Samoa, Fiji, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa all recorded wins against Italy, Georgia, England, Wales and Ireland respectively, with France recording the only win for the northern hemisphere when they defeated Argentina.
The return fixtures, in the same countries, take place this coming weekend. The short turn around enables coaches to consider areas of playing deficiency, be it technical, tactical, physical or mental. All will be considered at selection meetings, which always start with who is unavailable through injury.
Overall, the games between New Zealand and England and South Africa against Ireland were a performance level above the other games and ticked the boxes mentioned above.
Who benefits the most? The team that wins by a narrow margin, the team that loses by a narrow margin, or the team that experiments with playing lots of young players and wins? In this case, it is France, who beat Argentina in Mondoza.
France remains a playing enigma. None of the 12 superstar players who played in the French Top 14 final from Toulouse or Bordeaux were taken to Argentina. A message was sent to the young French players who were selected: here is your chance. “I am looking for 6 new players,” French coach Fabien Galthie stated decisively.
But it was not only those who made the trip who took note of Galthie’s comment. A 28-13 win in Argentina with a first-choice selection is noteworthy - with young players it is hugely significant. If the result is repeated tomorrow (July 13), then France can look ahead “avec delectation.”
RUGBY DEMENTIA
Learning how to win is more than playing well. For 60 minutes England were worthy of a win, but fell into the trap of rugby dementia, a Joe Biden moment if you will. If you make substitutions that limit your attacking ability, and through box kicking keep returning the ball to your opponents, you will pay a price. And England did against the All Blacks in Dunedin.
I coached for 16 years in the southern hemisphere. Even at Under-12 level, they understand when their opponents are “sitting on a lead.” Attack is in their DNA, and they will counterattack if you keep giving them the ball. Borthwick and Wigglesworth stand condemned for both the selection and use as replacements at number 9.
Finishing strong and on the front foot is paramount if you want to win down-under. Quality technique, patience and accuracy can produce periods of intense consistency. Add to the mix World class players and go forward is guaranteed, usually followed by a score.
The last time England won in Auckland was 16-10 in 1973. July 2024 would be a good time to repeat that success.
South Africa v Ireland was at times brutal. Tackling not only stopped the attacker, it drove him back. The “passive tackle” no longer exists.
When South Africa makes changes and brings on the bomb squad, the brutality intensifies. Plus, they have some extremely fast wingers.
Ireland and Leinster are beginning to lose games, not by much, but they are losses nontheless, which is a concern. Oh and it must be noted that while debatable refereeing decisions affected both sides, Ireland definitely suffered the most!
Australia’s encounter with Wales was a below par affair. It was encouraging to see the Wallabies blooding more young players but this was a tier two level game.
Wales have issues on and off the field. The return game in Melbourne may produce a similar result. I am predicting a 25-16 win for the hosts Australia.
Elsewhere Fiji, benefiting from playing in Super Rugby, won 21-12 in Georgia to dent the latter’s hopes of breaking into the 6 Nations while Samoa sent Italy packing 33-25 with pasta on their faces althlugh they will be wiser for the experience.
The Global Rugby Coach, Mike Penistone, is a globally renowned professional rugby coach based in Phuket who is also an ambassador for the Asia Center Foundation, a charity for disadvantaged children. For more information visit: www.rugbycoachingconsultancy.com.