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Modern Test rugby is a 23-man game. It is no longer 15-on-15. The fitter and better prepared team often wins in the last stanza of the match.
Judicious use of the bench can alter the course of the contest and is often the key to victory.
No clearer example of this is needed than the Rugby Championship match in Salta between Argentina and South Africa. The energy brought by the Springboks wearing jerseys 16-23 was decisive against the tired Pumas who were overrun by fresh legs – most notably those of Adriaan Strauss and Marcell Coetzee.
The term impact player is often over-used but it is an apt description of what any coach should be looking for from the players named on the bench.
There is a school of thought that teams should start their impact players, because the greatest impact can be made at the start of the game. Respectfully I disagree.
The opening of an international Test match is an often brutal affair. Venomous hits, bodies flying into breakdowns, the steely nerves required at the first lineout, first penalty kick, the perfect technique that must be summoned for the first scrum.
There is a sorting out period, a time when the two teams are probing and adjusting when it is often more important to be a steady shield that gives nothing away rather than a rapacious blade going for the jugular. Some players just aren’t suited to the hard graft that is needed during this period of the match.
Later in either half, the game often opens up a little. Some of the sting has gone from the defence, a half yard of pace has been shed by the backs unless they make a break, forwards walk to the scrum and the lineout.
It is during this time that the modern impact player can influence a match.
One of the many criticisms directed at former Wallaby Coach Robbie Deans was that his use of the bench was ineffective. It is a charge that could equally be levelled at the current Wallaby coach Ewen McKenzie. During the Rugby Championship the Wallaby bench has typically come on to the field with too few minutes remaining to make a genuine impact on the game.
That is a shame because Australia has some of the best impact players around, if they are used correctly.
Tatafu Polota-Nau may have toned down his kamikaze play style but he remains a fierce tackler and a strong ball carrier. Perhaps more importantly he is also the strongest scrummaging hooker in Australian rugby and that rock-steady power in the set piece is something that the Wallabies can look to with confidence at the end of games.
Scott Higginbotham has been Australia’s best impact player since he was first given his chance by Robbie Deans in 2010. Although his starts have continually disappointed, often due to a work rate that is on the low end of the acceptable scale, when used as a substitute late in the match his skills, support play, and willingness to try something invariably create chances.
As a side note I also believe that Michael Hooper could fill this role very well; that his tendency to run non-stop may suit the role of bench player more than some fans are willing to admit.
Nick Phipps can be used to up the tempo of a game effectively as he moves very quickly to breakdowns. Although his passing is ill-disciplined sometimes erratic, he is quite literally a rocket up the forwards when it comes to the speed of delivery of the ball from the breakdown. His cover defence is also second to none making him an invaluable closer at halfback for Test matches.
Kurtley Beale has proven to be a game changer this season. Shifted to inside centre by the Waratahs’ coaching team the former schoolboy star has found renewed energy and form. Internationally he has been pushed out of his preferred (his words) flyhalf role by poor performances and kept out of his previous international role at fullback by Israel Folau.
As a Wallaby, Beale has been given new purpose in unlocking tiring defences late in the game. His ability to run and predilection for using the width of the field make him a handful in the last quarter of Test matches. If he is willing, Beale could easily become a genuine the super sub for the Wallabies.
The other likely contender for providing impact off the bench is Will Skelton. Firstly, he is someone whose nickname should surely be Big Willy Style – something I stress albeit having never seen the man in the showers.
The man mountain has shown glimpses of just how devastating he can be on debut against France and in years to come as he develops his scrummaging game and aerobic fitness he may be the rock around which the Wallaby pack can build.
For now, his massive frame and huge hands that come with surprisingly deft passing skills can be very effective for the Wallabies coming off the bench, attracting defenders and offloading into gaps.
Given two props selected to steady the scrum and play tight for 20 minutes, and a utility back that can be used to cover injury dependably (I am thinking of an Adam Ashley-Cooper or a James O’Connor) the Wallaby bench becomes a weapon. Injecting the five impact players described above into the match at the right time has the potential to dramatically alter the course of the game; and often that is the most a coach can do to help the players on the field.
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.