But the question is: what was the departure from the norm? What part about it was so brilliant?
The answer is the proximity to contact that the 'gap creating pass' was being delivered from - and on such regular occasion. Sonny Bill Williams produced the most unbelievable 60 minutes of 'offloading in the tackle' ever seen on a Rugby field. His ability to deliver perfect ball 50% and even 75% of the way through a contact situation was spellbinding. Go high and he'll fend you away, go low and he will off load to whom he chooses before he hits the deck. Impossible to defend against. Sublimely gifted but is that the scariest bit?
If you change the possibilities around the lateness of the 'last pass' to a situation where it is regularly happening after the tackle has been made, and you make a habit of it, you change the oppositions instinct as to when the contact starts and finishes. You erode their confidence. The tackler starts thinking not "let me go hit this oke and knock him over" but rather how am I going to climb on to him to stop him doing that. Suddenly the area a meter or two from the contact or defensive line in comparison seems like yards of space because your instinct has been challenged and you quickly recalibrate threat relative to what's possible. So maybe the bit that is most frightening is not only that SBW can do what he can do, but that the team he plays for can do stuff right under your nose that you simply let unfold while you hover in defence paralysed to commit. As an example see Israel Dagg's try and the Crusaders 3rd of the night - and it was insanely good! Although slightly obstructive and possibly penalisable (Ellis), it had so much time to unfold that it looked so simple. I rate that as one of the best executed training field moves I've ever seen at that level of the sport. And all I am saying is that SBW's capacity to offload had a big hand in it, despite him not having even touched the ball in that move... How do you coach this? The how, the when and the support lines to take advantage of it? anyone?
Morrey
Very hard to stop SBW off loading so perhaps the plan should not be to stop him off loading but just focus on putting him to ground quickly. The plan actually involves stopping the support runners by getting into his passing lanes to prevent the offload - forcing him to hang on and take it to ground. Easier said then done but something to consider! NM.
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