[sizeSIMMONS OUT[/size

As has been mentioned I think it just seems a lot longer that Wigan stay in the tackle because most of the time they manage to win the collision and hence become dominant in the tackle. This didn't happen the other way around, but I did notice Saints players came very close to a flop several times as the Wigan players tried to get up. I noticed Foster do it 2 or 3 times, as well as other players. That in itself shows that perhaps Wigan aren't slowing teams down as much as everyone thinks, it's just we are getting quicker ptbs to make the difference look greater.

The way Wigan run at the defence is something to look at too, with the intensity the run in at the defence cannot keep their ground and are forced or a player is more often that not bounced off this is giving the Wigan player the chance to get to the ground on their front and subsequently get up quicker.

It seemed as though Saints were labouring into the tackle yesterday and we paid for it by being put on our backs.

Bang on. We stood off them all game and let them come onto us. Where was the aggression?

Back in the changing rooms.

I think Wigan are very clever in the tackle.

Three men in, like most teams, however unlike most teams the third man in almost always gets off quick leaving two men in an extra few seconds. It makes you look like you're getting off faster and allows the third man to get back into the line. We were holding three men in until the last second and it not only makes you look as if you're lying on, it also means there's a gap in the line where that third man should be that can be exploited.

In all fairness Saints never played too badly, just did not get enough of the ball. Yes I am a wigan fan but not one to boast, I still think saints will be fighting for the grand final come end of season, it could be worse you could have to do back handers to go over the salary cap like a certain team have to haha

That's because we kept dropping it! (Because we played badly)

yeah those dirty pies.

oh wait they were just stupid enough to do it in plain sight. My mistake.

Wigan are good at holding the player upright for a couple of seconds before completing the tackle, so even if they hold down on the ground for the same time as their opposition, their defence effectively has valuable extra time to get set. I do wonder if we are always going to play into this Wigan side's hands, as we have a lot of forwards who make their yards after impact (as opposed to the likes of Coley, who tend to hare into the line at full pace, go to ground and get up quickly).

Having said all of that, if you complete at 60% for the first half and your opponents complete at 95% then you're always going to end up looking out-enthused.

holding the player upright longer means you are at risk of an offload, down to the opposition to exploit this rather than moaning.

end of the day, outclassed in every area, thats why Wigan won, or was it because Ganson wasnt playing?

I wasn't moaning.

sorry, re-read your post and you were actually complimenting Wigan on exploiting a weakness in the oppositon.

Everyone's pretty much hit the nail on the head in regards to what makes our defense so good. From getting as many bodies into the tackle as possible, to holding the player still before usually placing them on their back, and if possible facing their own try line. That coupled with the fact that we peel away from the tackle one at a time, all contributes greatly to slowing down the opposition's PTB.

A consequence of those tactics though are the extreme amount of energy it saps from are players. It's near impossible to keep that tactic up for eighty minutes week in week out. That's why IMO we do on occasions suffer from losing large leads.

That's why you're always vulnerable in the second half. It's why, had we remembered how to catch a ball, we could have done a Cas on you on Friday night. Fortunately for you, we couldn't catch a bleedin cold on Friday night.