Stop carrying out a plan and start planning to fight

Rieko Ioane scores one of six tries for the All Blacks in Sydney Picture: Getty Images

The column last week was about more than the haka but, nonetheless, the comments poured in.

The majority of you believe that, as Lyn said: “It (the haka) is boring and bullying. Not a great spectacle.”

Gerald summed up the sentiments of most: “There is no reason why the All Blacks should start a match with this haka advantage. It is actually unbelievable that World Rugby allows it to continue. I love everything about New Zealand and admire the wonderful All Blacks, but the haka? Get rid of it now.”

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However, to more important issues — Saturday night, Suncorp Stadium, 7.45pm.

Horatio Nelson was the most famous admiral of the Napoleonic Wars and has been celebrated as the greatest sea warrior in ­British history. He knew a bit about winning battles.

The decorated military correspondent J.F.C. Fuller wrote: ­“Admiral Nelson did not fight in order to carry out a plan; instead he planned to carry out a fight.”

There is a lesson here for the young Wallabies defence coach, Matt Taylor. Taylor’s defence system has been carved up by the All Blacks in this Bledisloe Cup series. In three Tests, 12 tries conceded. In game one, two tries; in game two, four tries; in game three, six tries.

Instead of getting stronger in defence, the Wallabies are getting worse. If the trend continues at the same rate, we will concede eight in Brisbane.

The statistics say the Dave Rennie/Taylor defence system is not fit for purpose. It’s time to go back to the drawing board and ­design one that can allow us to fight and win.

Taylor is a young Australian coach who has made a bit of a name for himself in Scotland; but if he’s to hold down a job as the Wallabies defence coach, he needs to understand the things that he did in Scotland will not work against the All Blacks. The All Blacks’ attack is in the hands of Brad Mooar, the former Crusaders’ attack mastermind, well known for his deception and innovation.

The proof is in the pudding. His attack in Bledisloe III in Sydney produced 43 points and a record score over Australia. That is impressive, considering the Anzac Tests have been played for 117 years. What’s more impressive is that the All Blacks could have scored at least two more tries.

The Wallabies can win in Brisbane, but to do so will require a major change to the current ­defence system.

It’s time for the coaches, ­Rennie and Taylor, to accept that what they did defensively in ­Scotland won’t pass muster here. Swallow some pride and change the defence, urgently.

First, set a defence target for the team. The statistics say if you can hold the All Blacks to 15 points, the Wallabies can win. So all over the change room walls, I would have the number 15 on posters.

One small coaching tip. You can’t tackle a person successfully if you put your hands up before you get your feet in position. Too many times we saw our defence reaching for the ball carrier instead of getting their feet near him before they used their arms.

It’s no different from playing a forehand in tennis or a straight drive in cricket. The feet come first. Then the head, and then the bat, or the racquet, or the arms.

Second, the defence structure must change in general play. We are currently playing with two fullbacks. Where on Earth does this nonsense come from?

The great Wallabies fullbacks Alec Ross, Terry Curley and Roger Gould would have walked off if the coach had suggested that they were incapable of defending their position on their own.

If you can’t defend according to the number on your back, you shouldn’t be there. Play with one fullback.

The wingers can defend on the wings and can drop back to help cover kicks. That strategy is as old as God’s dog.

If we do this, we effectively have three fullbacks when we need to cover an opposition kick.

This is what winning Wallabies teams have done in the past. Are we trying to reinvent the rugby wheel?

Thirdly, when we are ­defending our tryline, we must be better organised. The All Blacks exposed us on the blindside ­multiple times.

The current defence system has our hooker and our halfback defending the blindside in our 22. This is nonsense.

Blindside defence is simple. On the put-in side, our halfback defends straight; the breakaway on that side defends outside him, straight; the winger defends outside the breakaway, straight, and remember the touchline is also a defender.

Let the attack go around the defence and be forced into touch. We always have 17 defenders — 15 players and two touchlines.

The notion of a hooker defending on the blindside, in broken play, is ludicrous.

And why were we asking our halfback to mark Caleb Clarke?

Our hooker is a tight forward and he should be in the tight work with the other tight five. That means our backrowers can defend the fringes of the ball.

This is not rocket science. Surely our national coaches are across such simple detail.

There are three things that can turn around the Wallabies’ defence that leaked six tries last Saturday.

Start with a target of 15 points. Have a simple strategy to cover kicks. Defend the set play edges with backrowers.

I might add, on the non-put-in side, the defence should be just as simple as well.

The breakaway defends straight; the No.8 defends straight outside him; the winger defends straight outside the No.8; and the touchline looks after the rest.

But we need some warriors, like Horatio Nelson. Or the great military strategist Sun Tzu, in his famous written work, The Art of War.

Sun Tzu said: “Rapidity is the essence of war; take advantage of the enemy’s unreadiness.”

If we take the initiative and change the defence system, keep it simple and take advantage of our enemy’s unreadiness, our ­fortunes can be turned around.

But are we humble enough to admit the need for change?