Given the tactics worked and the team bought into it would this be a viable tactic should we get to the gf with Austin starting and Patton on the bench to cover 7/9 it would give us the option to massively change tactics during the game. Or could we see the reverse of it and have him come off for say Bmm for a stint?
Its probably not the type of rugby they we want to see but I think that a low error high completion rate with a dominant pack with the added quality of Austin would see us over the line against the toughest of defences.
I think wilkin summed it up best we bent in defence but did not brake, even whilst saints were making ground I think we had enough to keep em out. Whilst when saints wrre tired and under pressure from us they broke. We got into a defensive zone I've mot seen in a while from us where defence looks as enjoyable to them as going forward.
The no try calls were a joke but its not a given that saints would have gone on to storm to a cricket score as their fans seem to make out could say that linehams would have done the same had that been given.
They faced some adversity in the game and did not cope very well with it. I don't think the Knowles no try had any effect on them the repeated replays did. Not one of his team made a call for a try neither did he, they played on as normal and if anything affected them aside from it clearly not going to ve a walk in the park many expected it was that feeling of pressure on every mistake they made intensifying as it gets closer to the 80min mark. They are professional sportsmen who will have faced what they see as injustices on the pitch in every game the knowls no try was no different.