Do we need to get a better goal kicker to kick goals; as in the big games the kicks could cost us the 2 points to win
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Do we need to get a better goal kicker to kick goals; as in the big games the kicks could cost us the 2 points to win
I’m not sure Richardson would have kicked any of the conversions Percival missed. They were all tricky touchline attempts in a difficult swirling wind.
Agreed but to be fair he (Richardson) won us a few games last year with last minute penalties or drop goals.
It's not just having the ability to kick, it's doing it under pressure.
If we get to a game the we need a Golden Point drop goal Richardson would be the go to player.
It's a difficult choice for the coach.
Kicks today were all difficult, well the ones missed. Especially second half, both off touchline into a swirling wind.
Incidentally, the decision of Brough, Wakefield’s good kicker, to go for 2 from half way I think probably cost them the game. Better option would have been kick to corner, if not scored after 4 plays go for the one pointer. As it was, we got the ball back and game changed
this is the one area we really miss Richardson ( last season he was worth his place for kicking alone0 In a tight game Percival isn't going to make the difference ( the Cas play off game in 2017 being the best example)
Very true and should be a better player for it
I don't think the decision is as simple as a kicker or defender. So many other factors, training is a key one, who is training harder, showing a better attitude etc. Maybe Fages is edging this ATM, if so the challenge will stand Richardson well
Percival strikes the ball well enough and must practice practice practice.
Long was a terrible ball striker when he first joined us and trained himself into an acccomplished kicker. Not perfect but good enough esp in big games...
Danny Rich kicks goals play him? SIMPLES
People keep mentioning Richardson’s defence. While it is a bit wobbly I think it’s his game management and decision making that costs the team more. Turning over the ball in your own half three or four times a game because of hare-brained last-tackle plays takes its toll on a team far more than the odd missed tackle, IMO.
The tricky/frustrating thing is that in Coote we seem to have someone who makes good decisions but isn’t a particularly good kicker of the ball, while in Richardson we have someone who is a good kicker of the ball but makes consistently bad decisions.
FWIW, my theory is that DR has had it a bit too easy so far in his pro playing career. He was one of the standout players in an Academy team that was the best in the country. At that level and in that team I suspect he would have been able to get away with high-risk plays and making things up on the fly on the last tackle. Then it just so happened that the time he broke into the first team as a regular was also the time when Barba was on fire and we were making breaks from all over the park. High risk plays were coming off because we had the best player in the comp and our left edge was taking teams apart at will.
So I suspect that DR has never really had to acclimatise to playing the kind of rugby that is normal for the top level ... i.e. rugby where points don't come easy and you have to build pressure over 3, 4 or 5 sets rather than trying come up with miracle plays in every set.
My hope is that the failures of the latter end of last season and this spell out of the team will help him to mature as a player. It would be great if he did, as I think DR with some game smarts would be a very good half back indeed.
I would be happier playing Richardson now we have a bether defensive full back. Last season when he missed a tackle it was invariably a try as Barba's defence was awful at times.
Is Richardson still carrying an injury? I hope he doesn’t come back unless he is fully fit
The last tackle was a weakness last year, but though Richardson is the player executing, should it all be down to him. You would expect that we would have some sort of plan as to what we will do in certain situations, and, that senior players would have some input on the field. I know you cannot cover every contingency, and when things don't go to plan the he has to make better decisions, but very often last year he was given the ball on the last because whatever we were trying to do on that tackle failed.