About four or five months ago, The Mole became interested in finding a way to analyse and attribute value to the work done by each player at ruck and breakdown. Continue reading
Ruck Marks
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Tag Archives: Cuddly Warren Gatland
Attempted Burglary Thwarted
Leigh Halfpenny had a very, very long kick at the end of the game to snatch the match for the Lions. If he’d managed to get it, the Lions would have got away with robbery.
The Lions had a last minute kick to win the second test that, had it gone over, would have stolen the match from an Australian team that played all the rugby. Continue reading
Errors And Omissions Dwelt On
“And that’s my gameplan, gentlemen.” Hmmm.
Neither coach covered himself in glory at the weekend. While Ben Mowen’s shutdown of Mike Phillips was a highly successful tactic, that has to be balanced with Deans’ selection of James O’Connor as outhalf and placekicker. Continue reading
LIONS LIONS LIONS LIONS LIONS LIONS LIONS LIONS LIONS LIONS [Little Bit Of Time For Actually Talking About The Match That’s Currently On] LIONS LIONS LIONS LIONS LIONS etc.
Dylan Hartley and Rory Best went head to head last Friday night and there was only one – LIONS LIONS LIONS LIONS LIONS LIONS LIONS LIONS LIONS LIONS
The Mole was recently moved to speak out in defense of Sky Sports in a social situation. Suffice it to say that said defense went down just about as well as Randy Marsh’s appearance on Wheel of Fortune. Ohhhhhhhh. “Naggers”. Continue reading
And the Final Table Shows …
With due credit to Irish Times rugby correspondent Gavin Cummiskey, the key motivation that will have driven two national coaches in particular during this week is the potential impact that Saturday’s results in the Six Nations will have on World Ranking points. Continue reading
Match Preview: Wales vs Italy
Wales should have far too much for italy at home in Cardiff. The Welsh are a confidence team, and they're firing on all cylinders. Jacques Brunel is trying hard to find which players will play for him, and how Italy are best set up to progress over his tenure.
Italy have brought Mirco Bergamasco back into their team for the first time this tournament, as well as restoring Kris Burton to the No10 jersey after Tobias Botes’ poor showing two weeks ago in Dublin. Continue reading
The Art of Substitution
Being the head of a national rugby team is less about coaching and more about management than any other level of the game. In that role, the Mole considers that substitution is a key consideration and that Declan Kidney and Phillippe Saint-Andre both scored high on this weekend. However, Warren Gatland seems to do so every week. Continue reading
Sit Yourself Down There With A Nice Cup Of Scald And A Copy Of Sun Tzu
How Do Ireland Stop The Big Bopper?
The Mole proved himself a braver man than many of the Irish team by sitting down today to watch a recording of the quarter final against Wales. Braver than brave. Braver even than England’s Brave John Terry ©. Hand over the VC etc. Continue reading
Report Card: Wales
The Big Bopper Jamie Roberts - Sings A Good Anthem, Runs a Good Line
Wales have a lot to be happy about in the aftermath of their World Cup.
True, they came home with a 4-3 record, but this is cup rugby. If you don’t win them all, it’s better to come home with a 4-3 record than a 4-1 record: playing seven games is a better result than playing five.
Wales v France
Last week’s results came as a surprise to the Mole who didn’t expect either of these teams in the semi final. The chance of a shot at the greatest prize will be available to one of these teams next weekend. Did you expect the N-G Dragons to produce two thirds of the world champions’ back row? I didn’t either, but it could well happen. Continue reading
Digging Like a Demented Mole 