I'm putting this up for feedback coz I'm not sure if I'm convincing myself of my own bulls*** or not.
What I've noticed in the last few weeks, "calmly" observing our team on field is, as I've said before, the seeming lack of structure around the play of the ball. In a contested situation the ratio of any teams players in the scrum verses the possibility of winning the contest isn't linear. So for example, if team "A" has 2 players, and team "B" has 4 players, team B's chances of winning are not double that of team As, but only marginally more because of all the other factors involved, particularly the decreased chances of a controlled outcome because of the increased numbers of bodies.
So with what seems to be Richo's game plane of "numbers to the contest", the resources that get committed to the contest become statistically less effective as numbers increase. What I see is that we are simply crowding extra players just outside the contest within a 2(or so) meter radius, whilst the oppo are committing the same numbers to the contest but setting their extra players further out in clear and repeated structures that allow them to clear the ball out if they win. Whilst our guys (if they win) are literally standing next to a teammate and only 2 meters (max) from the oppo player/s, meaning there is simply no good option to pass off to once we get possession. So in short we are committing more and more resources to an increasingly less likely outcome to try and cheat the roll of the dice, and other teams are playing the odds whilst structuring up to take advantage of any possible win.
So with what's going on Saints commit 4 players to a get a 40% chance and the oppo commit 2 players to get a 30% chance, meaning we double the resources committed for only and extra 25% chance of wining. But coz those resources are taken from the ball clearing area just outside the immediate contest, our ability to clear the ball once we do get possession is significantly reduced and the players needed for applying pressure are left flat footed at the site of the original contest. Simply put we are't getting value for numbers or effort because of the game plan, and that's why our boys are stuffed. Richo has the players bashing their heads against the wall on a losing proposition, and he's answer to why it's not working is that they are not bashing their heads hard enough or for long enough. Am I making this up?