tries with less than 20 minutes left of play. If that wasn't bad enough, he got an intercept, his acceleration shocked me as he beat any contenders. To add salt to a wound, he jogged the last couple of meters, and tapped to ball down. To not only beat them but to do it in this fashion will not be done again, I can assure you. He really is an enjoyment to watch and a player to look out for.

Rugbys changing

Rugby World Cup theory.

Rugby changes slowly, but sometimes without us realising. This is because I think, we don't see this seasons standard as higher than the last, but more playing better and keeping up with our competitors. Whats happening is the game is evolving slowly but surely. What I did was, I watched 4 matches from 4 different world cups. I chose them because, we wouldn't notice any difference from one year to the next, however the differences are a lot more apparent and visible over a 4 year time frame. Also these matches would be the highest international standard of that year...

               In 2003 in the England and Australia match, what I noticed was that there was a very fast tempo in the backline. Not as many rucks were being attacked from a defensive perspective (meaning very little counter rucking). Kicking wasn't only used to relieve pressure, but to apply it more often than not. Scrums were more sloppy and not as competitive. Set pieces were a lot more off cue and possession wasn't seen as precious as it is now. I'm not saying that the players weren't competitive, but they didn't seize the opportunities as that they could have contested. The forwards were not as concerned about winning the ball against the head in set pieces but more as the chore of the backline or error of the opposition.

                In 2011, in the the World cup semi final of New Zealand and France. What struck me were the forwards from the breakdown in defence, situated themselves as tight as they could. As the backs, were predominantly in the 2nd and wing channels. The whole teams defencive line speed was exceptional, not rushing up t the opposition, but more keeping it organised and strong. What appeared to be the game plan, was to have the forwards draw and concentrate the defence, then to exploit the wing. Having a tight rugby league style of play, then an American football exploitation of the wing, but of course with having the 10 dictate the timing and placement. With a rather play maker of a 10 dictation, which is a very technical and rather the out halves trying to read each others next move or plan.

                 In 1999, New Zealand again were playing France in a semi final. What actually stunned me was the overall standard of skills, has improved dramatically to how we are expected to play now. Having a winger charge through a number of tackles on more than one occasion would not happen in today's game therefore having tackling not as much as . (I will though give them some sympathy as this winger was Jonah Lomu) During the match there were 2 drop goals. To me this says that, the players didn't value possession and attacking opportunities as much as we do now, but rather were more reckless in their decision making ability.



Overall, we have evolved a lot from the careless, sloppy and unpredictable game that it was. We still have a long way to go, but that said it's developing at a fast rate. Rules that are being added and altered, are effectively trying to change the game into more of a free flowing game that it should be. The players themselves have gone from heavy, strong men to lean, productive rugby players suited to their positions roll.