Sam Larner

Ground to a halt

Very enjoyable game in Cardiff. Delayed now by the fact the referees can't hear each other.

But, first half was really entertaining.

I think that's smart. Beyond not sign anyone, all they could do this year was sign people who were available, i.e. not many, and hope they'd be capable enough to grab wins and build momentum.

Big problem for Newcastle is that they got the cash too late to compete this season but it is a very very long season and if they're this bad for the whole season then you can sense the joy will ebb away.

Remember, they have lost Blamire, Chick, and Radwan from last season.

Newcastle Red Bull sinking without a trace here. They are still a building team and have had to make a lot of late signings. It probably will get better but dear me, this is really tough going at the moment.

Thank you so much Simon! It means a lot and I really hope it lives up to that high praise.

If you missed my big announcement last month, I have a book out in January.

Jimmy Gopperth described it as:

'A must-read. Sam's detail and understanding of the game will open your eyes'

A pre-order makes a massive difference and you can do it here:

geni.us/AttackingThe...

In today's Substack (samlarner.substack.com) I've gone in-depth on this try and how Exeter counter attacked so well from this kick.

But, more importantly, how they simplified the game down and what we can learn from it.

1)

Rather than looking at this as 15 v 15, the Chiefs have identified early that this all hinges on three defenders and then set about isolating them to create a 2 v 1. If you want to know more about how to watch rugby, have a look at this article!

2.

In today's Substack (samlarner.substack.com) I've gone in-depth on this try and how Exeter counter attacked so well from this kick.

But, more importantly, how they simplified the game down and what we can learn from it.

1)

Before tonight's kick-off, have a look at my article looking at last night's performance from both Gloucester and Sale and how they played with depth which resulted in both positive and negative outcomes.

open.substack.com/pub/samlarne...

Sale Sharks kicked to touch for that second try (not awarded). Felt it was an odd choice

Last year they kicked at goal 83% of the time in the first half and 77% overall in situations like that. I think we will see kicks at goal start to die this year!

Data @Oval_Insights

Good flag! He only had 3 mins in the Prem last season so I didn't quite get to him in the list but I agree he looks good.

I created a Breakout XV for this season. I looked to pick a team for the season who played a combined fewer than 5,000 minutes in the Premiership last year. How did I do?

samlarner.substack.com/p/the-breako...

Delighted to be sponsoring my team
Didsbury Old Bedians via the book this year. I've always wanted to sponsor a grassroots team and now the opportunity has arisen!

If you want to buy the book ahead of our launch in January. You can get it here:

geni.us/AttackingThe...

I think I'd rather try and stop a wardrobe fall down a set of stairs than tackle de Goede.

de Bestey.....but you get me

That's that for Canada! De Goede Be Bestey tonight but the whole of the Canadian team were unreal.

Black Ferns now winning the kicking game. Nervous times for Canada.

60m break and the very next phase the entire Canadian defence is back and onside....how do you do that??

It's getting scrappy but that's not helping the Black Ferns yet. Try here could well and truly kill this off.

These Canadian hits are so beautifully violent. One holds the NZ player up and the others go into to tear the ball free. Then repeat and repeat and repeat.

New Zealand have already made over 100 tackles in this game. In the quarter-final they had made 143 tackles (to 17 for South Africa). This game feels very very different though.

Breathtaking Game! Canada so brilliant, crisp passing, accurate running, pace. Everything. Hard to see how New Zealand come back as is, but they were good when they were good. Need to do that for more than 2 minutes of the game though.

Not over yet.

Friday Tactics: Scoring Worldies What can we learn from Provence?

Want to know how to score worldies? Have a look at today's Substack all about making breaks and making them stick. With some 2v1 chat...

samlarner.substack.com/p/friday-tac...

In a year of massive upheaval, are Gloucester in a better place heading into this season?

samlarner.substack.com/p/analysing-...

I really appreciate it!

Sam is absolutely one of the best rugby stat heads around, as well as being great at communicating them.

If you're into understanding the measurements of a sport, then this book is a must have!

Thank you so much Cian!

Thank you very much Dimitri! I hope you enjoy it.