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Thread: Ball shape points towards running game

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    Ball shape points towards running game

    Ball shape points towards running game

    Spiro Zavos | September 24, 2007

    JUST about every aspect of this World Cup has been analysed and commented on over the first three weekends of play - except the way the pointy, plum-shaped Gilbert balls used in the tournament are affecting the way games are being played.

    The plum-shaped ball, a throwback to the original ball made by the bootmaker in the town of Rugby, a Mr Gilbert, in the 1850s and 1860s, seems to have a smaller sweet-spot for the kickers. My guess is that there have been more easy penalty kicks missed so far in this tournament than in the whole of the 2003 tournament.

    Daniel Carter missed his first kick at goal of the tournament. Stirling Mortlock for the Wallabies and Stephen Jones for Wales missed kicks right in front at Cardiff last week. Ireland's Ronan O'Gara missed his first and crucial penalty with a dreadful shank against France on Friday night. Frederic Michalak, normally a dead-eyed kicker, evened things a bit later by missing a kick which had a similar lack of difficulty.

    Then, in the game of the tournament so far, Tonga-South Africa, Andre Pretorius missed penalty after penalty for the Springboks. Even Jonny Wilkinson missed from quite close in during England's win over Samoa.

    One of the reasons the Springboks are doing so well is that Percy Montgomery has been the deadliest kicker in the tournament so far.

    The pointy Gilbert ball appears to flutter and drop as if it hits air pockets, making it hard to catch on the run and hard for fullbacks and wingers to field up-and-unders. In the first game of the tournament, and one of the great upsets in RWC history, Argentina hoisted virtually every ball they got towards a nervous and fumbling French back three.

    The erratic drop of the ball gave the Wallabies a crucial try against Wales, when Chris Latham kicked high, chased and regathered a ball that Stephen Jones had missed after misjudging his positioning as it dropped suddenly short of him.

    There has been one consolation for some of the players in that the ball seems to fly forever when it is properly struck. Some kickers, notably Latham, Montgomery, Carter and Nick Evans, have been bombing kicks over 70m.

    Montpellier, where the Wallabies are staying for the group stage of the tournament, has a stunning plaza with a big screen where all the matches are shown in front of huge, enthusiastic crowds. Before the Tonga-South Africa match, I saw Stephen Larkham walking easily and quickly on his way to the plaza. There was no indication of a limp or any awkwardness in his walking after his recent knee operation.

    Wallabies coach John Connolly believes the balls are less round than they have been in previous years. He said statistics showed teams are kicking more, particularly the Springboks, than they have in the past.

    There were two advantages in this for the Wallabies, he thought. First, because the pointy ball is inclined to bounce more erratically, teams are using kicks, with wingers chasing through to put defenders under pressure, as a form of attack. George Gregan, for instance, engineered a try for Mortlock against Wales with a precisely placed centering kick.

    Second, the prodigious distance the likes of Latham can get with kicks makes it an obvious tactic to bang the ball down the field, playing for position rather than running the ball.

    It would be sad, though, if the RWC turned into a football tournament. There are indications in the first three rounds that this is the way many of the teams have decided to play their matches. The opening plays of the France-Ireland match resembled a contest that might have been played at the MCG. But as France got more confident, they began to play the total rugby they are famous for.

    The Springboks, too, ran in a couple of spectacular end-to-end tries while under the cosh against Tonga. Only Ireland and England, of the so-called major rugby nations, have kicked the ball incessantly.

    Is it a coincidence that both these sides have been among the least impressive in the tournament so far?

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    Legend Contributor Flamethrower's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Burgs
    Ball shape points towards running game

    Spiro Zavos | September 24, 2007

    Montpellier, where the Wallabies are staying for the group stage of the tournament, has a stunning plaza with a big screen where all the matches are shown in front of huge, enthusiastic crowds. Before the Tonga-South Africa match, I saw Stephen Larkham walking easily and quickly on his way to the plaza. There was no indication of a limp or any awkwardness in his walking after his recent knee operation.
    What the hell does that paragraph have to do with an article on ball shape

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    (formerly known as Coach) Your Humble Servant Darren's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Flamethrower
    What the hell does that paragraph have to do with an article on ball shape
    maybe Larkham was going commando?

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    Legend Contributor Flamethrower's Avatar
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    Awww FFS. Like I needed that thought. More Rum, more Rum!!!! Gotta drink it away

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    Political correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.

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    Champion Contributor tragic's Avatar
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    ... I really don't get the point of any of that article...

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    Veteran Sagerian's Avatar
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    So.. the balls are made for kicking? wow, now there's a twist.

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    Veteran Contributor JediKnight's Avatar
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    As long as all teams are using the same balls.....who cares?!

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    Gilbert ball is 'a dog': Henry

    Greg Ford in Toulouse | September 28, 2007 - 8:42AM

    All Blacks coach Graham Henry waded into the ongoing debate over the rugby world cup training balls by calling the Gilbert practice product "a bit of a dog".

    The All Black camp is unhappy that official tournament ball manufacturer Gilbert has provided inferior quality balls for training than those used on match day.

    "We have had some frustrations trying to get the match quality ball to train with, particularly the kickers," Henry said after naming his team for the final pool match against Romania in Toulouse.

    "The replica ball is a bit of a dog and hard to kick. The match ball is excellent so when you are practicing goal kicking and line kicking obviously kicking a replica doesn't give you much confidence. There is a keenness to get hold of the match ball to simulate game conditions."

    The team's efforts to get their hands on some match balls have been thwarted by bureaucracy. They have not even been able to spirit away a ball at the conclusion of any their games in the tournament.

    "Apparently a little man in the white coat comes around and grabs those after a game and he has to sign a form and sign off to a bigger guy in a white coat - I am not joking here, this is very serious. I don't want to make this a major issue though," said Henry.

    But apparently help is on the way.

    Henry said the team had been told the situation would be rectified next week. A consignment of match day ball is expected to be delivered to all eight teams who make the play-offs.

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    Legend Contributor Flamethrower's Avatar
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    So a Kiwi got caught pinching a game ball and Henry has come up with an excuse

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    Immortal Contributor The InnFORCEr's Avatar
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    All match balls are sold after the RWC. I have a mate who has one from 2003. They are put in an official display box with a plaque of the match in which it was used. A very nice piece of memorabillia.

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    From rugbyEnews.com:

    When you get the two of the world's top No 10s complaining about the balls at the Rugby World Cup, something has got to be wrong.

    England's Jonny Wilkinson has agreed with All Black Dan Carter's concerns that the practice balls are different from those actually used in Rugby World Cup matches.

    The world's premier pivot made the comments following the match against Scotland when he landed just four kicks from five attempts. (Isn't four from five actually pretty good )

    "The balls that we're training with are replicas to the match balls," Carter said. "It's been frustrating not being able to train with the balls we play with."

    Wilkinson has also joined the debate saying: "I missed a couple of kicks against Samoa which were very heavy. Both shifted quite a way, right to left, which with no wind, is quite unusual for me.

    "The next kick, you are then asking, 'Do I allow for that, treat it as a one-off or do I ignore it?' That is the tough part, you end up playing mental games outside a game, which you don't really want to be doing."

    World Cup organisers have asked ball manufacturers Gilbert to look into the situation.

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