finding a way to win the ball, maintain it and scoring tries (Gavin Hickie, 2014).This strategy was adapted by the Fiji team. When in possession, Fiji team scores ...
1
How Do We Compete Against Fiji?
By Student Sarah Succar ID Number: 12410497 Tactical Development MSc Athletic Development and Peak Performance School of Health, Sports and Social Sciences Solent Southampton University
2
How do we compete against Fiji?
I. − − − − II. − − III. − − −
Introduction Fiji Rugby Sevens in Olympics, 2016. What is tactical Analysis? Why it is important? How to detect it? Define the performance indicator in Rugby Sevens Games Analysis Match performance indicators methods of data collections Analysis of the games The Tactics used Rugby Game flow and explanations Tactics according to Ben Ryan Strategies for Attack and Defence
IV.
According to Ben Ryan , Fiji Team wins for the psychological and Physical factors − Fijian Mind-sets − Highly Fit athletes V. Conclusion
VI.
Limitations
VII.
References
VIII.
Appendix
3
How do we compete against Fiji? I. Introduction After winning the HSBC (IRB) World Sevens Series for two consecutive seasons (2014/2015, 2015/2016), Fiji Sevens Team win the gold medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. Now, the world poses the question: What is behind the successful performance of the Fijians and how do they prepare for wining? Team performance is dependent upon physical, psychological, technical, and tactical preparation for the game (Stølen, Chamari, Castagna, & Wisløff, 2005) .In this paper, we are going to focus on the tactical aspect of rugby sevens in correspondence with Fiji’s tactical behaviours during the six games played in Rio, 2016 .We will also look at Ben Ryan, “Fiji Sevens national team coach “, view in this matter. What and why?
To start with, the tactical component in a game focuses on different ways team behave to direct competition towards victory. Hence, tactical analysis for team performance is meant to identify features of game events and match regularities. These reflect on individual and team performance efficacy, and inform training and performance enhancement programs in the identified sport setting (Garganta, 2009). To achieve tactical analysis, we use key performance indicators in each sport. These Performance indicators reflect the importance of the use of space , pace movement , fitness ,and how the players use the mentioned aspects of performance of their opponents as well as themselves targeting the technical weaknesses and strength of the respective performers .These indicators will reflect on the attack and defence scheme of the individual and team play (M. Hughes, 2004). In rugby sevens, team key performance indicators are classified into different categories. Match development, scoring, set piece play, and phase play (Higham, Hopkins, Pyne, & Anson, 2014). The match development category includes, penalties, possession time , free kicks conceded and yellow cards. The scoring category includes points scored, tries scored, and conversions scored .Then, set piece play includes line-outs, line-out possessions retained, scrums, scrum possession retained. Phase play is about passes, rucks retention, turnovers (Higham, Hopkins, Pyne, & Anson, 2014). Phases play can be divided into two subcategories that include the attacking indicators and the defensive indicators. In the attack phase, we count tackles evaded, line breaks, rucks won, turnovers conceded and offloads. As for defence, indicators include tackles attempted, missed tackles, and defensive rucks (Ross, 2015).
4
II.
Games Analysis
Below is a small summary for the six games played by Fiji Sevens Team during the Rio Olympics, 2016. Data was collected from the ESPN Sports analysis website .When looking at each column, the first number goes always to Fiji team. Then the second number goes to the opposing team .For example in the part Match development Scores: Fiji scores 21 points Argentina 14
Pool A
Pool A
Pool A
Semi –Final
Quarter Finals
Final
Fiji-Argentina
Fiji-Brazil
Fiji-USA
Fiji-Japan
Fiji-New Zealand
Fiji- Great Britain
Scores
21-14
40-12
24-19
20-5
12--7
43-7
Tries Conversion Goals Penalty Goals Kick Per -cent Success Possession Clean Breaks Tackles evaded Offload Rucks Won
3--2 3--2 0--0 100%-100% 60%-40% 5--5 10--6 10-7 5/5--3/5
6--2 5--1 0--0 82%--50% 75%--25% 9--3 14--7 11--3 2/2--5/5
4--3 2--2 0--0 50%-67% 56%-43% 6--4 11--6 8--4 7/7--9/15
4--1 0--0 0--0 0--0 80--20% 11--4 18--9 15--9 2/2--16/16
2--1 1--1 0--0 0--0 67%-33% 3--1 13--1 14--2 12/13--10/13
7--1 4--1 0--0 56%--100% 87%-11% 9--2 11--4 15--8 4/5--4/8
Passes Scrum won
32--39 2/2--1/1
40--20 3/3--0/0
45--39 0/0--1/1
39--50 1/1--1/1
80-23 1/1--0/0
42-45 100%--100%
Lineout won
1/1--3/3
1/1--2/2
0/0--4/4
0/0--1/1
0/0--1/1
2/3--0/0
Red Cards
0-0
0--0
0-0
0--0
0-0
0-0
Yellow Cards
0-0
0--0
1--0
1--1
0--1
0-0
Total Free Kicks conceded Penalty Conceded
0-0
0--0
0-0
0--0
0--0
0-0
3--3
0-0
4--4
5--3
3--8
2--2
6/9vs 10/10
7/5vs 14/5
6/13vs 11/8
9/23vs 19/3
1/18vs 13/18
4/14 –11/6
3-6
3--1
4--4
3--5
4--2
4-11
SUMMMARY
Match Development
Attacking
Set Pieces
Discipline
Defending
Missed Tackles / tackles Turnovers conceded
*Appendix 1 for Performance indicators definitions as shown on the ESPN website.
