Coach’s Corner | It’s the big picture we’re trying to paint

After letting the dust settle following the two victories against Belgium, it’s time to take stock, reflect objectively on the performance levels and where it leaves us for the 2014 Asian Five Nations series.

Belgium were everything we expected – strong in the forwards and a very talented backline, that (perhaps) could have been used to better effect. That said, it was always going to be about how well we could contain their forwards and how much ball we could provide for our exciting backline.

Leading up to the first test, we (the team) talked a lot about the first 20 minutes, hammering home the message that we needed to remain in touch on the scoreboard and not giving a largely French-based contingent of players a cushion to play off.

The key to playing and beating Belgium is keeping the pressure on them until the final quarter where they "revert to type", generally suffering a discipline meltdown where they lose their shape and concentration.

Previous experience against this largely Gallic mentality taught me a few things with a harsh reminder provided in last year’s Eacon Cup final in Dubai where we were beaten comfortably by a strong Belgium team who "bullied" us at the set-piece.

When playing against this mindset during my halcyon days as a professional coach on forays to France during numerous European Cup competitions, all the games tended to follow a similar pattern ... if you were lucky!