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It’s trickier than it looks, kicking for goal. You don’t just bang it at the posts, hard as you can. It takes science, skill and hours of practice.
With another two Tests looming, here’s some help for the Wallabies (you don’t want to be embarrassed like that again).
According to his own website, “Dave Alred MBE PhD is widely acknowledged as one of the best coaches operating on the planet today.”
While I have an irrational dislike for Dave Alred and his relentless self-promotion, he gets to play golf in New Zealand, does after dinner speaking (where he’ll tell you how he helped many of the game’s top stars including Toby Flood and Ronan O’Gara) and obviously knows his onions.
Highly respected among England fans as the bloke on the golf course when the 2011 England World Cup team’s kicking game was going to pot, Dave has a number of tips when kicking for goal:
A couple of his gems from the above video include: Get your core column (that’s the torso) through the ball. This make a lot of sense, as it doesn’t just rely on leg-speed.
Also, try running through the ball, just to get yourself started. Helps with your follow through. Stops you worrying too much about the posts as well.
The video includes insights from Dave’s star pupil and notable absentee from the Lions Squad, Jonny Wilkinson. But if you don’t have the inclination to get to the 3:48 mark in the video to hear from the man with the left boot which still gives George Gregan nightmares, genial Johnny is also over at the BBC telling us how to kick.
He keeps it simple. Line up the seam, pick which thread on the ball’s sweet spot you’re going to connect with and select which face in the crowd you’re aiming at.
Back up a bit, have a look, run up and spank. Point your toes at the target as a follow through.
In this youtube pearler, wee Duncan Weir teaches big Richie Gray how to tonk over a kick from halfway.
It’s a tough job, but Richie gets it together here, learning how to line up the ball, smash his leg through the ball and use his big limbs to his advantage. Among other things.
Maybe if he’d spent more time learning how to call line-outs, he’d be playing in the big team.
Lions legend Leigh Halfpenny spills his secrets here:
“The noise is blocked out, I can’t hear a thing. In my mind it is peaceful. It is just me, the ball and the posts.” Zen and the Art of Place Kicking.
But I suppose it’s a comfort, too, if you’ve got Neil Jenkins bringing on the tee for you and holding your hat while you kick.
Anyway all these lessons point to one clear fact: Kurtley Beale has a poor kicking technique.
He has a ’roundhouse’ style, swinging his limb from leg to off to on in a big loose arc. This is alright if he makes a good contact – it’ll go over. Probably can go quite far.
But if he mistimes it just a little bit out, his kick will go wonky. Big margin of error.
Also, as he doesn’t strike through the ball, he puts a lot of rotational torque on his standing leg. When it’s a little but slippy, he runs the risk of falling over.
Like Saturday past, for example.
These blokes don’t say it, either, but I will – if you’ve not got a good chance of making the kick, then don’t attempt it.
It must be tempting to try to out-macho the Halfpennies of this world by having a pop from 50m. But if your effective range is 35m, then stick to that. Kick the other ones for touch. Or try the quick tap. But save the Herculean Hail Mary spanks at goal for the direst emergencies.
Beale looked to have the power to get there, if not the consistency. James O’Connor didn’t look like he knew what he could do.
To say the Wallabies ‘left 14 points on the park’ is stretching the truth. These kicks just weren’t within their kickers’ skill capabilities. I’d guess they get these about 50% of the time. So they left only seven points behind.
Think what pressure Australia might have applied with kicks to the corner. Even with that last one, there was time to ping it into the corner and try a line-out move.
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.