After looking at the statistics, Fiji Team scores the most points in all games. The team scored more tries and conversions then all the other opposition teams. Neither Fiji or Opposition teams scored penalty goals(they were several penalty conceded in different games except for the game of Fiji vs. Brazil ,however little number of penalty was scored ,which shows that all teams where bad a scoring penalty kicks). When looking at the per cent of kick success per each game, sometimes Fiji team showed better success then opposition (Fiji vs. Brazil), in other times opposition where better (like in the games played against USA and Great Britain).
5 Fiji Team had more possession of the ball then the opposition in all games .When looking at the attacking indicators, Fiji Team succeed to do more clean Breaks, evade more tackles attempts, more offloads than every opposing team. Fiji team conceded more turnovers in the game against New Zealand and Brazil, and less in the game against Great Britain, Japan, and Argentina .This might be due to the fact that Fiji Team was in possession at greater for longer time during the games. Although, they did less rucks in each game, they had higher rate of ruck won in comparison with the other teams .In the set piece play, Fiji team succeeded to win all scrums when performed (100% success in scrum won) .Fiji team won more lineouts then the other teams during the games although they had less lineouts then the other teams. No red Cards where given to the teams during the six games, which shows great discipline in the games. When it comes to defence, Fiji teams had less missed tackles then the other teams and more successful tackles against great Britain ,Japan, USA , and almost the same when playing against Argentina and Brazil (9 tackles for Fiji vs. 10 for Argentina ,and 5 tackles for Fiji vs. 5 Tackles for brazil) . Therefore, based on the above analysis we can assume that Fiji is strong on all phase of game play especially on the Attacking phase.
III.
The Tactics of the Fijians
First, the key tactic in sevens is having possession of the ball .The attacking tactics encompasses finding a way to win the ball, maintain it and scoring tries (Gavin Hickie, 2014).This strategy was adapted by the Fiji team. When in possession, Fiji team scores trials every 45 seconds. Tries are scored after counter attack situations, penalty kicks they receive and turnovers that they win (Gavin Hickie, 2014). Ben Ryan, Fiji national Team coach, claims that the team is doing his best when it comes attacking tactics (World Rugby, 2014). Second key tactics of Fijians play is maintaining Alignment and preventing going alone .This provides linear support from directly behind the ball carrier. Hence, when ball carrier is tackled , offload are successfully achieved as the attacking side are in position to exploit the broken play(The Huffington Post, 2016 ).Also ,IRB sevens analysts opinion on going alone : “Keeping the ball and staying connected with teammates is the way to break down defenses. While it is largely the responsibility of the support players to ensure the ball carrier does not get turned over, the ball carrier also has the responsibility of making sure he does not run away from his support and into the waiting arms of the defense.”(Gavin Hickie, 2014) Third, when attacking Fiji players concentrate on the spaces in front of them. They also try to get the ball between them quickly with the least number of passes .This way, the team get the possession and scores the points. (World Rugby, 2014) Also, when attacking, Fiji team creates space by playing direct and taking the ball into contact. As such they commit defenders to the breakdown .Hence; they either offload during the tackle, or create an overlap in the next phase for the fastest players on the pitch, namely wings (Hartman, 2016b). Finally, when world rugby asked Ben Ryan about the Fiji way of play during the Olympics against other teams, He answers: “We were tougher, harder than them in the breakdowns .In the semi -finals, we got the job done .Japan, Great Britain and New Zealand, they all defended in the same way, so we practiced .We
6 went relaxed to the final game .We were determined to win the final .We try to keep the ball alive all the time .We practice the game so much that we took the breakdown out of it. Our practice touches the skills, fitness, timing, and ability to read a game .You have to allow for some sort of creativity and allow the players to play free. Have a simple framework and then they play what is in front of them what is around of them and what is behind them and that is the Fijian way.” (World Rugby, 2016)
IV.
