Peter Bills: Ireland should run with All Blacks' new attacking philosophy
All Blacks coach Graham Henry. Photo: Getty Images
Thursday July 29 2010
He knows better than anyone that he isn't out of the woods yet. Only the ultimate success every New Zealander has craved since 1987, winning the Rugby World Cup again, can transform Graham Henry from public enemy No 1 to national hero.
You see, there isn't a lot between triumph and disaster in New Zealand rugby terms. Never mind Rudyard Kipling's thoughts about treating both those emotions as twin imposters; New Zealanders don't see it that way at all.
Nevertheless, when the All Blacks coach warmly embraced his fellow coach Steve Hansen in full view of the television cameras at Auckland's Eden Park stadium a week-and-a-half back, so magnificent had their team's rugby been it was a revealing insight into the freeing up of Henry's mind.
Somehow, even under the gruelling pressure of a nation's often wildly over-ambitious demands, he has prevailed. The man whom half their nation wanted with a rope around his neck after the World Cup failure of 2007 against France in Cardiff has emerged. And he is clearly enjoying his work again; likewise, his team.
The All Blacks are playing in a style to delight anyone. The change in the laws that allows the attacking side to be much more confident of retaining the ball at the breakdown has enabled New Zealand to produce a game of often breathtaking pace and penetration.
For older readers, banish from your minds images of those great hulking New Zealand forwards of yesteryear, snarling and brutally aggressive in all they did.
The rugby they played was effective but hardly an aesthetic delight. Today, New Zealand rugby is very different. They no longer have men with the power to smash aside all comers up front. Physical make-ups have changed.
Thus, New Zealand has been forced to embrace a more open, fluid and faster gameplan. Today, New Zealand is hallmarking for the world a new style.
It has returned the game to its original concept; namely, that the ball shall be kept largely in hand and attack be based primarily on running. The amount of kicking we have seen in this 2010 Tri Nations competition, with the sole exception of the South Africans, has been hugely reduced. Australian fly-half Quade Cooper kicked just once in the 70 minutes he was on the pitch in Brisbane last weekend. In all, the Wallabies put boot to ball only 11 times in the entire game.
This trend began with the New Zealanders. Remember their thrilling demolition of the French in Marseille last November? Dan Carter told me afterwards they had been working hard at that approach, that attacking style for some considerable time. That was the first time it really came off.
But in this Tri Nations, the All Blacks have developed the trend. And with the changes in the law interpretations, it is now up to the nations of the northern hemisphere to follow suit.
As the new season nears, which countries north of the equator will embrace this running, attacking philosophy? Even the most cursory of glances at the international squads shows that most of the countries could play this way.
Imagine Ireland, with a back line of Kearney; Bowe, O'Driscoll, Earls/D'Arcy, Fitzgerald; Sexton and O'Leary/Reddan picking up the challenge. Beyond dispute, they have the men to do it.
There are also sufficient fast, attacking players in France, Wales and England to play in a similar vein; there always have been.
All they've lacked is the encouragement of coaches willing to place adventure ahead of fear. Nor need pragmatism be a casualty of this process. Decision making is integral to the All Blacks' approach.
The difference is the intent, the intrinsic philosophy. No wonder Graham Henry has a smile on his face more often these days.
- Peter Bills
Irish Independent
