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I have an opinion that there are three important positions on a rugby field, tight head prop, scrumhalf and fly half.
If you have these three good players you can build a rugby team around them.
Having watched, coached and played for over 40 + years, I have long been mystified why a great percentages of coaches play their very gifted scrumhalf in a multitude of other positions than where they are most suited at scrumhalf.
These coaches instead play a lesser gifted player in this position, therefore lessening the value of the position. I’ve watched club rugby and Super Rugby over the years and I see this on many occasions.
In my opinion the role of a scrumhalf is to commence the play at each breakdown or set piece, to deliver fast efficient ball to his runners, be it backs or forwards. The scrumhalf is vital to the direction of the play also the speed of the play.
But on so many teams I see a scrumhalf that has slow service, a loopy pass, slow to get to the ruck and slow around the park, all the exact opposite for what is required as a scrumhalf.
Most genuine scrumhalves are very gifted in a lot of areas within the game.
They can pass either right or left, usually they are quite fast across the ground, they can kick very well, most times of both feet either for touch or goal kick, are very good defensively.
They also must have that vital ingredient “vision”.
Coaches see these admirable traits and seem to be blinded to the fact that these gifted players should be playing at scrumhalf and proceed to play them at fullback or centre or wing, anywhere but the position that they are most suited.
Watching club rugby on the weekend, I first saw a Colts grade where the captain was a excellent scrumhalf with all these above qualities.
However, he was played in four positions other than scrumhalf in the one game. He was filling up holes in the defensive line while the team really struggled with slow service and poor defence from the player that the coaches put at scrumhalf. T
he problems of direction and defence were only exacerbated the more times the coaches shifted the captain around the field to plug the defensive holes.
Then straight after this, I watched first grade and the same thing happened. Because of injury in the forwards, the incumbent scrumhalf played on the side to the scrum and then at number eight.
A far inferior player was preferred in the position of scrum half. This lead to the side getting slow service from the ruck and the side’s performance suffered enormously.
Even when the Colts Captain who I referred to earlier came onto the field in the second half he was placed at fullback which then negated his skills to an extent.
The team suffered by taking their main playmakers out of contention in the play.
I also see this at Super level. Nick Frisby is supposed to be the Queensland Reds reserve scrumhalf, but plays at fullback for his club.
By the time he gets a run at scrumhalf in the Queensland Reds team, his skills are not what they should be because he doesn’t get to hone them at club level.
An example of this was in the last couple of games the Reds played Frisby, he was at times quite good but his passing was not snappy and his options at times were not quite right.
This is an example of being a bit rusty in my opinion.
If he had been playing consistently at scrumhalf he would have made a better fist of his opportunity.
I have also seen where some scrumhalves have been converted to other positions through their need to get to the top. Some examples are in the Welsh side.
Leigh Halfpenny commenced as a half back converted to fullback, Shane Williams was another, converted to winger.
While this has happened on a few occasions and has been quite warranted it doesn’t always mean that because a player is great in a position he will automatically be good in another.
In my opinion coaches in general think that the scrumhalf’s job is to just get the ball out to the fly half and he will make the play, but what they miss is that play cannot commence until the scrumhalf says it can.
He controls the direction and speed of play.
A good scrumhalf can make or break a team.
I just cannot understand why a lot of coaches trivialise the position and do not see the importance of what a good scrumhalf does for a team.
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.