Australian halfbacks aren't measuring up

Will Genia is a world-class halfback, a rare hybrid capable of complementing a range of styles.

His service to the backline is invariably swift and accurate, strong enough to play the bulldog extra loose forward, and prone to creating tries out of nothing courtesy of his extreme pace off the mark.

Unfortunately, on the evidence of the two Super Rugby rounds so far it remains a long, long way down from Will Genia to the rest.

This has serious implications for the 2013 Wallabies’ prospects against the Lions and All Blacks should Genia be injured for all or part of these series.

All of the halfbacks seen so far are good players, and they all have different strengths and weaknesses.

But one common thread unites them – they too easily forget their basic function, which is to be a link between forward and back, and as a result they invariably overplay their hand.

The classical, most highly regarded halfbacks from this part of the world all stand out because of their ability to sweep the ball away from the contact area with fast, accurate passes.

I never saw Des Connor play but he is clearly regarded as the benchmark as a distributor.

John Hipwell introduced more of a running game, and Nick Farr-Jones a strength element, but both never at the expense of the basic requirement: fast service to the outside backs.

In New Zealand, Chris Laidlaw is acknowledged as the master passing halfback, with Dave Loveridge taking this to another level in the 80s.

As the All Blacks developed a more expansive game in the 90s, a big factor in this was the ability of Graeme Bachop to clear the ball quickly.

Halfbacks are invariably cocky and confident, and the nature of the position means that they are constantly in the game. But this doesn’t mean they have to do absolutely everything.

In my time I was coached to focus primarily on quick service – as first, second and third priority – with any extra time to be spent revving up lazy forwards and helping the ref identify opposition transgressions.

I learnt to run only sparingly – with the likelihood of making a telling break improved all the more by the element of surprise.

But too many of today’s halfbacks feel that they need to show us all their skills in the first ten minutes.

If I can single out anyone for blame, Justin Marshall was at the forefront of a trend for the halfback to pick the ball up, size up any self-opportunity first, then feed it out almost as a secondary option.

It is this territory that too many of Australia’s halfbacks stray into to their detriment.

Nick Phipps is the incumbent back-up, having gained Test experience on the November Spring Tour.

He is combative, a real trier and played an important role in two remarkably similar tries; Kurtley Beale’s last gasp match-winner against Wales and Hugh Pyle’s round one effort for the Rebels against the Force.

He is also a terrific scrambler on defence, works hard to get into good positions in cover, and tackles with intent when he gets there.

On the negative side, he is prone to panic at crucial moments, his kicking is average and his passing less so.

If service is the benchmark, as I contend, then he is well below international class.

Nic White was fancied as Genia’s back-up until injury ruined his shot at the November tour.

His pass is more consistent than Phipps and he packs a strong kicking game, particularly for touch as a penalty kicker.

But his game suffers through overplaying his hand, overdoing the box kick and too often running into fringing forwards.

There was a telling moment in the Rebels vs Brumbies match, 15 minutes into the second half when, in the space of a minute, White kicked an attacking ruck ball aimlessly over the touchline.

Subsequently Phipps, in possession of quick turnover ball on his own 22, box-kicked instinctively, despite his winger being tied up in the ruck.

He did this without even a glance towards his outside backs, who were ready and willing to take advantage of the turnover.

The kick was charged down, Phipps was immediately replaced and White was surely very lucky not to join him on the bench.

Ben Lucas has been tidy and serviceable for the Reds although he tired noticeably early at Suncorp, with his decision making suffering as a result.

His replacement Nick Frisby has plenty of zest about him but needs to ensure that this enthusiasm doesn’t translate into too many low percentage chip kicks and grubbers which he is prone to.

I was very interested to see if the Waratahs’ Brendan McKibbin had learned the lesson from last year’s loss to the Reds when, with time practically up and the Waratahs ahead on the scoreboard, he inexplicably decided to kick.

This handed the Reds the opportunity which ended up with Dom Shipperly running away to win the game on the bell.

In this match, for the most part he was disciplined, combining well with flyhalf Bernard Foley.

But there were also a few occasions where he was knocked off the ball at the base of the breakdown – all because he chose to pick the ball up rather than sweep it off the ground.

His kicking was kept to a minimum, no doubt part of the Cheika game plan, but when he did choose to go it alone with the box kick it once again ended in tears, when he planted his foot on the touchline, gifting possession back to the Reds inside the 22.

Big things are expected of Rebels gingernut Nic Stirzaker.

He is very fast and seems to understand how to pass straight off the ground.

To my eye he is worthy of fast tracking, as long as he can be forgiven for being born in England and having South African parents.

Not all of my concerns are down to the players themselves.

The modern game demands that players stay on their feet, to enable them to provide a pass receive option or offer quick support at the tackle. This subtly influences coaches to instruct halfbacks to pick the ball up and pass on the run.

But what is gained on one hand is at the expense of speed and, ultimately, space for the outside backs to work in.

This has also seen the demise of the dive pass. I nearly fell off my chair when Hurricanes’ replacement Chris Smylie pulled one out of the vault against the Blues.

What was especially noticeable from this match was how Piri Weepu provided quick service off the ground, allowing flyhalf Chris Noakes plenty of fast, front-foot ball which he took great advantage of.

For a player who in recent years has been guilty of messing around at the base of the ruck, perfecting the Justin Marshall style, this was a revelation.

What this shows is that being a true halfback requires discipline to serve the backline even if that comes at some cost to individual opportunity.

It also shows that this can be coached – Weepu hasn’t suddenly figured this out for himself, he is playing to a team pattern under instruction from coach John Kirwan.

I’ve been a critic of Australian rugby being too one-dimensional and keen to see more players with evasive skills given the license to express this.

But this doesn’t extend to halfbacks trying things on just because they have the ball in their hands. Their role must be to distribute it quickly and cleanly to allow others this opportunity.

For now, of the current batch White seems to be the best on offer – assuming he is prepared to nail the basics and doesn’t continue to take on too much himself.

But make no mistake, on current evidence, if the Wallabies step out to face the Lions in June without Genia wearing number nine, then they will have already conceded an advantage to the visitors.