Rugby World Cup 2015: Wallabies know success must be built on a defensive brick wall
ATTACKING wizards are vital but if you want to win a Rugby World Cup, inescapably there is one asset you must also take to the tournament: a brick wall.
IT’S good to have a Campo, a Timmy Horan or even a damn Jonny.
Attacking wizards are vital but if you want to win a Rugby World Cup, inescapably there is one asset you must also take to the tournament: a brick wall.
Try counts have ebbed and flowed in World Cup history but the one constant of the seven teams who’ve won has been outstanding defence.
Since 1987, World Cup wining sides have conceded an average of just 4.2 tries for the entire tournament — pool stages and finals combined. The most ever leaked was 9 tries in 7 games by South Africa, and the Kiwis only gave away a total five in their 2011 triumph.
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Australia, in particular, have lifted the trophy twice arguably based more on what they did without the ball than with it.
The Wallabies conceded just one try in 1999 (against the USA), and only and their line crossed three times in 1991.
They are stats not lost on the current Wallabies.
Australian defence coach Nathan Grey — a member of the 1999 side — said stopping tries was still seen as so important they spend as much time training for that as they do working on how to score them.
“Any team that wants to be successful in this competition has to have both sides of the ball rock-solid,” Grey said.
“That’s been proven. All the winners of the competition are teams who’ve had very good attack but also been able to restrict the opposition.
“We are really conscious of that, and so we go 50-50 in training. We do 50 per cent attack and 50 per cent defence, because effectively that’s the way the game is. We train accordingly.
“Defence is going to be massive in this competition.”
While the concession of one try in seven games is unrealistic in the modern game — particularly with the Wallabies’ high-tempo style — Grey set his sights that high when asked what would equate to the 1999 defensive record in 2015.
“For me, as a defence coach, if we could keep our line sacred that’d be perfect,” he said.
“But it is all about making sure everyone is confident in their roles, have faith in the system, and one-on-one defence is the cornerstone of everything.
“If we can get those things right I am very confident we are going be able to limit the tries being scored against.”
Discipline will also be vital, added Grey, to not only stop penalty goals but to not given rivals easy access to the Australian half.
TRIES CONCEDED BY WINNERS AT WORLD CUPS
2011: New Zealand (5)
2007: South Africa (9)
2003: England (6)
1999: Australia (1)
1995: South Africa (5)
1991: Australia (3)
1987: New Zealand (2)
Originally published as Rugby World Cup 2015: Wallabies know success must be built on a defensive brick wall