Mike Ford Ponders

By P G Tips
June 10 2014

Last week I suggested that Bath need to work on and strengthen their Gain Line strategy. If this is on their radar for next season, the coaches will want to consider options of brute force versus guile and of a simple, direct strategy compared to an approach varying the point of attack.

Each of the 4 clubs who finished last season ahead of Bath has a different overall approach, but all have at least one physical midfield back capable of breaching the gain line and defence with brawn. Sarries use Barritt and the aptly named Bosch, Saints Burrell and for Tigers there is a choice between Tuilagi & Goneva. Finally, Quins – perhaps the least obsessed with this method- have Jordan Turner-Hall. Bath – except on the few occasions when they use Matt Banahan, do not have such an option. This could be one reason why many believe that Sam Burgess, for all Mike Ford’s claims, will be played as a centre next year, not in the back row. Perhaps indeed, he will find himself there after an initial apprenticeship as a loose forward – to experience the breakdown needs of union at first hand – as Andy Farrell did.

If Burgess does play at centre a big question will be raised over his centre colleagues. Bath already have 3 centres capped by England at full or under 20 level, all of whom have the potential to add to those caps and must have ambitions which will need to be furthered by ample game time. 4 into 2 does not go – except by rotation, which suggests that brute force will not be the only chosen ploy. Burgess can of course be used as a battering ram from the back row. If so, I believe that he should be employed as a 6. The breakdown and cover duties will be easier to learn here – without the burden of scrum control which a No 8 has to shoulder. In addition, the explosive runner to cross the gain line is more effective as second receiver than first. I can envisage Leroy Houston driving from the scrum to tie in the first tackle and offloading to Sam who has come round from the blindside and is gaining momentum as he receives the offload. Add to that the variation of a pop pass from the scrum half, from George Ford or Kyle Eastmond and there are many points of breach to choose from.

Still on the physical approach – why not take a leaf out of the Meehan book and use Matt Banahan as the line breaker from the blindside wing? This proved particularly effective at the scrum but was also used with impact from lineouts on occasion. Against lighter opponents or a drift defence he can also be used on the wide outside, which sets up a breakdown point to stretch the defence with a big open field area to attack when ball is quick.

Forwards other than the back row have their parts too & this is where Northampton are particularly adept. They use Dickinson, Wood, Lawes, Manoa, Ma'afu, Clark & Waller –either on the blindside or at first receiver and keep repeating the manoeuvre until they have either broken the line or made enough territory to move the ball wide. Bath have a similar group of forwards who can carry – Webber is a leading light & Batty stands in for him well. Davey Wilson, sparingly used, has had devastatingly effective charges for both Bath & England and of course Dave Attwood is equally dangerous. I hope we will see more forwards taking this role on – Garvey, especially if he moves into the second row, Catt, Thomas among them.

And so to guile. Last season George Ford’s flat gainline passing put Eastmond, Devoto or Joseph into gaps –usually close to the breakdown. This option proved less effective against those teams, notably Saracens, who closed Ford down. Could the answer next season be to vary the point of distribution? Both Eastmond and Devoto have strengths here. Kyle’s fast flat passes that outflank the defence get the ball wide quickly, while Devoto has the step and the reach out of the tackle to put his fellow centre through the gap in the style Will Greenwood used so well. Add in the pace of Watson or Arscott to join the line from fullback – either wide or through the middle- and Bath have the armoury to keep the defence guessing.

A sniping break from the scrum half completes the picture. The solidity of Bath’s scrum and quick off-the-top lineout ball provide plenty of opportunity & Micky Young has the break to make it tell. Peter Stringer prefers these days to pass or kick, so unless more opportunity is given to Martin Roberts or Chris Cook, there is no backup 9 who can be relied on for the ploy. Still, correctly used and with alert support, the scrum half break is one of the most effective ways of getting behind an opposition defence. Stringer will surely retire at the end of this season, so I expect the coaches will be looking to use Roberts & Cook a little more and could well have a potent runner in their sights as a future signing.

I hope the coaches are considering all these approaches. They will choose what they think works best for the team.
What is your view?

Next Week: Who will be the 2015 Breakthrough Star?

The Gain Line- Brute or Guile?

Discussion started by P G Tips (IP Logged), 10/06/2014 23:08

P G Tips
10/06/2014 23:08

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Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2014:06:23:22:37:16 by Stuart Anderton.

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Dan Wiley
11/06/2014 09:57

I think we need to have our own thoughts rather than say 'look at the top four, they've got a big back so we should.'

It's hard, certainly for me, to know what Burgess will bring, but little of what those who watch league say about him suggests he'll be a particularly expansive back. That's not to say that we can't use him in the centre channels, but he can do that from a back row position. IF that's the case then making him a center seems wrong and a waste. Particularly as we have a fair amount of talent in the centre.

We do have some strength in our backs, Roko, HA, banners and OD himself I don't see as easy to put down and will suck in defenders, which is the goal of having a lump in the centre I suppose? But they also bring much more to the game and I think that's the key, have as many attacking options as you can.

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Bri
11/06/2014 10:03

Unfortunately we don't play the players as first choice that you've mentioned,Youngs,Ford,Eastmond and JJ frighten no one and unless the game opens up teams easily snuff out our attack when we play light weight players across the board,I believe this is going to be address by the arrival of Burgess

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guernseyfan
16/06/2014 12:41

It was interesting to see in the first test how the very existence of Manu outside him gave Kyle more room to play as the ABs were terrified of the battering ram and took their eyes off the little one.

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