How can an inferior team stop the frightening NZ Rolling Maul?

The great and unbeaten New Zealand team from 1988 to 1990 were reknown for having a great and awesome forward pack containing players like Wayne Shelford, Murray Pierce, Gary Whetton, Andy Earl, Mike Brewer, Richard Loe, Sean Fitzpatrick and Steve McDowell. One of their main tactics to overwhelm opposition teams was to use the frightening rolling maul in which they would make use of their superior fitness levels and physical conditioning/strength to outlast the opposition forwards. But if you were coach of a team which contained inferior forwards to the All Blacks (such as the Wales team that played NZ at Cardiff in 1989), what tactics would you use/employ in order to try and negate the effectiveness of the New Zealanders usage of the rolling maul to break/get past your team's gainline?

Get 2 welsh players to lift drive and dislocate the AB captain in the first minute.

But tbh I don't care, NZ are a nothing country, it's 6N time and NZ as a rugby power means nothing to us, the best tourny in the world is on, but please come back post march!!

thebluesmancometh wrote:Get 2 welsh players to lift drive and dislocate the AB captain in the first minute.

But tbh I don't care, NZ are a nothing country, it's 6N time and NZ as a rugby power means nothing to us, the best tourny in the world is on, but please come back post march!!

Thats true blue. Its a great tourney. Half the sides have never beaten NZ. A fourth in over 60 years. One recently. Classy.

Yet I care not a jot at this moment in time, don't get me wrong what I wrote was crass but it's what everyone is thinking...

At this moment in time NZ does not matter in the world of rugby, they are an after thought of everyone in the NH.

perhaps...but not seemingly in the mind of the poster. Perhaps ignoring it is more mature than shutting it down...perhaps?

I'm the only poster, shutting it down is the opposite of what I'm doing!

fair enough...and the nerves before the match must be building. Which side can best learn and adapt from their initial loss. Most things suggest France, particularly at home, yet Wales played the stronger side last week and had a good second half.

On form Wales dont seem to know how to win recently but that alone will sooner or later be in itself the catalyst for a win. Its whether its this one thats the question. France would have done better beating Italy to at least have some complacency for this. Now theyll have trained and fired like the devil all week for this...

Ye I agree, and if a team have a backlash it's gonna be France (being at home, and Wales have had 7 attempts to backlash)

I just think that Wales don't stand a chance with Howler in charge, after Healy's try in Cardiff both Warburton and Falatau were lying on the floor either side of the ruck shaking their heads. JD2 looks like he doesn't want to be running these lines in attack and is worrying that his role in defence (the dive in on the ball carrier) has been worked out and he'll be exposed (he is right)

The team look like they know they are worked out and are hesitant in their duties.

Wales don't stand a chance in France without a huge France implosion!!

Mind you on the plus side Frances loss wasn't a case of silly mistakes, it wasn't the French just being inaccurate (like 2 years ago) it was more a result of the Italian pack and control, France weren't allowed to play and wilted.

True but if theres one side that can implode, its France. Top of anyones list in that department.

They might be able to implode, but are they capable of producing the kind of guff wales are capable of???

The French? Absolutely and far more spectacularly...rugbys box of chocolates if there is one.

But Wales have the ability to reach into that box and pick out a turd, if we were to have a guff off we would surely win!!!

France are a mixed bag but we are very consistantly obvious and poop

Thats enough of that. Its still 15 players against 15. I'm giving Wales a shot at this because they have enough good players to turn things around. They'll know the pain 100 times worse than you and sometimes that does things to people...believe...! At least the only way is up...just a matter of time and it may as well be now...

I hate the phrase 15 against 15, it highlights just how big the gap is between the teams!!!

The players are busy interviewing about how many mistakes they made last game, Ive seen JD2 talking about his inability to pass and how hard he's been working on it, Jones on how poorly the pack is going at the ruck and even Howler talking about being glad players are taking responsibility for the losses... WTF?!?!?!

Bluesman, I have TV 5 and Canal+ on my cable tv. I was watching interviews with the French squad today and all they talked about being inaccurate, not enough effort, no go-forwards and so forth. They were either talking about the Maginot Line or the match against Italy. Change the language and accents and word for word, we have the Welsh comments.

I think this will be close and will be won by a Halfpenny or Basteraud.

And by the way, to stop an opposing maul is easy - you cheat: Pull the darn thing down and 90% of the time the referee won't see it.