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Jesse Mogg is the greatest Australian rugby find of his generation. Forget Quade Cooper, James O’Connor, Kurtley Beale, even Israel Folau.
Prodigious talents though they may be, they possess but a spark of the ability of the Canberra-based Queenslander.
Okay, clean your keyboards, I was exaggerating a little there. But it might not be far from the truth to say that what we have here is an extraordinarily talented player.
Mogg has the boot of a Chris Latham, the speed of a Clyde Rathbone, the guile of a Stephen Larkham, and the attacking instincts of a Joe Roff.
His counterattack is breathtaking to watch, and his kicking in general play has improved so much that even I have to admit I sometimes get it wrong (check the comments – at least the humble pie was delicious for a change).
Mogg has demonstrated he can kick deep and with accuracy. His cover defence is generally swift and he has grown safe under the high ball.
His running shows an uncanny resemblance to the notoriously elusive Stephen Larkham. He has even popped into first receiver on the blindside for the Brumbies on a few occasions to great effect.
He has delivered moments of brilliance so frequently I find it hard to single out just a few of them. Watch this video of what Mogg managed in just his first three games of 2013, and you will see what I mean.
The man is a freak.
Some have suggested his frame to be too slight for Test rugby, but in truth his height and weight compare quite favourably to Test fullbacks James O’Connor and Kurtley Beale. He doesn’t even lose many kilos to a certain Israel Dagg.
It is true Mogg is relatively inexperienced, and his sense of positional awareness in defence is a little lacklustre. His tendency to come up too early or to the wrong place in defence is a flaw that has been exploited by myriad opponents, but this is something he will overcome with time and the appropriate guidance and experience.
The key word there is ‘appropriate’. Just as trees flourish when planted in good soil, so too do they wither in negative environments.
I no longer believe the Brumbies are the best environment for Mogg to improve his game.
Unlike many other Roarers, I do not doubt the effectiveness and insight of the Brumbies coaching staff. Their collective experience and rugby smarts are the rivals of any team in the Australian rugby conference.
However it might be contextualised, the fact is their results have reflected this.
But the Brumbies backline has become rigidly regimented. The discipline required to effectively execute Jake White’s strategy of smother-and-pounce rugby requires complete commitment to the implementation of the gameplan from every player.
When everybody is on the same page, the stratagem is brutally effective. The most heralded attackers of the competition become swamped by hordes of pugnacious defenders, every ruck becomes a bitterly contested warzone, and every turnover results in the enemy being repulsed further back into sight of their own goalposts.
But sacrifices are necessary to achieve this level of cohesiveness.
The first sacrifice is initiative. Flashes of brilliance aren’t frowned upon, but neither are they actively sought, pursued or capitalised upon. Often a linebreak is seen more as a valuable bonus of territory than as an opportunity to recycle quickly and attack.
The second sacrifice is variety. Although smother-and-pounce Rugby does not prevent quality backs from scoring tries (the Brumbies back three have scored 16 tries so far this season), they are usually scored from counterattacking against an opponent’s mistakes. Set-move tries are not common.
This is an area of rugby in which Mogg must gain experience before he is called upon at international level. And where better to learn than with the Queensland Reds?
It’s no secret they prefer a less abrasive and more flamboyant mode of attack than does Jake White.
True, this has not yielded the Reds more tries than the Brumbies so far in this season, but perhaps this is precisely because they lack the incision and spontaneity in the outside backs that made them great in previous years.
A lack, in brief, of players like Jesse Mogg. They need reinvigorating.
So just as a young Israel Dagg found himself moving to the Crusaders in 2010 to take his game to the next level, it is time for Moggy to take his own journey north.
As a Brumby fan, I would be sad to see him go. As a Wallaby fan, I couldn’t wait to see what he would become.
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.