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Around 64 minutes into the first test against South Africa, Greg Clark said “they need to get the ball to Folau sooner and more often!”, as though the Wallabies had no other game plan than to hope Izzy could create a try from nothing as he did against the Lions.
For a few years in fact, this has been exactly our game plan – rely on some rather talented individuals with the footwork to win mano-a-mano and create a line break or try themselves.
Sure, it makes sense the Wallaby backs haven’t been getting good front-foot ball so haven’t been able to use their talents out wide.
This is simply an observation of the symptoms, not the cause, and is certainly not prescriptive as to how we can improve our performance on the world stage.
Firstly, in this instance Quade – an exceptional talent who I expect will hit some great form over the coming years – needs to square up and challenge the line.
This has become a recent criticism of him, and it is appropriate, however he needs to mix this with runners coming off his inside shoulder and options so that he can, over the course of a game, flat-foot his opponents.
It is incredible that we aren’t seeing more of this, given his ability as a ball-player. This will allow us to create space for the men out wider once these inside defenders are expect to be committed.
This observation is important, but on its own has no value unless we ensure that Quade, as well as Will Genia, have these tactical options.
And so I turn my attention to the forwards, because in my opinion (ex-Hooper) they are not offering the options to the backs which create space out wide.
“What can we improve in their performance?” you might ask, and proffer the meme that they are not well-drilled and not good enough for the job.
I will concede the first, but not the second. A well-drilled team can beat a group of talented individuals, and that’s what makes rugby the best sport in the world.
To be well-drilled we need to nail four points which are a little outside the standard ruck/maul tactics required to be a proficient rugby player in Australia, but are crucial in our NZ/SA peers.
We must use what I call “the hammer” into the contact area, as well as using pods and positional structure to make effective runs, and provide options to the inside backs.
1) How to employ “the hammer”
The hammer is something which is second nature in our Rugby Championship opponents’ games.
It is religiously employed in New Zealand and SA and it never gets a mention as a discrepancy between the Wallabies and their opposition, yet it is crucial – and it is missing every week from our forwards’ game play.
The hammer is when the person who is hitting the ball up enters the contact at a low body height and simultaneously, or not long after, has a teammate hitting his hips and shunting him through the contact.
This produces at least an additional two-thirds of a body length gained in the contact area due to the second extra thrust – hence Ben Mowen might have achieved a net total of eight metres rather than three last week!
Body-height is obviously crucial, but I shouldn’t need to point that out.
Executed correctly, with good body-height when the third and fourth player join, a situation often ensues where the hit-up and subsequent ruck were so effective the ruck can’t be competed in to great effect.
Nor can the ball be pilfered, so it’s quickly available for the backs.
2) Using pods
If rugby is akin to a battle, to which it is oft likened, perhaps we can consult with some war strategy to articulate this particular concept.
Taking inspiration from the Roman legion for how to organise a rugby team structure in general play, so that within the urgency and scramble of the game we have personnel fulfilling key roles not determined by the number on their back.
Using pods at the breakdown essentially means there is a certain role for the first through third or fourth player to the ruck and everyone after that has a certain position to fulfill.
The point of this is that when one man falls there is always another in his place, just like in the Roman legion.
Assuming we are using an effective structure, let’s run through a hypothetical few phases to articulate a good and effective use of pods within the forward pack.
Horwill hits it up from the ruck with Alexander hammering him into the contact and Michael Hooper coming in to clean out and secure the ball as Horwill goes to ground. This is pod one.
Assuming three men (pod two) were used at the preceding ruck, with one off their feet (Mowen) and two on their feet who have cleaned out (Slipper and Simmons), that leaves two unutilised players – Moore and Fardy.
This pair (should) align in behind the current ruck, near enough to each other to be able to hammer the other into the tackle, and deep enough to hit the ball with pace or be on the inside shoulder of the five-eighth.
Say Fardy hits the ball up and Moore hammers him through the contact area, the pods now adjust – Simmons joins after Moore to clean-out and secure the ball with Moore.
Once again you have two players (Kepu and Hooper) who have realigned behind the ruck, ready to hit the ball up or be an option off the shoulder of the 10.
Meanwhile, Horwill and Alexander recover to their feet ready to hit the breakdown.
You should have a good idea of how the pod method works now.
At times there will need to be a fourth and fifth player joining the ruck as the opposition might commit more or less players to the ruck and we should be able to adapt to this dynamically, which is why this should be practicised with a full 15.
Nonetheless, in general play with quick ball it can be executed with as little as three people safely and works well for illustration sake in this case.
3) More effective runs
Despite the recent criticism, some-even dished up by me, I contend that we have some talented world-class forwards, particularly in the back row.
I have an image of a back-row with Hooper, Pocock and Higginbotham creating some exciting rugby – not discounting Jake Schatz, who might be a quality Test option down the road.
I think Higginbotham is a long-term 8, and we need to remould Pocock to a scavenging 6 given you can’t not have Hooper in the Test side.
Horwill is a Test lock in form, obviously not with the physical gifts that an Eben Etzebeth or Brad Thorn has, but still a competitive enough player. Moore and Polota-Nau are talented, while Fardy, Sio and Slipper have potential.
So how do we exploit these players’ talent and mobility? It’s all about positional play.
As in the above hypothetical, there should be two players standing/moving forward from five to six metres directly behind the ruck.
They need to choose where they run at the line (right or left), calling to the half, then employ the hammer over the gain line.
Alternatively, they could engage the opposition forwards and five-eighth as decoy runners on the inside shoulder of our five-eighth, creating space further out wide.
Obviously the hammer is more important with the tight five, and those with slightly more mobility like Hooper and Higginbotham should be encouraged to attack the line independently.
But we should not have front rowers isolated while challenging the line, which happens far too often because we throw a one-out pass to a flat-footed tight-forward with nobody to support him.
Positioning is key and it avoids allowing players to be isolated, minimises the ability to have the ball pilfered and increases the metres gained in tight.
4) Provide options to the inside backs
In addition, good positioning allows players to be a running option for Genia or Cooper.
Our opposition has been exceptional at throwing inside balls, one of the most simple and effective tools in the game.
If you have a five-eighth with the pace and footwork of QC standing 10 metres behind the ruck and he takes the ball to the line and passes to his two forward options on the inside, you will be making metres all day while engaging those in close and creating space out wide.
I can imagine a scenario at Rosario of the Wallabies employing this strategy, with Genia and QC giving an inside ball to a forward a couple of times before Quade decides to take the ball to the line himself a couple of times.
The next time he catches the ball, I’d expect a committed defensive line, looking to defend on the inside.
If Quade jinks to the open-side on an angle running at the outside-shoulder of the opposition 12, with Lealiifano providing an option off his inside shoulder, he’ll find holes across the park if the outside backs are providing well-timed running options.
Perhaps this is me dreaming of seeing the Wallabies fire, but it’d be nice to see, because I’ve come to miss it.
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.