Charge Down Specialist?

For a few years, before his decline into a liability Bryan Habana became famous for his signature intercept tries.

Google for Bryan Habana and you'll find endless links to videos and discussions celebrating his uncanny ability to break the defensive line at just the right moment and devastate patient and concerted opposition attacks by seeming to defy time and space to pluck the ball from mid air and deposit it under the sticks at the far end of the pitch. I've even heard Springbok fans using phrases like "If Habana can get his intercept game going".

At first that idea seemed laughable. Surely a team would not repeatedly concede possession and rely on an interception as a structured attacking weapon? Peter Bills way back in 2007 suggested that it in fact could be exactly the case and attributed the inception of the idea and the honing of requisite skills to Sherylle Calder part of SCW's back room staff in 2003 and also part of the Springbok coaching team in 2007. Coincidences?

Has Lancaster, as able and devious coach as you will find, honed in on a similarly unorthodox and deadly plan and has Charlie Hodgson been recalled for his Habana-esque awareness and timing specifically to execute this plan? Will England charge down there way to a Grand Slam? It seems on the cards.

Many might mock. But if you watch the apparently hapless England attack and followed the Springbok-esque aerial ping-pong in yesterday's match Occam's Razor might point you to the inevitable and obvious solution that this is indeed the England plan.

From 2003's 10 man game and cross-kick innovation, to the Springboks defensive offence in 2007, to New Zealand's counter-attack based game in 2011. Has Lancaster unearthed the next RWC winning revolution already? I said last week that England were about to revolutionise the game with a new bread of exciting and dynamic youngsters. I'm kicking myself that I didn't see after the Scotland game that they already had.

love the post dude- good read, id love to believe your idea. good story though

If that's the only way England can score tries it's going to be a horrible day for them on the 25th.

pedrojones wrote:If that's the only way England can score tries it's going to be a horrible day for them on the 25th.

Not if they get 6 chargedown tries.

If Hodgson gets a chargedown try against Wales, I think we can officially say this is our actual strategy

It's a good strategy when there is nothing else.

pedrojones wrote:It's a good strategy when there is nothing else.

Like setting up a new account every time you get banned from here, eh pedro?

When you can't disagree with me you come out with that?

It took a long time but Wales are great and England are donkey poop.

pedrojones wrote:When you can't disagree with me you come out with that?

It took a long time but Wales are great and England are donkey poop.

That certainly appears to be the case atm. I'll reserve final judgement for 2 weeks time

Look, this thread isn't for bickering and carrying on personal grievances, it's for hailing the worlds greatest exponent of the charge down try, Charlie Hodgson.

Maybe if Wales field just North and nobody in the 2nd half, England may scrape a draw.

I'd prefer our chances if you play everybody else but not North

We might get our friends in Scotland to do a Davies on North in the hope he can't show at Twickenham.

miteyironpaw wrote:We might get our friends in Scotland to do a Davies on North in the hope he can't show at Twickenham.

That was poor taste, mate

You are right. If someone speared North, he might be in danger of cracking the Earth's crust causing fracking earthquakes or unleashing the fiery core of the Earth itself. Best not on second thoughts.

You know it's illegal for North and SBW to play each other in case one tackles the other and the annihilation event destroys the solar system?

North was born from a black hole

Charge down specialist? *face-palm*

You might mock Rory, but we'll see as the tournament progresses if Hodgson is retained for his charge down game, or if Flood is brought back in.

Yeah, but I don't see why you would need someone who specialises in charge downs? I mean if they are going for a kick, you should always charge at the kicker.. sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Luckily for Hodgson it has. He doesn't need to specialise in charging down kicks!

Well the stats seem to point to it so far Rory. I suspect England are deliberately giving the ball to the opposition in this position to encourage the clearing kick...which is just playing into Hodgson's hands (excuse the pun).

Rory, I'm fairly sure everybody on this thread has been taking the urine

ChequeredJersey wrote:Rory, I'm fairly sure everybody on this thread has been taking the urine

It would have made a good April Fool.

