Game management ... Again : Fri Aug 17, 2018 12:52 pm  

Good match last night, thought we give it a real good go, first 25 minutes was really good stuff. I really enjoyed the Rugby and I bet it was a good match for the TV. Then we lost patience and just started to push passes that were not on, we looked like we felt we had to score in` that `set and forgot about controlling our sets, getting to the kick, etc etc. As a result we only completed 2 of our last nine sets in first half. Saints were good and I thought Richardson was excellent, but their defense is great.
I wonder sometimes about our coaches, last night after we had scored when down to 12 men there was two minutes left on the sin bin, the cameras were on Moanaham were was making the signal to our players to keep playing to push on, this was the wrong message, the correct play would have been to play a steady 6, five drives, get to the kick and put the ball in touch for a scrum, this would have run the sin bin clock down and returned us to a full complement of players with only 6 points in the match. So because Moanaham was instructing us to push on we decide to ask PP to run a line of Miller who gives him a pass that PP is simply not equipped to take, we drop it, in our half and Saints score in the next set - game over.
We have got to learn to be more patient , play more conservative, look after procession, build pressure, we do this and we can beat any one ..... well obviously not Hudds and Cas.

Re: Game management ... Again : Fri Aug 17, 2018 1:27 pm  

bellycouldtackle wrote:

Good match last night, thought we give it a real good go, first 25 minutes was really good stuff. I really enjoyed the Rugby and I bet it was a good match for the TV. Then we lost patience and just started to push passes that were not on, we looked like we felt we had to score in` that `set and forgot about controlling our sets, getting to the kick, etc etc. As a result we only completed 2 of our last nine sets in first half. Saints were good and I thought Richardson was excellent, but their defense is great.
I wonder sometimes about our coaches, last night after we had scored when down to 12 men there was two minutes left on the sin bin, the cameras were on Moanaham were was making the signal to our players to keep playing to push on, this was the wrong message, the correct play would have been to play a steady 6, five drives, get to the kick and put the ball in touch for a scrum, this would have run the sin bin clock down and returned us to a full complement of players with only 6 points in the match. So because Moanaham was instructing us to push on we decide to ask PP to run a line of Miller who gives him a pass that PP is simply not equipped to take, we drop it, in our half and Saints score in the next set - game over.
We have got to learn to be more patient , play more conservative, look after procession, build pressure, we do this and we can beat any one ..... well obviously not Hudds and Cas.

Totally agree, I thought the pass that PP spilled was the turning point of the game and yes, we were far too impatient, which resulted in coughing up possession early in the count, gifting Saints field position.

Having said that, when the Miller pass was spilled we were in the ascendancy and it "could" had led to something but, you're spot on.

Re: Game management ... Again : Sat Aug 18, 2018 12:22 pm  

I reckon the collapse in the first half was symptomatic, the dropped balls neither here nor there.
Give them 7 from their 20 is not the best end to a set, but you have to be able to defend that mistake well, like you did for the first half hour.
Despite coming on strong for a lot of the 2nd half, those 3 back to backs in 10 minutes in the 1st took the game, we were always gonna be pushing the envelope and making mistakes after that.
I'd rather we did that though, push it, if only in hope rather than expectation, its difficult to alter the course of a game at that stage just banging out good sets when you're up against decent defense.

Re: Game management ... Again : Sat Aug 18, 2018 12:50 pm  

Thought we looked lost in attack and relied more on individual efforts from the pack to play off the back of, off the cuff. When it came to trying to throw any sort of attacking shape at them we were poor and I thought our last tackle options really need some work. Could well be though that we played as well as Saints allowed us to as they are head and shoulders the best side so far in the comp other than the last couple of games obviously.

Re: Game management ... Again : Mon Aug 20, 2018 9:36 am  

Tommy Duckfingers wrote:

Thought we looked lost in attack and relied more on individual efforts from the pack to play off the back of, off the cuff. When it came to trying to throw any sort of attacking shape at them we were poor and I thought our last tackle options really need some work. Could well be though that we played as well as Saints allowed us to as they are head and shoulders the best side so far in the comp other than the last couple of games obviously.

I thought it was more the latter; I don't mind seeing a bit of adventure to try to claw back a position in a game, especially against a side that have a super-organised and committed defence against set plays - if one of those off the cuff moves had come off, the deficit would have been reduced to something more manageable and the whole tone of the game would have changed. Saints grew in confidence during that stint - and when they start chucking it about, they're very difficult to deal with.

On balance, I didn't mind the defeat; they're a brilliant side with some amazing individual talent and are now, very well coached - they were good for the win in my view.