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The drop goal is seen by some as an abomination, something that belongs to another era, another dimension and sacrilege to be used in the modern game of rugby, and yet it is an effective weapon of choice by a select few.
In New Zealand it is frowned upon by many. Something that caused quite the debate when there were talks of Dan Carter practicing the dreaded drop, preparing to unleash it onto unsuspecting opponents during the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
The Aussies are torn between wanting to showcase their talent with ball in hand and their ever increasing desire to win at all costs. They seem not to have made up their minds on which side of the fence they sit.
In the meantime the South Africans, oblivious to the mental torment going on across the Indian ocean, happily slot the necessary drop when required.
Of the seven drop goals that have been scored in the Super Rugby season thus far, only one has been scored by a non-South African player.
Sias Ebersohn has kicked two for the Force. Burton Francis, Dimitri Catrakilis, Morne Steyn, Patrick Lambie and Tusi Pisi have all scored one respectively for their franchises.
I thought it might warrant further investigation to assess the effect of these drop goals.
The first match-deciding drop goal comes from Dimitri Catrakilis in the 83rd minute of the Kings match versus the Rebels in Melbourne.
Locked at 27–27, with three tries all, both teams were staring down a draw. In the last play of the day, Catrakilis snuck through a sneaky drop goal that won the match, keeping their unbeaten record intact against their Australian rivals.
Who will forget the match-up of the Bulls versus the Force in Round 3, when it was Sias Ebersohn who kept the Force in touch against sharp shooter Morne Steyn with two drop goals.
By half time the Bulls led the Force by only five points, thanks to the drop goal of Ebersohn early after the restart.
Morne Steyn slotted another penalty to stretch the lead out to eight only to be pulled back by another Ebersohn drop goal.
We often discuss the effect of ‘home town’ refereeing, and this match was a case in point. Many felt aggrieved about the influence of the referee and although the Force ended up losing the match 36-26, the drop goal had kept the Force in the game.
Another match-winning drop goal came from Burton Francis when the Cheetahs met the Stormers in Bloemfontein early in April.
The match was balanced on a knife’s edge, and in past years these were the matches the Cheetahs would lose at the death.
The score line was 21-20 in favour of the Stormers and the Cheetahs were facing the best defensive system in the tournament. The Stormers were showcasing their discipline, at that point in time the Stormers had only conceded six penalties after 67 minutes of play.
The Cheetahs, who are usually so adept at exploiting gaps, were running out of ideas. Out popped the drop goal attempt, Francis converted and put the Cheetahs back into the lead.
Both teams converted one more penalty after that, and the Cheetahs won the match 26-24, thanks to the dreaded drop.
Of the six games in which the drop goal was employed, two of those matches were directly influenced by the drop goals and in another match it kept a team in the hunt.
Joel Stransky won a world cup in that manner; Stephen Larkham eliminated the Springboks in 1999 with a drop goal; Wilkinson won the 2003 Rugby World Cup with a drop goal.
Jannie de Beer annihilated the English in the 1999 World Cup quarter final with a record five, yes you read it correctly, five, drop goals.
If Morne Steyn utilised the drop goal during their quarter final match against a team seemingly unable to concede a penalty in their red zone for large proportions of the match, Bryce Lawrence might have received less hate mail and wouldn’t still be refereeing somewhere in the outback.
The fact is, I wouldn’t mind seeing more of the drop goal. It is an effective weapon with which you can punish constantly infringing defences. It takes the decisions or non-decision out of the hand of the referees, something we have all had enough of, and it can build pressure and win matches.
It is a skill few master with aplomb. While facing a barrage of loose forwards rushing onto them, a flyhalf must remain calm in the face of impending doom and a bucket load of hurt, the drop goal can be a thing of beauty.
Long live the drop goal.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.