Game Management?

Perhaps originally a phrase coined by Sky Sports to explain an out-half's ability to assert a side's intent on a game.

What does 'Game Management' mean to you?

Is it overplayed in the meeejia?

Fishooks13

I think some people think Game management is something to do with being able to kick on a day when conditions don't suit running rugby. Which is complete bollocks. It's an aspect of it alright but not being able to tackle and pass close to the gain line are just as integral to how a ten manages the game

Risteard

Game management should mean what it says. Managing the game.

This should mean doing the right thing at the right time, i.e when to attack and when to kick away. When to take points and when to go for the try.

However, it seems to mean kicking the corners. Even when this is the wrong option, if it's done well it is held up to be an example of good game management. Complete bolloxology IMO.

CatFromHue

Two things spring to mind from the two games I watched in the weekend.

Connacht running the ball from deep in their 22, so deep that some of the players were getting passes behind the try line, late on in the game when they'd had no luck running the ball for the whole game. If I remember right one of their players got tackled in the in goal area leading to a scrum for Biarritz. That was bad game management.

Goodman taking the quick tap that lead to McFadden's try for Leinster. They'd been going nowhere in the backs for most of the game so the smart thing would have been to go for the lineout (which yours truely was calling for) but saw that Clermont weren't in a position to defend the quick tap properly and maybe were getting abit lax in defence at that stage. This was good game management.

Richard Hillman

My interpretation of the phrase for an out half would be knowing when to kick for territory after receiving the ball from a scrum half or continuing to pass the ball to the centre or whoever is outside him.

Its a very loose phrase in fairness. It can be interpreted in any way.

irishbucsfan

It's a completely misused term these days unfortunately. Which is frustrating because it feels bad to use it at all. It's not limited to 10s either, Boss and Pienaar are both excellent at it.

CatFromHue

irishbucsfan wrote: »

It's a completely misused term these days unfortunately

Look you need to front up when using these terms and the physicality of using game management gets you into the red zone.

irishbucsfan

CatFromHue wrote: »

Look you need to front up when using these terms and the physicality of using game management gets you into the red zone.

Yeah in fairness the people using the term show a lot of honesty

DeDoc

for me it implies controlling the tempo, territory and posession in a way that makes the oppositions task as difficult as possible, particularly when you have a lead

molloyjh

For me it's a player putting their stamp onto the game. Johnny running ball and ROG pinging the corners can both be excellent examples of good and bad game management depending. It's not just OHs or SHs though. The leaders on the pitch have every bit as much to offer in terms of identifying what's in front of them and adapting their game and the teams to suit. A pack leader making a call that they have their opponents in the scrum or a full-back identifying where gaps are and directing their side to take advantage are other examples.

mfceiling

It's about knowing who your groundhogs are, when to front up and put your shoulder to the wheel to allow your wingers to stick on the afterburners.

Who are your pack leaders, who'll come to fore to try and gain that extra yard or who's looking up to see that nobody is at home...

[Jackass]

Game management to me comes from the 10 and it is the implimenting of the overall strategy for the game. For example, playing the territory game, the ability to find gaps behind the defence with kicks and keep your side in the right half of the field, it's also the decision making process of what to do and when to do it - is it the call to put a ball in the corner, chip over an on rushing defence for a centre to chase, test a ropey full back with an up and under, sling a dummy and get behind the defence for a break, distribute the ball out amongst the backs and ability to be creative and create line breaks, when to attempt a cross field kick or make the call when you're going nowhere and slot a handy 3 point drop goal... basically, the 10 is the director of strategy and game management to me is his ability to execute an game plan and the quality of his decision making.

smurphy29

Good to see this brought up. I find that 'game management' has become synonymous with playing the most reductive brand of rugby possible, i.e. kicking the leather off the ball. It's become a calling card for the likes of Frankie Sheahan and Tremenjus who are suspicious of any attempt to hold on to the football and would be happier to see it kicked away.

Frankie's ridiculous plugging of his clients' virtues is rightly criticised, but his near-constant proclamations that Ireland, or whoever, would be better off playing a turgid, outmoded brand of rugby are just as bad in my opinion.

JustinDee

Game management is simply how to strategise when in possession or not in possession during a match.
Different scenarios depend on scoreline, how the game is going and pitch position.

Hagz

My interpretation of game-management is making the right decisions according to the situation at hand. It's not exclusive to one position, but it is definitely accentuated in certain positions. For instance a prop doesn't require any game-management, unless he's a captain, in which case a mediocre amount of game-management will be required when it comes to making key decisions and dealing with the ref.

It is mainly a term associated with the half-backs. Tactical kicking is an aspect of game-management, but so is lifting the tempo at certain moments, playing flat against a passive defence, kicking high against a weak fielding back-three, attacking on the inside against a drift defence etc etc. I generally judge the game-management of a player based on not only the consistency in which they make the right/smart decision, but the variety in which they are capable of doing so.

errlloyd

I think game management means the decision making players (either the 9 or 10 usually) always making the right decision in terms of "setting up" a game they can win.

Kicking when you have a stronger kicking game is probably the easiest form of game management. But playing the ball in the wide channels when you feel you have a more effective backrow and can control the breakdown out there better is another form of game management.

To me the definitive "game management" case study might be Juan Martin Hernandez in the opening game of the 2007 world cup. Using a very specific arrangement of tactics he managed Argentina to a position where they could beat France.

Teferi

I'd add Captain and Pack Leader who need a certain amount of game management too.

P_1

I'd view it in two strands

1- Playing the match to maximise your strengths, i.e say if you have a force 10 gale behind you, you pin the opponents in their own half with the boot. Similarly say if you have a beanpole in your pack, each lineout has said beanpole to the front to maximise your advantage in the lineout

2- Playing the match depending on your circumstances in the pool/league etc. i.e say you need a tbp you're always trying to play the match in your opponents half, pressuring to get the tries

tolosenc

Good game management is exactly what ROG does at any point in a rugby match. Anyone who doesn't do what ROG would have done has poor game management skills. Examples of such players are: Madigan, Sexton, Carter, Cooper, Steyn, Pienaar, Jones...

Sindri

It's the implementation of either a pre-planned tactical strategy or what is called for on the field. It's usually the pack and the half backs that have the most influence over the game as they deal the most with possession, and they should be trying to control territory, possession, risk management and tempo. It's really just decision making and you're ability to implement your decision as well as you're ability to make the correct decision (or your ability to make the opposition do something they'll regret).