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Using Will Skelton in lineouts: it can be done

25th June, 2014
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Big Willie Style continues to improve. (Photo: Paul Barkley/LookPro)
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25th June, 2014
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Will Skelton’s size and weight of poses challenges for any team he’s playing in when it comes to lineouts.

The fact that the Waratahs don’t often use him as a jumper confirms the difficulties players face lifting him, and the Wallabies didn’t use him as a jumping option once in the third Test against France, despite the fact that he was unmarked on a number of occasions.

Before some of you get your backs up, I’m not suggesting the fact that he’s a very limited jumping option is a reason not to consider him for selection.

But it is an issue that requires options to be considered, as no team at the higher levels can afford to carry a lock that impacts negatively on their lineout.

When Skelton was in the National Rugby Academy in 2011 and 2012 I had the opportunity to see him training as a lineout jumper. Obviously his weight makes it hard for lifters, but he can jump, or at least he could back then.

There are a number of options that can be used by the Waratahs and the Wallabies to get him more involved in lineouts.

We’ve already seen the short lineout options, with Skelton positioned in mid-field as a runner to crash the ball over the gain line. That works well, but it doesn’t suit the Wallabies’ preferred game plan of using the width as often as possible.

As you’ll see in the accompanying video, once you use a shortened lineout the opposition also have forwards in their defensive line, which takes away space for the Wallaby backs to operate with.

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The Wallabies would prefer to have as many full lineouts as possible for their wide game plan.

Another option that’s been used with Skelton is to position him towards the front of the lineout and throw to him on the ground without needing to be lifted.

This allows you to win the lineout but limits the attacking options as the ball is delivered so far towards the front of the lineout, so it’s another option that has to be used sparingly.

I’ve included examples showing the impact of that option in the video.

The other option that people talk about regularly is using Skelton as a dedicated lifter, with his height and strength meaning he should be able to throw a jumper up fairly high. Again this works well, but limits the number of jumpers you have available.

There are already two props in a full lineout who are dedicated lifters and if you add a third player to that category the only way to have four jumping options is to use your number seven as a jumper.

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If you have to use Michael Hooper as a jumping option he’ll be restricted in his ability to scamper after the ball on first phase, which would limit his effectiveness simply to fix another issue. That doesn’t make much sense.

Some of you will suggest that the Wallabies can get by with only three jumping options. I disagree and the video shows why.

At Super Rugby level you may be able to scrape by with only three jumping options but the skills of players at international level are too good to survive without at least three front-line jumping options and at least one backup.

What other options are there for using Skelton in lineouts?

The first option is to change the structure of the lineouts. With Skelton in your lineout a lot more thought is required as to structures used. The Wallabies used Skelton at the front of the lineout last week – I wouldn’t.

If we look at the lineout I’ve analysed in detail in the video, I would have switched Skelton with Sekope Kepu and pushed Scott Fardy in front of Kepu. I also would have moved Rob Simmons forward slightly.

Lineout Options 1

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[Jumpers in these graphics are denoted with an oval while lifters are denoted by a circle.]

If the French tried to use two fixed pods to defend this structure, they would have had to allocate a pod towards the front to cover Fardy and probably their other pod to cover Simmons and try to float back to cover Wydliff Palu.

Lineout Options 2

Fardy would have had Sio and Kepu as his potential lifters, Simmons would have had Kepu and Skelton as his potential lifters, while Palu would have had Hooper and Skelton as his.

That setup would have made it a lot harder for the French to defend against. In fact, it would have forced them not to defend with two fixed pods, as I’ve shown in the image, as there was too much space available for the Wallabies.

The aim with any lineout structure is to force the opposition to do what you want them to do and a simple change in structure such as this would have impacted on the ability of the French to defend the Wallaby lineout.

There are also some trick options that could be used. For example, teach your halfback to jump as a surprise tactic.

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Imagine Nic White coming into that lineout as a receiver in between Simmons and Skelton, with Hooper switching out to act as halfback just before the ball is thrown. How high could they get White? However, you don’t want to use trick options like that too often.

The other option with that setup would have been for Palu and Simmons to lift Skelton as another surprise tactic.

That final option is the one that needs to be worked on. Skelton may be big and heavy, but he needs to be coached to become a jumping option.

It’s not that the lifters need to find a way to lift him. Lifting is not actually about lifting – it’s about pushing the jumper into the air. The only way you can push a jumper into the air is if they generate momentum from their jump.

The lifters latch on to the jumper as they leave the ground and use the momentum already generated by the jumper to push them up.

If the jumper isn’t dynamic with their initial jump off the ground they don’t generate momentum and they’re very hard to lift. It’s not about how high the jumper gets off the ground – it’s about how quickly they get off the ground.

Can Skelton be taught this skill? I can’t say for sure, but what I saw of him on the training ground a few years ago suggests he can.

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