However, Ben Ryan thinks it is more than Game play and tactics: It is about Fijians “Mind-set” and “Supreme Fitness “which helped them to win.
When interviewed at the” Think Out Loud show “with” Jay Shetty”, Ben Ryan said that some of the performance enhancement psychology was used to keep the team bound together . For example, the team used to pray together before breakfast, dinner, training and games. This allowed authenticity and alignment within team .However; this was facilitated by the fact that the Fiji team is simple, humble and grateful. Also, Fiji Team has the athletic ability and the understanding of the game. These players are always motivated and driven which shows in their everyday actions. Moreover, they have the mental resilience to learn from results and fail. For example, when going into bad games, they sit down to reflect on what they think they did wrong and try to correct it in the rest of the games. Finally, Ben Ryan admits that he is authentic with the team on and off field and believes that this philosophy is missing in UK. (The Huffington Post, 2016). Moreover, Fiji team are highly fit athlete when it comes to performance and healthy lifestyle. First, they have high endurance, speed, good handling and passing skills, which helped them to be better in the attack and defence then all the other teams. To improve endurance and speed, the team used to do hard training drills .They practiced uphill running on the heavy sand of the age-old Sigatoka Dunes (Robert, 2016). Fiji team captain said: "We had a lot of pressure, but with Ryan's training where he pushed us to our physical limits, we could cope "(Robert, 2016). Also Low Teo Ping, Singapore Rugby Union President sees that Fiji team have a high speed, good ball possession and ability to hold the ball longer .He also adds that Ben Ryan drilled the team to clutch –hold the ball longer so that passes could be accurate (Robert, 2016). In addition , according to Ross et al , faster sprinting associates with greater performance on the attack (line breaks, defenders beaten, tries scored ) ,while defensive performance measures and rucks associate with jump, sprint , and the repeated sprinting. Moreover, repeated sprinting associate with less handling errors and missed tackles and an increase in tackle effectiveness (Ross, Gill, Cronin, & Malcata, 2015). Finally ,when it comes to healthy lifestyle, the team used to train away from distractions like phones and media .Also their diet included healthy items such as fresh vegetables fruits ,lean meat ,yaqona drinking and only occasional alcohol drinking. (Robert, 2016).Moreover, Ben Ryan encouraged them to have rest when needed especially before games (The Huffington Post, 2016).
V.
Conclusion
7 In summary ,Fiji tactics included winning possession and scoring , maintaining alignment during play, finding space and moving the ball with least amount of passes, handling skills ,removing the breakdown from the game, tackling skills, turnovers and speed .However ,not only tactics helped the Fijians to win .This Team mindset and high fitness level played important role in making them stronger than any other opponent .As a final comment on the Fiji way of play ,Ben Ryan says: “We play the way that everybody wants the game to be played,” “We keep the ball alive, we do have audacious off-loads, they play with a smile on their face” (Press, 2016). VI. Limitations There are many limitations in this paper. First, the data of game analysis was collected from the ESPN Live sports reporting website. This poses a problem of reliability since games are coded once. Second, the data on the website does not clearly classify events .For example, they set the number of turnover conceded the game but do not classify how many were successful and allowed opposition to gain possession and how many were not .Same issue goes for passes. Finally, many arguments in this article are based on personal opinions about Fijian play in general. Hence, more research in the field of tactical analysis of rugby sevens is recommended for better understanding and application of tactics during training.
VII.
References
1. Garganta, J. (2009). Trends of tactical performance analysis in team sports: Bridging the gap between research, training and competition. Revista Portuguesa de Ciências do Desporto, 9(1), 81–89. doi:10.5628/rpcd.09.01.81 2. Hartman, N. (2016b, August 9). Rugby 7s at the Olympics: How the teams play. Retrieved December 12, 2016, from Green & Gold Rugby, http://www.greenandgoldrugby.com/rugby-7s-at-the-olympics-how-the-teams-play/
3. Hickie, G. (2014, June 11). Quick links. Retrieved December 11, 2016, from Rugby Today, http://www.rugbytoday.com/7s/essentials-sevens-coaching-tips 4. Higham, D. G., Hopkins, W. G., Pyne, D. B., & Anson, J. M. (2014). Performance Indicators Related to Points Scoring and Winning in International Rugby Sevens. Journal of Sports Science & Medicine, 13(2), 358–364.
