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We’re into Round 4 of the inaugural National Rugby Championship and already the benefits for Australian rugby are obvious.
During the planning stages for the competition, every day brought a new article here at The Roar with people (including me) expressing their view on topics such as the structure of the competition, which teams should be involved, tradition, team colours and names.
While there are still some people unhappy about the competition itself, the debate about whether the Vikings really represent the ACT, whether the Stars (or really Sydney Uni) should be allowed anywhere near the competition, whether the Gold Coast is really in the ‘country’, the colours or names of the teams is largely irrelevant – they are what they are.
What I’m more interested in today is what we’re getting from the competition and what we’ll see as it develops.
Prior to the commencement of Round 4 we’ve seen 12 matches in the competition where an average of 60 points per match have been scored.
Melbourne Rising have scored an average of 60 points per match on their own!
Are teams scoring so many points because of the new law variations being used? I don’t have the statistics for how many eight-point tries have been scored, or two-point penalty goals have been kicked, so I can’t tell you whether the changes to the actual points for certain events have made a difference. But it seems clear that teams are choosing to look for tries more often than taking the shot at penalty goal, and that’s a positive.
An average of 60 points per match is 25 per cent higher than the average of 48 points per match in regular-season matches in Super Rugby this season. But compare that number to the average of 55 points per match scored in the ITM Premiership matches so far this season and an average of 53 points per match so far in the Currie Cup and it doesn’t look too high at all.
There are differences in skill levels between players at each different level – most Test players are more skilful than players who have only played at Super Rugby level, who are usually more skilful than players who have only played at premier grade level for clubs.
The level of physicality between the different levels is also obvious.
We’re certainly seeing some players with higher level experience shine in the competition, but equally some players with Test experience who haven’t stood out in the matches they’ve played.
The real reason we’re seeing higher scores in the NRC than we do in Super Rugby is that a lot of players getting their first taste of competition at a higher level are struggling due to the pace and physicality of the matches.
My club has 18 current players in three teams in the competition and I know from talking to some of them that the pace of the matches is a significant step up from club rugby, and not far short of that some have experienced in Super Rugby.
That’s particularly relevant for those players who aren’t used to the physical demands of training so often and playing regularly against professional players.
The standard of the competition will improve as it goes forward, and that’s one of the best things about the new competition – there are so many players that haven’t been exposed to the physical conditioning, the physical demands and the skill level above club rugby who are now getting that opportunity.
Some won’t make the cut, some won’t be able to juggle work commitments combined with all the extra training they’re doing, but many fresh new faces will become genuine options to play Super Rugby over the next few years.
But it won’t happen overnight. It will take at least the first two seasons of the competition to start seeing the real benefits of some depth in Australian rugby. Players will get a taste this season, they’ll come back more physically capable next season, and by the start of the third season of the competition we’ll be able to name 50 or so ‘new’ players who are Super Rugby capable.
There are two areas we’ll see the biggest improvement in.
The first is defence, which is the most physically taxing element of the game. Making a tackle, getting back up quickly and getting back in the line ready to defend on the next phase takes a lot out of players and when fatigue sets in, defence is usually the first area of the game to suffer. It’s very hard to maintain a structure and make the next tackle when you’re out on your feet.
With so many players in the competition still coming to terms with the physical demands at a higher level this is one of the main reasons there are slightly more points being scored per match in this competition. As fitness levels improve games will become more defensive and that will force teams to improve their attack – it’s a win-win.
The other area I’m expecting to see improvement in is at the set piece – both lineouts and scrums. Again, the physical demands between the different levels is relevant, but the ‘new’ players will also get to do a lot more technical work than they are used to at club level simply due to the extra time available to train.
The more scrums players pack in training, the more lineouts they get to call, the better they’ll get due to the chance they’ll have to implement little changes in technique because of the extra time they’ll get to work on them.
That could be the best thing for Australian rugby, because there’s no doubt we need some forward depth in the game, particularly in the tight five.
Will we find the next lineout general or – the most precious commodity of all – some genuine tighthead prop options? I’m confident we will.
Well done to the ARU for taking the plunge despite the many hurdles that had to be overcome getting the competition under way this year rather than taking the conservative option of delaying the launch until after the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
In a couple of years we’ll look back and applaud that decision as a game changer for Australian rugby.