The great rugby teams in history all have one thing in common: Rugby intelligence.
They all had decision-makers who understood the value of field position and territory. They all had props who knew the influence of a strong right shoulder, if they were playing tighthead and an equally present left shoulder, if they were looseheads. These props also knew when to assert dominance because of their respective binds and when to dominate and when simply to hold.
An example being when Nick Mallett, as coach of the Springboks in 1998, dismissed the statement of a journalist in bemoaning the Boks’ inability to get a right shoulder when attacking the Wallabies line from a scrum on the right side of the field.
“Why would we want a right shoulder when we were so close to the right hand touchline?” was Mallett’s indignant retort. “We were close to the right touchline, if we got a strong right shoulder, their loosehead buckles, folds and wheels and we lose the set-piece field position advantage. We wanted a strong left shoulder from our loosehead to keep our shape, and we got it.”
Press conference over!
The great rugby teams, in the amateur era, and every one that has won the World Cup since its inception in 1987, had forwards whose primary focus was being a master of the basic disciplines required in each position.
A hooker, to find his jumpers, in unison with his prop lifting support players, a blindside flanker to carry the ball into contact, another flanker to play to the ball, either to secure it, turn it over or slow it down if not in possession.
The midfield has evolved over time, in that more teams pick bigger No 12s, so that they can play off these 12s, given how much more defence-orientated the game is. The back three has never changed. Wingers who can finish and a 15 who must be able to put boot to the ball, no matter the range of their attacking skill.
Those great teams played clever rugby and they never worried about it being respected or disrespected because it was agreeable or disagreeable to those watching the game.
The most abused statistic being bandied about at the 2023 World Cup is ‘ball in play time’. The game has never been about this and on average the most consistent returns have been a minute either side of 30 minutes.
The great rugby teams won because they played to their strengths and not a broadcaster’s mission statement of how the game should be played to convert soccer followers to rugby, as just one example.
The great teams played to win in the best possible way and not to appease marketing people in delivering a losing spectacle.
Go and study the World Cup winners since 1987 and find the common denominator: a strong set piece and a halfback pairing in which either No 9 or No 10 kicked a lot for field position.
The most abused statistic being bandied about at the 2023 World Cup is “ball in play time”. The game has never been about this and on average the most consistent returns have been a minute either side of 30 minutes.
Keep it that way.
To the Springboks, French and Irish, keep on showing how very good teams play. To the All Blacks, keep on defending your four wins from 12 against this trio in the past four years as being a case of them not wanting to score tries and play attacking rugby.
To those old campaigners who speak of free-flowing glory days, age has destroyed the memory. Give Opta Analyst a visit for fact and not fiction when reminiscing about the romance of what constitutes the game of rugby.
At the 1987 World Cup there were 32 scrums per game and 45 line-outs. The ball was in play for 28 minutes and teams averaged 48 tackles a game, of which they missed 30%.
The game was as static then as it would appear now because of structured defence being the strongest form of attack. Back in 1987, 48% of the time teams kicked for field position. At the 2019 World Cup, the nature of a defence-focused game was that this figure was down to 32%.
What has changed about the game is that rucks have replaced scrums, with 1987’s average of 32 down to 14 in 2019.
There were 25 rucks on average at the 1987 World Cup, compared to 82 in 2019. Teams also made 129 tackles (compared to 48) and succeeded with 84%, as opposed to 70%, back in 1987.
Line kicking is the most potent attacking weapon if the line kicker is very good. A set piece is the most valued asset, if all the individual pieces are in play.
The World Cup was never about bonus-point try-scoring exhibitions. The World Cup is about having one more point than the other team when the tournament’s final whistle blows on the remaining two teams.
South Africa, France and Ireland get it. Not so the All Blacks, which could explain why they may have to wait for another 24 years before adding to their 2015 World Cup title.
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