I think with his new found skill, Charge Down Hodgson is pretty nailed on to start for the Lions. Those Australians like flaky Quade Cooper won't know what has hit them.

I have it on good authority that Wales are adopting a no kick policy for our game in two weeks. Can't tell you how relieved I am.

Given that hodgson was already in the eps and only got to play because of floods injury I think we can write off the cunning plan by lancaster theory. Theres just been an element of luck in him being presented two good opportunities to do somthing hes practised for years and a bit more luck in him getting the bounce of the ball to allow him to score. If it were a lancaster idea hed be all over the press taking credit and reminding everyone he has applied for the permanent job

you have to give Hodgson credit for his awareness and his ability to put pressure on the opposition, that's what created those two opportunities.

What must also be remembered is that not every chargedown will bounce so kindly either.

What is very obvious is that Hodgson is alot quicker than i and many on here gave him credit for. He really moved to get to those chargedowns.

Peter Seabiscuit Wheeler wrote:Given that hodgson was already in the eps and only got to play because of floods injury I think we can write off the cunning plan by lancaster theory. Theres just been an element of luck in him being presented two good opportunities to do somthing hes practised for years and a bit more luck in him getting the bounce of the ball to allow him to score. If it were a lancaster idea hed be all over the press taking credit and reminding everyone he has applied for the permanent job

Oh Flood was "injured" was he? PSW, how on earth do you expect our opponents to not see this coming if we're honest? More genius by Lancaster to play this one out this way. How many people were writing off Hodgson? What odds would you get on him being top try scorer prior to the competition? Lancaster surely will wait until the Grandslam is secure before he reveals his cunning plan. He's not going to start boasting about it and rob Hodgson of the opportunity for a hat-trick against Wales now is he?

I thought Danny Cipriani was the charge down specialist. 4 in a row for the opposition. Takes real skill and precision.

Possibly the inception of the idea beshocked - Lancaster did say that even Cipriani might have a contribution to make.

Perhaps he was part of a se cret training camp where Hodgson honed his talent.

Jesus mitey you could try and make it less obvious you are on the wind up. The boards are really getting clogged up with this kind of crap recently

Who's on the wind up? Mark my words, we're in for a hail of charge downs. You'll be back here in a couple of weeks praising my remarkable insight.

This tactic may be a pretty good one, especially if Hook is playing. He loves to get charged down AND throw intercept passes. Priestland is a fan of being charged down too!

France have a secret base. England have a secret camp. Wales have Poland. The rest of us have to play rugby.

Just what goes down in these camps that you need to be 'secret' about? "Okay lads, a full day of intercept training and anybody who tweets about it will be found in a body bag along the edge of a quiet lake in a few days time. Right? Okay, let's go. You up first, Hodgson"

South Africa have a hollowed out volcano that everyone is jealous of.

Yeah I heard about that one!!! It's to die for, I hear.

But I'm just waiting for Lego to have the model of it out for next Christmas so that I can make the rocks and flames and stuff and have my StarWars battle figures attack it with their lightsabers.... mint!

Big choice for Lancaster now.

Stick with the charge-down centric game of CH that has seen us sweep all before us in this years tournament, target the suspect lineout and clearance of the Welsh?

Or revert to Flood to set alight Ashton, Foden and Tuilagi?

Tricky, but I trust him to make the right call - he's got everything bang on so far.

pedrojones wrote:North was born from a black hole

I think that´s an unfairly simplistic description of the Welsh mining town North was born in.

kiakahaaotearoa wrote:

pedrojones wrote:North was born from a black hole

I think that´s an unfairly simplistic description of the Welsh mining town North was born in.

norfolk is in wales now is it?

Ok just a hole then.

only been there a couple of times- many parts are beautiful from what i saw!

Mighty paw

If this is what you can come up with in the middle of February I can't wait for your April 1st post.

Look, when Charlies comes on for Flood after 55 minutes and immediately scores a brace of charge downs against Wales, you'll be back here apologising for mocking.