Being a Saints fan, I'm quite intrigued about how you feel about the way you charge down the kicker. You're the only team in the league who does this regularly, and you are obviously very good at it, but do you think it is a benefit or do you think it hinders your team?

Let me explain...

On Friday night you must have charged down four or five kicks, but only one of them resulted in a turn-over (from memory) and the others just resulted in a new set of six for us. I know you play the game in a high risk sort of fashion, but gifting your opposition another 6 tackles can be damaging, especially when you play the better teams don't you think?

For instance, you had us pinned down in our own half for 4 tackles and when Wilkin (I think) went to kick the ball away Bridge charged down the kick and it fell straight to Lomax and instead of you starting your set around the half way line, you ended up having to take the ball off your line as a result of the extra set. It probably would have been more beneficial to allow Wilkin to kick the ball in that situation, possibly?

Compare that to how Wilkin put pressure on Ratchford in the second half. Here, Wilkin went to tackle Ratchford who was shaping to kick and he forced an error, whereas if it was Warrington maybe you would have gone to charge down the kick and may have conceded an extra set in a crucial period of the match.

I know it's a minor point really, but given how the rules stand I think you are better off putting tackle pressure on the kicker as opposed to putting your hands up to try and charge a kick down? What do you think about this?

i thought this year they were stopping the wiping the tackle count after a charge down?? did this get trialled or have i just made this up? i think it would be a good rule change tho

I sort of agree but if we had had the likes of say Briers I would argue thwt we would have been able without a doubt stop you

I understand that it was trialed but they didn't approve it.



I don't understand what Briers has got to do with the discussion I've tried to provoke?

in regards to it being a help or a hinderence i think we are a team that live by the sword so we will take those risks personally i like the pressure on the kicker but sometimes it is like you dont have to do that

I think its a ridiculous tactic - Instead of being almost certain of regaining possession, we turn the situation into a lottery, with the odds stacked in favour of the opposition and only an outside chance of coming away with something positive.

Perhaps its an admission that we have a full back who is now so slow, that unless we stop the kicker, then its highly likely we will be pinned back in our own 20?

Great tactic, builds pressure and makes the kicker stand deeper, but it must be executed better than last night.

We barely ever get the ball back from it, needs to be cut out.

09 10 and .11 it came off, last year it was noticed that it wasn't working as well, in fact I think it was Monas in the saints game down here where it went off the boil.

Whether its just cos no one else is following up the charger to assist I don't know. I think there's a time and a place for it, when you've got some momentum



I'd rather we keep doing it though, I'd rather kickers still had to keep it in the back of their minds

The kicker knows he has to drop deep, if he's dropping deeper he's also leaving 12 players offside, i like the tactic but we just need a couple more guys switching on and following up.

A thought to the reason it's not paying off... we're the only team playing the tactic so teams are preparing for it a little? Maybe?

I think the charge down should not be put back to Zero tackle puts pressure on the last play and kicker and would make game more interesting !!!

Its catch 22 with charge downs..You let the player put the kick in and he may kick 40/20 or a very accurate bomb/grubber resulting in a try... Or as has already been said the charged down kick goes back to the opposition resulting in another set of 6...
Personally i like that we put pressure on the kicker and go for the charge down.

Keep the pressure on the kicker, pressure them into poor kicks or mistakes.

A charge down can go anywhere, it's a gamble, but not as much of a gamble as going for an interception for example and as long as the rest of the team are switched on and ready for the chance of a loose ball, turn up the heat.

It is a low percentage play. Usually leads to back to back sets which is hardly a good outcome.

100% agree. It is a nonsense tactic. Why deliberately give yourself extra defending to do? Which is invariably what happens each time. It may be ok against lesser teams, but when you are up against teams at the top end of the table the one with the most possession usually wins, so why keep giving them the ball back.

Its turned into a rubbish tactic this year so far. I beleive that this is case because in previous years we seemed to have had two players charging at the football so that one makes contact and the other is available to pick up the scraps. this year it appears that it is one out stuff which gives the percentage of pick up back to the kicking team.

I think it is only a successful charge down if the same player who charged it down is the first to touch the ball again but if a team mate plays the ball first i think it 's classed as a knock on.

Hate chargedowns, just about to get the ball back and you decide to make it a 50-50 gamble. should be left to desperate situations.

The idea of the charge down is to keep the chasers back as much as making the kicker stand deep. If you watch when we kick, the middle men are generally infront of the kicker and on kick chase before the kick has come, resulting in less meters from the fullback/winger, so starting the set deeper in the opposition territory. Teams now can't do that, incase the ball comes back and you get a break away. I'd stick with it

I hope you made this up.

IIRC it was trialled in the Boxing Day fixtures, and I assume wasn't adopted for this season. Below is a quote from a report of a Boxing Day game:

"The next of the changes comes with the charge down rule. As was the case, for as long as I remember, if you attempt to charge a kick down and the kicking team regains the ball the tackle count is restarted. Not now, charge downs no longer alter the tackle count."

As has been said, trialled but not adopted into the rules.
Saints must have had a number of repeat sets following a re-gather after a charge down. Repeat sets are energy sapping for the defending team and I'm not sure why Wire still continue to do it.

But we nearly scored off it trouble is the players that are doing it are the slow players i.e. Monaghan.

Good tactic though just needs to be executed better i think

Monas may be slow but his speed of thought isn't.
It's other players that need to switch on.
If that rule had come in it would sure make the game interesting.
I like the idea that if you recover a kick you've just had charged down you're still on the same tackle.
We'd have had 100% success if that had been the case.

No, it isn't a knock on.