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Rugby Union
The Rugby Championship 2023
[2017 Rugby Championship] Round 2: New Zealand v Australia (26/08/2017)
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<blockquote data-quote="Penne Rara" data-source="post: 870182" data-attributes="member: 74680"><p>I believe their biggest loss was Crotty. Ben Smith's injury was really detrimental to the All Black's game plan too but Crotty is oh so crucial in defense. He organizes the whole backline and directs it as if he were the conductor of an entire orchestra. Without him, the All Blacks' defense leaks from everywhere. A strange coincidence is that he was absent or got injured during every match the All Blacks or Crusaders lost or drew recently. His withdrawal last week also coincided with the moment the ABs began to concede points. Coincidence you say? I think not.</p><p></p><p>Edit: I'd like to add that even though his work off the ball is not easily noticeable, he communicates a lot. I've seen him point at the man whom he thought would be the main carrier every time a set piece is being prepared. He litterally knows where the ball will go two to three phases in advance. He also performs rush defense at perfection. No hesitation, never misses his man, he knows who he's got to tackle and tells his inside and outside defenders who he'll tackle and who they have to watch or deal with. When play is stopped, he inputs his first five with some valuable intel he gathered from his observations. He talks, and talks, and talks. He chats a lot, really, but I bet everything he says is worth its weight in gold.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Penne Rara, post: 870182, member: 74680"] I believe their biggest loss was Crotty. Ben Smith's injury was really detrimental to the All Black's game plan too but Crotty is oh so crucial in defense. He organizes the whole backline and directs it as if he were the conductor of an entire orchestra. Without him, the All Blacks' defense leaks from everywhere. A strange coincidence is that he was absent or got injured during every match the All Blacks or Crusaders lost or drew recently. His withdrawal last week also coincided with the moment the ABs began to concede points. Coincidence you say? I think not. Edit: I'd like to add that even though his work off the ball is not easily noticeable, he communicates a lot. I've seen him point at the man whom he thought would be the main carrier every time a set piece is being prepared. He litterally knows where the ball will go two to three phases in advance. He also performs rush defense at perfection. No hesitation, never misses his man, he knows who he's got to tackle and tells his inside and outside defenders who he'll tackle and who they have to watch or deal with. When play is stopped, he inputs his first five with some valuable intel he gathered from his observations. He talks, and talks, and talks. He chats a lot, really, but I bet everything he says is worth its weight in gold. [/QUOTE]
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[2017 Rugby Championship] Round 2: New Zealand v Australia (26/08/2017)
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