The changing of seasons helps Premiership provide the perfect balance of running and attritional rugby, according to Shaun Edwards writing in The Guardian.
"Well, the referees have to be applauded, particularly for the way they have been controlling the contact area. Tacklers who do not release after the tackle and who try to strip out the ball before they have released their opponent are now being penalised ruthlessly, so the breakdown has become more clear-cut and the ball recycled faster.
"Quick ball means continuity and a flowing game but the change in emphasis has also altered the mind-set of defences at the breakdown. Fewer defenders are being committed directly to the breakdown, instead there has been a growth in counter rucking, one of those new-found skills which has come to show just how far ahead of the game the Lions coach, Ian McGeechan, tends to be.
"When Sir Ian moved to Wasps six years ago, vigorous counter rucking was one of the areas of our game he improved. Now others have learned that instead of competing directly for the ball they are often better off clearing opposition players from the areas above and around the ball.
"Another development to catch on is the Irish idea of using a couple of defenders to keep the tackled player off the ground while he is stripped of the ball – something we saw a lot of when England lost in Dublin during the Six Nations – and, while it is mostly perfectly legal, referees are going to have to be extremely harsh on those defenders who apply a headlock as they go after the ball."
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