Edinburgh - how to install some backbone?

So as an Edinburgh fan I was dismayed to see the way they collapsed AGAIN last week.  They have a decent squad of players who are capable of a euro cup semi final.  So why are they playing with such poor spirit and low commitment and how can it be reversed?  Please help out a struggling team!  Ok some injuries especially to the halfbacks have not helped but to lose 14 pts when a man up agaisnt a team that on paper is not really any stronger shows a lack of something

How does a coach turn this around?  What has gone wrong?  Edinburgh a couple of seasons ago where playing high risk entertaining rugby and scoring tries for fun ( while leaking plenty) and got to the knockout stages of the euro cup beating top teams,  this season they look like boys playing men

Where do we go from here?

TJ wrote:So as an Edinburgh fan I was dismayed to see the way they collapsed AGAIN last week.  They have a decent squad of players who are capable of a euro cup semi final.  So why are they playing with such poor spirit and low commitment and how can it be reversed?  Please help out a struggling team!  Ok some injuries especially to the halfbacks have not helped but to lose 14 pts when a man up agaisnt a team that on paper is not really any stronger shows a lack of something

How does a coach turn this around?  What has gone wrong?  Edinburgh a couple of seasons ago where playing high risk entertaining rugby and scoring tries for fun ( while leaking plenty) and got to the knockout stages of the euro cup beating top teams,  this season they look like boys playing men

Where do we go from here?

Sorry, TJ, but you need to have a wee toke from the reality pipe - the O's pack is many many times stronger than Embra's

Maybe but the point still stands - why are Edinburgh so much less than the sum of their parts? why do they collapse so easily? what can be done to stop it?

TJ wrote:So as an Edinburgh fan I was dismayed to see the way they collapsed AGAIN last week.  They have a decent squad of players who are capable of a euro cup semi final.  So why are they playing with such poor spirit and low commitment and how can it be reversed?  Please help out a struggling team!  Ok some injuries especially to the halfbacks have not helped but to lose 14 pts when a man up agaisnt a team that on paper is not really any stronger shows a lack of something

How does a coach turn this around?  What has gone wrong?  Edinburgh a couple of seasons ago where playing high risk entertaining rugby and scoring tries for fun ( while leaking plenty) and got to the knockout stages of the euro cup beating top teams,  this season they look like boys playing men

Where do we go from here?

 

Did they not make the semis two years ago?

come on guys - help out a stuggling team!

2 years is a very long time in Rugby these days.

A noble plea. Couple of things, TJ:
 
1. The Ospreys in most respects are are a lot stronger on paper than Edinburgh and so it proved when they played. The Os retained the kernel of the side that did well last year and you cannot underestimate that sort of continuity, nor the confidence that comes with welcoming a number of players back after a successful Lions tour. They were also playing at home. Momentum breeds confidence and vice versa.
 
2. Nobody can take away a run to a Heineken Cup semi. It's a great accomplishment. The problem was that it papered over the cracks of what was wrong with the team.
 
3. I don't think that there's anything wrong with Edinburgh that cannot be made substantially better with time. Look at where they were when they played the Ospreys:
 
- They didn't have a cohesive pre-season because the coaching staff weren't there yet. That cannot be underestimated.
- Look at the players that they were missing - Laidlaw, Rennie, Scott, Double Surname, Du Preez and the Big Puma not there yet.
- The management have made clear that they systems they are implementing are entirely new. That takes time.
 
4. In terms of being gigantic girls' shirts and dropping their heads, that's really up to the players. They need to take a look at each other and realise that a number of them are not stepping up - Ford and Denton in particular are senior players now and they need to act like it.
 
It will all come together but it's sure as sh!t going to take some time.

I think the big notable difference from previous seasons is that I see a big shift from the teams focus on defence. Just looking at the opening 3 matches already indicates that teams have worked very hard in the off season to prevent soft tries. Edinburgh for me are a little loose in this area. They have enough physicality in the team but at times look a little disorganised and giving away soft tries can dampen spirits somewhat. Also with the new coach it will take time before he can set his stall out. He will primarily working on a couple of changes but it can take a couple of seasons before he has them playing anything like he wants them to.

Bottom line is there seems to be far more focus from sides this season. You can already see this from the amount of losing bonus points and the lack of tries scored. Matches are far closer which shows the league is fairly open at this stage. Edinburgh just need to work on getting over the gain line and sort out giving soft tries away.

Aye - maybe the high risk high tempo game of a couple of years ago no longer is suitable - Glasgow are doing well based on a stonewall defense. Edinburghs best wins have come from outscoring others not outdefending them

True TJ - this should theoretically stand Edinburgh in good stead because as Steve Meehan has said in recent interviews, defence is actually the (relatively) easiest thing in the modern game to be good at. You just need a good system in place, understand it and stick to it.

AS an aside - I have wondeered for a while if Ross Ford could do with some psychological support? at times the YIPs he has had and his demeanour tells me he has lost his appetite for the game and his belief in his skills. Or would a change to a different club in a different setup would be good for im?

Solid defence and some game breakers is what Glasgow are about look at matawalu, doth and Hogg. DTH and Matawalu were the top two line breakers in the league last year with Matawalu providing a lot of assists (close to the top, I believe).

I don't think they have to become Glasgow but I only speak of them because they are what I know best. The pack needs power and strong ball carrying.

Rugby is simple in essence. Big ball carrier running hard at their defence over the gain line. Quick ball and then you have a good chance of making in roads.

Statistically, Glasgow conceded fewest tries last year and scored the most. Even my wife knows that this is a good thing. And all she usually cares about is how attractive Sean Maitland and Peter Horne are looking during each game.

Glagow defense is certainly something every team should be looking to copy - the performance agaisnt leinster was immense

Can we borrow your ginger tackle monster? Ours is not as good. every successful celtic team seems to need a ginger tackle monster.

For all our troubles last season, we were poor at home, God awful away from home. I suspect we'll actually do OK on Friday against the Scarlets, but whenever we are away from home they look a completely different team - and that is definitely a psychological issue.

The new signings settling down will be a huge help, and we really need Rennie, Laidlaw and Scott back to full fitness. Three essential players for us.

I'm pretty depressed about it all, but then when you actually look at the results, we've lost to Munster and Ospreys on the road (teams we would expect to lose to) and beaten Dragons at home (a side we'd expect to beat on our own turf). Whilst the Ospreys performance was apparently dreadful, a win on Friday and we're pretty much where we would hope to be after four games - unbeaten at home and having lost to two of the stronger sides in the league.

Judging by what I've heard of the Scarlets this season we need to put them under pressure in all departments, as it sounds like they aren't performing well at the moment. That means picking a first choice front row and attacking them there, and getting into their faces in defence (not literally Lutui). I suspect the message from Solomons et al this well will be to keep things simple. Work hard on the defensive system and cut out the errors. Get Walker and Visser onto the ball early doors and look for mismatches and offloads. If things are getting messy and starting to break down, kick for territory and apply pressure. Simple rugby could get us there on Friday.

There seems to be a luck of guts in the Edinburgh side (if you ignore Atiga's midriff - plenty of gut there). Be honest, if a serious rammy kicked off who would you want from the Edinburgh team next to you to get stuck in? Not many - Cox and ........ em.
Well, just Cox now that Jacobsen has retired
That Georgian haddy looked like he was having an epileptic fit judging by the way he was aimlessly swinging his arms all over the shop against the Ospreys