Best tactics?

Rory Best is injured. However he's not injured enough to sit out the Scotland match. He is a hooker and it seems his rib/shoulder injury could affect his throw. However he is a talisman and given Ireland's injury list he is the natural choice as captain and has to play.

You are the Scotland coach. Behind closed doors, what tactics do you tell your players to employ?

Bakkies botha!

biltongbek wrote:Bakkies botha!

Believe me, if the Scots there was any chance that he had a Granny from Glasgow they would argue that he had not been made fully aware of the ramifications of accepting a Springbok cap and so was eligible to turn out for them!

Target the lineout. Best always has a dodgy throw or two in him. With a new second row I fear this will be an area we will struggle.

"Be careful and watch your step, lads. Mind that poor fella, Best. He's injured so don't be annoying him or too hard on him. He's a shockin' nice lad and we'll try and work around him.

Go out now, like a good bunch of lads, and kill every last one of them bloody Irish f***ERs!!!!"

Biltong, would Botha accept any hints or would he feel that a coach telling him how to injure people would be a slight on his professionalism?

Glas, I can tell you that Bakkies believes in being hard, but legal in his actions.

If you look over his career, he has been carded many times and had one or two mind explosions like when he did the head butt on the NZ scrum half ( can't remember his name now.)

But there will definitely not be a hidden or secret agenda to go and purposefully end someone's match or career.

Well done, I almost believed you.

Let me put it this way. Would Scotland be professional if they didn't seek an advantage by exploiting Best's weakness? I believe there are ways of doing so without seeking to maim him. After all you want to keep him on the field.

What I suggest
1 boring in by the tight head
2 attack the fringe if he is defending there
3 kick off to him
4 kick to touch as much as possible in the first quarter
5 one high one low in tackling him
6 if he's silly enough to have his back to you in a ruck or maul drive into him

Yeah, look if he isn't 100%, the best way is to put as much pressure on him as possible.

Glas a du wrote:Well done, I almost believed you.

Let me put it this way. Would Scotland be professional if they didn't seek an advantage by exploiting Best's weakness? I believe there are ways of doing so without seeking to maim him. After all you want to keep him on the field.

What I suggest
1 boring in by the tight head
2 attack the fringe if he is defending there
3 kick off to him
4 kick to touch as much as possible in the first quarter
5 one high one low in tackling him
6 if he's silly enough to have his back to you in a ruck or maul drive into him

I was being funny in my Scottish dressing room quote...but I was also being quite serious, Glas. Of course you'd do all that. It's your duty to play him hard. No not try to maim him of course, but if he's on the side, he can only expect what a tough game brings. Plus, he'll know he's an especial target. It happens. By declaring himself fit enough to take to the field he is declaring himself ready for the assault. It's rugby, he knows that.

He's had a pretty serious injury to his neck before though and was out for a year... so his injuries issues are - well, could be major ones if it's that region again that is affected

But it's international rugby, no quarter asked or given. There is a line. It bewilders me though when coaches defend players that quite clearly cross it.