Six Nations 2013

Um, rugby tactics have changed. Players are taught to tackle higher to wrap their opponents arms up so as to prevent the off load.

In terms of full-back, not sure what Foden did wrong to disappear from the frame, injuries or just poor form?

The term defensive winger was meant to refer to those who never actually score, rather than the fact they actually defend well...

Yep, and that's the traditional league way. But it often fails to work, if you don't have the bulk, and above all, the exact timing and momentum on the tackle to smother, and stop the buffalo dead in its tracks. Ashton, for all his experience of it, was doing this, and usually failing yesterday.

Tactics change, but it's still true that you can't run without your hips/legs. From tip tackles to shoves into touch to 'lasso' tackles, as far as I can see from the evidence, lower still tends to have a higher success rate. (Though I agree, feeble flailing at air, and a well-deserved heel in the jaw, for a crap tackle, achieves worse than nothing). This was certainly true yesterday!

As for the 'risk' of the 'tacklee' passing on, well - you are supposed to have teammates .... .... to cover the teamamates of the guy you're tackling.



Recent theory offers new approaches, more ways of killing a cat, but by no means guarantees 'better' results. And by the same token, 'older' thinking is only outdated if it doesn't work.

It's still true, for example, that it's better (for your team) if you are on the 'far' side of the ball when tackled (this may include turning in the tackle) - which is quite often neglected, in the hope that a player tackled when holding the ball out (forward), as long as he does not drop the farqer in the shock of the tackle (also an advantage of 'the traditional way'), will be allowed the leeway by the ref to 'place' the ball deliberately behind him on the ground AFTER being tackled. This should in fact be blown up, but is often (wrongly) let go.

But hey, .... judgments in rugby are often pretty subjective. It's the game's weakest point.

I have some sort of recollection Foden fell out of favour, as not dependable enough (or simply too lacking in bulk, for the hits???). But I'm not sure.

He has generally seemed to me better than Goode - so to speak.


I'm not sure what the value of a 'defensive winger' is if he doesn't score and can't tackle! (And, crucially, tends too often to lose the ball, on top of that .....)

Don't quite get your point here. For one thing tip tackles are illegal.

Of course you can't run without your legs but the point is that it leaves both arms free.

Your point Ashton should be taught to tackle lower. My point is that this is not the way the ga,e is coached today

You're right about one thing anyway: I didn't realise "tip tackle" was used as a crass euphemism for 'spear tackle' or rather, 'upend and dump on their neck' offence.

'Tap tackle' ~ You could call GBH a 'little slap', by that sort of abuse of language.

Tip, tap, top, tup ...

I meant 'tipping a shin, tipping one shin behind the other' - what's that called then, a 'tap tackle'? It often works perfectly - were a couple of good examples yesterday.
And it depends on going low, immobilising a leg or two.


Yes, tackling below the chest leaves the arms free (unless it has the element of surprise - as above) .... but I answered that, I thought.

Yes, I said Ashton should learn how to tackle lower. He depends exclusively on the wraparound chest/shoulder tackle, it seems. Sometimes it works. He has the strength to carry it off, when he's in the right position to get at very close quarters (on which higher tackling depends). But the evidence shows that it often doesn't. It often leads to missed tackles, tacklers shrugged off like a discarded cardboard box, or tacklers being carried along for the ride while the guy he's supposed to be tackling surveys his options.

A top back (tip back) should know how to tackle, when. Not have one hardwired patented method. Even if you are powerfully built and topfit as Ashton. To adopt the high method seems more macho than smart - to judge by the evidence of a day like yesterday. Or the match before. .... or the match before that .....

Tip tackle has been in usage for some years. I think you are referring to an ankle tap.

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beamer wrote:Well, the Irish had about 80% possession, so no excuses really for not turning it into points.

Title now between England, Wales and Scotland, but an English win over Italy should be enough given the respective points differences. Which would leave Wales trying to spoil the Grand Slam party as they did back in 1999.

At least in 1999 the English didn't have to watch their opponents of the day receive the trophy.