Robinson is set to make the running

John Monie, the former Wigan coach, talks to Dave Hadfield about tactical ploys that could win the World Cup

Few have a better or more practised eye for a match-winning ploy than John Monie, the Australian who coached Parramatta to the Winfield Cup and Wigan to every trophy in the British game during his four years with them.

It was a player he signed for Wigan, Martin Offiah, who clinched England's World Cup semi-final against Wales by twice taking long-range cross-kicks from Bobbie Goulding to score tries.

It is a technique that has frequently been a game-breaker for Goulding for club and country, but Monie, who also coached him at Wigan, believes he will have more difficulty making it pay off against a well-organised Australian defence today.

"This is a move that was introduced in Australia by the Brisbane Broncos and picked up by a lot of clubs after that," he says.

"Goulding is very accurate with it and always puts it in the danger area, as he did twice for Martin Offiah in the semi-final against Wales. It's a very tough call for the referee to give it as offside, because he is a long way from the receiver and has to rely on help from his touch-judges.

"It was noticeable, though, that Manly and the Sydney Bulldogs in the Grand Final both stretched their defences to cover the width of the field in their own quarter.

"Bob Fulton is an adaptable coach and I'm sure he'll be doing the same today."

Like everyone else who knows his true capabilities, Monie has remarked on Offiah's lack of his usual pace and confidence during this World Cup. "If there are going to be running chances for the wingers, England would be better off with them going to Jason Robinson, who has been the outstanding winger in the tournament," he says.

"Jason is at his most effective coming off his wing and working tight to the centre of the field, where the speed of his footwork can throw the defence off balance."

It is from broken play, rather than from conventional movement of the ball along the backline, that Robinson will do his damage, Monie says. "If Lee Jackson makes ground from acting half-back and someone else carries it on, Jason will be there and, once he is away, no one will catch him."

It worked spectacularly for Wigan against Leeds in the Challenge Cup final in April - and there is no reason why it could not work again today.

"The most impressive thing about Australia, though, is their defence," says Monie. "To break them down, you have to take some risks."

The trouble with that is that giving them too much possession invites the Australians to do what they do best, exerting a cumulative pressure that gives their captain, Brad Fittler, the opportunity to put men into gaps.

"The most effective move Australia have put on is when Fittler runs the ball to one side of the ruck, pulls in the defence and switches the ball back to the other side," says Monie.

"The man who always seems to pick up on that move is Steve Menzies, who is the best running forward in the game from that situation."

Several of Menzies' tournament-leading six tries so far have come from just that ploy. The key to defusing it is for players to resist the temptation to cluster around Fittler, which can be easier said than done.

If England can keep Menzies at bay, they could still face problems at the play-the-ball later in the game, Monie predicts.

"When players start to get tired, Geoff Toovey starts to make ground down the middle," he says.

"Even when he gets tackled, the ruck can be set up quickly whilst the defence is still going backwards and Australia will be on a roll."