In representation, correct me if I'm wrong you're blaming the coach and I'm not?
It's certainly not about splitting hairs, identifying the root of the problem is far more important than that.
From what I am seeing from Fax and my own experience of being coached, playing etc,
discipline and tackling (or what we knew as the collision) often go hand in hand.The collision is key and comes before any wrestling side of things.
Win the collision either in attack or defense and you almost certainly win the other things such as the wrestle and in context the penalty count.
When defending, if you are losing the collision (getting rolled down the middle like Fax often are) you start to lose your discipline.
If you release early they make big yards down the middle, retreating defense = penalties, points conceded.
If you don't release early to slow the play the ball down = penalties and points conceded.
It's a simple formula that every rugby player / coach at every level knows about, we all know this.
This is exactly what's happening with Fax, reading Keal's retirement interview and speaking about his condition coming to light against Sheffield he says this.
“I probably lied to myself a little bit that day; the pitch was heavy,
they were rolling us down the middle and it was the first game."
This root cause of being rolled down the middle and penalties has nothing to do with the players you quoted who either weren't even playing, or if they were, none are playing down the middle, it's the pack's responsibility.
Can SG see this, yes.
In the pre York game interview he says.
"He thought the backs are doing okay but the forwards were pretty scratchy, they need to sort their games out".
If he's saying that in front of the camera what do you think he is saying off camera?
He tells us in the post match interview from the same game saying.
"He had laid down the challenge to our middle of how they needed to play".
Of course that would have involved coaching, not just saying it and off the field both coach and player will work together but when on the field it's down to the player.
Have a bad game on game day and the coach will do his job and pull you off, keep having bad game days and you will be dropped, again a simple formula that everyone understands.
Problem is as stated, we have no one to replace them in the pack, who's going to replace Dan and Kev for instance?
Ben, Elliot, Sion Jones all out injured and no one available on DR.
So they keep their place.
Does a player who's been told and knows he's having a second or even third chance need anymore incentive to be galvanized to take personnel or collective responsibility for his performance or actions and if he blamed the coach for "everything on the field" were down to failings at coaching level how do think they would be viewed by everyone else involved at the club including us.
Just imagine what we would say and think if Dan Fleming who lets be honest has clearly had a few poor games comes out and blames Simon Grix!!!
I just can't stop giving penalties away and it's his fault, I need to be galvanized.
Pure
100% proof.
Tommy Lee will add strength down the middle as SG stated. "He can whack em and will stiffen us up there."
Ben Kaye had his faults but defense down the middle was one of his strong points and we've missed his influence there.
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