Room for our Wingers

[smalldell]

I am no rugby coach, but every time our wingers got the ball and this has been the same all season, they have no room to operate in.

We run across the field. I thought TV showed how dangerous he can be but he was not given the opportunity to exploit his undoubted pace...If this carries on TV will pact his bags and leave and go to a club that will exploit his pace...thats every other club in the premiership.

[MJ Chairman]

with modern drift defences there often isn't room for wingers on the outside unless on the breakout. That is why someone like Paul Sackey is so effective because he comes looking for work and untill varndell learns to do the same thing he will continue to be under used. Just watch Scott hamilton when he arrives he will never be far from the ball when it is on his side of the park

[unohoo]

with modern drift defences there often isn't room for wingers on the outside unless on the breakout. That is why someone like Paul Sackey is so effective because he comes looking for work and untill varndell learns to do the same thing he will continue to be under used. Just watch Scott hamilton when he arrives he will never be far from the ball when it is on his side of the park

Eh?
Tom's got to go looking for the ball.
Scott Hamilton is never far from the ball when it's on his side of the park.

These statements seem slightly contradictory. Tom is never far from the ball when it is on his side of the park.

And if Tom comes off his wing looking for ball, and an opponent breaks through on that and Tom is not there to stop him, you'll criticise his defence!

[bc]

I was going to start a similar thread. After last nights game (and the Cardiff game) I am concerned about the back play. We do not give the wings any space to operate in and while looking for work is important it must not be over played as you end up cluttering midfield and have players out of position.

What the last games have done is highlight just how important Mauger is to us. He commits people to the tackle while always looking to off load therefore creating space. You very rarerly see him move sideways across the pitch. I do not see any other centre at Tigers with the skills to play inside centre and therfore create the spece outside for wingers to operate more effectively.

[Simmo]

Here's one to add to the debate.....we're missing Goodey. He helped get the ball across the backs quickly.

[chinnjamie]

As i said on a previous post, i thought Dupey was slow getting the ball out of the rucks last night to start with, and then there didnt seem to be enough offloads in the tackle and no creativity most of the time. We scored 3 tries, one was a penalty try from good work through the forwards, one was scored right at the end through a Sale mistake, and then one from good work from Tom Varndell. Apart from Varndells try our backs looked clueless i thought, and you could tell it was a backline that was playing together for the first time this season.

[smalldell]

12 and 13 both need to commit tacklers, off load and stop the defence drifting. Ranbeni often drifts taking 2 or 3 defenders with him an eating vaulable spacefor those outside. This is why Hipkiss is effective, he takes the ball in and keeps going forward.

As for slow ball from Duprey, agree, but have to say Elliis' delivery has been no quicker....

[Rozza]

As we have the narrowest pitch in the Premiership, perhaps the opportunity provided by the redevelopment could be taken to widen the pitch thereby creating more space for our wingers.

[Pete]

Or more space for the half-backs and centres to run laterally!

[westy154]

As we have the narrowest pitch in the Premiership, perhaps the opportunity provided by the redevelopment could be taken to widen the pitch thereby creating more space for our wingers.

Our wingers should be used to this. The opposition wingers are the ones who will struggle with a narrower pitch. By widening it, you will be merely making it easier for oppositions to play their natural game...

[kornboy130]

Eh?
Tom's got to go looking for the ball.
Scott Hamilton is never far from the ball when it's on his side of the park.

These statements seem slightly contradictory. Tom is never far from the ball when it is on his side of the park.

And if Tom comes off his wing looking for ball, and an opponent breaks through on that and Tom is not there to stop him, you'll criticise his defence!

What is meant is that Tom is not always in-field looking for the ball, infact he barely ever is, even if its on his side of the park (which could be as little as 1mm to the left or right of the centre of the goal posts) and to come looking for the ball in field, you don't have to be on the other side of the pitch - Hamilton is a good "finder" of the ball - always popping up around the place.

As for defence - it would take one very odd winger to come looking for the ball in-field when his own team is not in possesion. There are also very few turnovers fast enough that if Tom was in field looking for the ball - that the opposition could spread it wide to exploit the small space on the outside.

[MJ Chairman]

thanks Kornboy you explained what I was trying to say much better than ever could.