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OK this is going to take a stretch of the imagination, but just hear me out before saying I am being silly.
I don't know if everyone has noticed it, but the last couple of weeks, all of the Australian based Super14 teams have been under performing. Admittedly all of the Australian Teams have had a shocking run of injuries, except the Force (touch wood, throws salt over right shoulder and spins around three times and spits). But there are a couple of other things.
All of the Australian Teams are struggling in the Line Out this year and all of the Australian Teams Back Lines are running with a serious lack of imagination and Back Line moves that were once a thing of beauty and precision are non-existent.
Have a think back - or if you have the games recorded, how basic are the Line Out Throws? Gone are the days of the movement of the Jumpers/Blockers in the Line Out recently it would appear that they have gone back to the days prior to Rod McQueen and the Brumbies, throwing the ball to 2, 4 or 6. That's it. How many Australian Hookers are being pinged for not throwing the ball in straight at the Line Out?
And what has happened to the Back Lines of the Australian Super 14 Teams. gone of the days of the wrap around of the 5/8th to the Inside Centre and the cut out pass to the flying winger. The last 3 games the Western Force back line have put the ball through the hands of every single player, including the FullBack Drew Mitchell. In the recent loss to the Lions during the second half the Western Force team was strung out across the paddock and managed to string together enough passes to cross the paddock, TWICE! they probably gained about 15 metres. In all of this the backline is incredibly flat and not running on to the ball, in fact they are almost standing flat footed. It is very difficult to score points against quality opposition with a backline that would appear to have no plan, and no attacking options.
I entitled this post Conspiracy Theory. Here is why.
Its all a plan by the ARU to lull New Zealand and South Africa and to a lesser extent England and France in to a false sense of security leading up to the Rugby World Cup in France.
Its the only thing that makes any sense.
The Coaches and Administrators of our four Super 14 Franchises all sat down together and agreed to sandbag for this Super 14 Season in a lead up to the Rugby World Cup.
Lets face it mtbeaver and Shaun and the boys backlines are probably playing with more imagination and flare in the Perth Schoolboys Under 16's then what we are seeing by the Australian based teams at the moment.
I want you to think back to the Rugby World Cup of 2003 here in Australia, and how the Wallabies were under performing leading up to the Competition and how critical the Rugby Journalists and even the Australian Rugby loving public were writing the Wallabies off. Even during the pool matches everyone was saying how bad we were playing and that once we reached the Semi-Final against the All Blacks we were going to be blown off the park. Look what happened. We belted the All Blacks. A stunned New Zealand Rugby Sacked their Coach because of it. The Wallabies went on to almost win the Rugby World Cup of 2003, making it to Extra Time before Jonny Wilkinson kicked his way in to history.
That's my theory. Thanks for reading it.
I will now sit back and accept your ridicule.
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Originally Posted by Sagerian