5. Hughes, M. (2004). Notational analysis of sport systems for better coaching and performance in sport (2nd ed.). London: Routledge. 6. Fiji 7s vs great Britain 7s - summary - Olympic men’s 7s 2016 - 11 Aug, 2016. (2016, August 11). Retrieved December 12, 2016, from http://www.espn.co.uk/rugby/match?gameId=289992&league=282
8 7. Fiji 7s vs Japan 7s - match statistics - Olympic men’s 7s 2016 - 11 Aug, 2016. Retrieved December 12, 2016, from http://www.espn.com/rugby/matchstats?gameId=289987&league=282 8. Fiji 7s vs USA 7s - summary - Olympic men’s 7s 2016 - 10 Aug, 2016. (2016, August 10). Retrieved December 12, 2016, from http://www.espn.com/rugby/match?gameId=289942&league=282 9. Fiji 7s vs New Zealand 7s - summary - Olympic men’s 7s 2016 - 10 Aug, 2016. (2016, August 10). Retrieved December 12, 2016, from http://www.espn.com/rugby/match?gameId=289945&league=282 10. Fiji 7s vs Argentina 7s - summary - Olympic men’s 7s 2016 - 9 Aug, 2016. (2016, August 9). Retrieved December 12, 2016, from http://www.espn.com/rugby/match?gameId=289936&league=282 11. Fiji 7s vs brazil 7s - match statistics - Olympic men’s 7s 2016 - 9 Aug, 2016. Retrieved December 12, 2016, from http://www.espn.com/rugby/matchstats?gameId=289930&league=282 12. Press, A. (2016, October 28). Time to deliver: Fiji ready to push for Olympic rugby sevens gold. Retrieved December 12, 2016, from http://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/sevens/article/1998950/time-deliver-fiji-ready-push-olympic-rugbysevens-gold
13. Robert, G. (2016, November 26). Fijian rugby sevens hits new high. Retrieved December 12, 2016, from the new paper, http://www.tnp.sg/sports/all-other-sports/fijian-rugby-sevens-hits-new-high 14. Ross, A. (2015). Physical Characteristics and Match Performance in Rugby Sevens (PHD thesis) 15. Ross, A., Gill, N., Cronin, J., & Malcata, R. (2015). The relationship between physical characteristics and match performance in rugby sevens. European Journal of Sport Science, 15(6), 565–571. doi:10.1080/17461391.2015.1029983
16. Stølen, T., Chamari, K., Castagna, C., & Wisløff, U. (2005). Physiology of soccer: An update. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.)., 35(6), 501–36. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15974635 17. The Huffington Post (2016, November 4). Fiji Rugby coach Ben Ryan | think out loud with Jay Shetty Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygFmTnsMMb8 18. World Rugby (2016, August 17). Ben Ryan on how Fiji won their Sevens gold Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vSRiKaSzEA
19. World Rugby (2014, March 21). Sevens uncovered: Talking tactics Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDuoZM_A2Gc
9
VIII.
Appendix for terms definitions of the Performance indicators
Match team indicators as defined on the ESPN Sports Match Analysis Website Performance
ESPN Definition
indicators Match development
Attacking
Set pieces
Scores
Overall score of the game
Tries
Count of tries made
Conversion Goals
Count of successful conversion goals
Penalty Goals
Count of penalty goals that were successful
Kick Per-cent Success
Percentage of success kick during the game
Possession
Percentage of time of the game where team had possession
Clean Breaks
Count of times the attacking team breaks the defensive line
Tackles evaded
Count of tackles evaded by the ball carrier
Offload
Count of balls successfully released in the tackle
Rucks Won
Rucks Won
Passes
Count of passes completed during all the game when offloading ,passing between players scrums won ,ruck won
Discipline
Scrum won
Count of scrum won
Lineout won
Count Lineout won
Red Cards
Count Red Cards
Yellow Cards
Count Yellow Cards
10 Total Free Kicks
Count Total Free Kicks attempted but could be successful of not
conceded Defending
Penalty Conceded
Penalty Conceded
Missed Tackles
Sum of tackles attempted and missed
Turnovers conceded
Sum of all turnovers attempted(failed and won )
Tackles
Sum of successful tackles
