Why ‘versatility’ is no longer a dirty word in rugby

Austin Healey might not agree with the title of this article. Back in 2003, he lost his place in the England World Cup squad precisely because of his versatility.

Healey played at both positions in the halves, and all across the back three, being arguably as instrumental as anyone else in the team’s development.

However, ultimately the footballing ability which enabled him to fill so many different roles also meant that he was not considered a first-choice in any of them.

Healey ended a forlorn figure, turning up hopefully before England’s semi-final against France as cover for the injured Kyran Bracken, only to be told that Bracken was now fit and he had to return home. He never even got to unpack his suitcases.

Increasingly in the modern professional game, however, the positives of versatility far outweigh the negatives.

Most of the developments in elite rugby are defined by the ability to either play more than one position or to break down and expand the existing notion of the attributes necessary for it.

Hence in New Zealand, Dane Coles, who starts the game at hooker, can scrum and throw into the lineout, but also functions comfortably in the wide channels on attack, and is able to play as a first receiver on the short side of an offensive line.

In Australia, Michael Hooper, who trots onto the field with No.7 on his back, still brings attributes more usually associated with a 12 to the table. Hence defence coach Nathan Grey re-designing the whole of the Wallaby set-piece defence (with Hooper in the 10 channel) around those attributes.

Israel Folau starts at fullback but frequently operates as a centre or second receiver in attack. The more versatility you have as a player, the more possibilities there are for a team to mobilise its resources and move ahead of the competitors.

The bedrock roles remain the tight-head prop, who has to be strong enough to hold the scrum, the second rows, who have to be tall enough to secure lineout ball, and the halfback, who requires a fast and accurate pass from the base. This may always be immovable, but the traditional ideas of positional requirements in rugby are changing quicker than ever before.

It’s what makes the game more interesting, and keeps the minds of players and coaches fresh and alive.

One of the more mainstream examples is the interchangeability of players in the 10, 12 and 15 roles. Owen Farrell has made a success of switching from 10 to 12 for England and it is an open, but highly pertinent, question where he will play for the Lions in the Test series against New Zealand this summer.

Warren Gatland’s decision here may have a big impact on the shape, and maybe even the fate, of the Test series.

A Super Rugby encounter last weekend saw one player from each side waving metaphorically as they passed each other, moving in opposite directions: Jack Debreczeni from 10 to fullback for the Rebels, and Damian McKenzie shifting from fullback to first five-eighth for the Chiefs.

In the process, we discovered previously-hidden attributes that will revive the international prospects of both.

No.10 is a pivotal, tactical position, where decisions have to be made in the instant, right in the teeth of the defence. There is precious little time for consideration, either physically or mentally – so psychologically, your 10 must relish the constant heat the spot brings.

Number 15 is different. There you need the goalkeeper’s psyche: happy to be alone on your island for large portions of the match, maintaining the long view of events, with more time to plan a response in attack or on the counter.

When I first saw Debreczeni, I thought “Gavin Hastings”. Hastings was one of the outstanding fullbacks in international rugby in that bridging period between the amateur and professional eras – he finished playing for Scotland in 1995, the year in which the game changed for good.

Hastings possessed similar physical attributes to Debreczeni. Hastings was well over six foot tall and 95kg plus, Debreczeni is listed at 6’4 and 99kgs. With his long levers and an equally long-term view, Hastings would never have been considered as an outside-half in the amateur era.

Debreczeni looked far more comfortable in his new role than he did at 10 for the Rebels last season. He was solid under the high ball defensively, played well off Jackson Garden-Bachop as an alternate first receiver, and timed his entries from the back well.

Whenever Debreczeni appeared around the ball, something good happened:

Vision and running the short angle
One of the features which persuade me that Debreczeni has key instincts usually associated with fullback play is the speed with which he picks up the right angles outside the main distributor of the ball.

In particular, he sees the short angle well ahead of time and that naturally straightens up the attack and fixes the defence (e.g. 13:18 and 33:46). The quick lineout throw leading to Amanaki Mafi’s break also shows a real vision of the possibilities afforded by space and time. There is no hesitation in Debreczeni’s mind, as there is with so many players in this situation, and the decision is immediate, releasing Mafi with a vital few extra seconds in which to build up a head of steam. That makes all the difference.

Offloading in contact
Debreczeni’s height and reach mean that he is a natural off-loader, who can get his arms over the tackle to release the ball, and he can deliver the offload out of either hand. You want your best off-loaders out in the wide channels, where they can do the most damage – or to do their work after a break has been made to keep continuity (13:22, 23:18 and 43:20).

Receiving the high ball
With Debreczeni’s height and natural spring into the air, there didn’t seem to be any problems in this, the most ‘core’ of all the fullback roles. He’s also quickly down to the ground and back into running on the counter (23:14 and opening kick-off second half at the end of the reel).

There will be more severe tests to come, but the outlook is promising.

Operating as an alternate first receiver
The Rebels achieved a nice balance to their attack by having Garden-Bachop at 10 and Debreczeni at 15 as alternate receivers. They could split to either side of a breakdown at first receiver near midfield (40:44), or play on the same side of the field in tandem to release the wide threat represented by Sefa Naivalu and Marika Koroibete (43:18, 51:05 and 55:34).

Debreczeni passes well out of his left hand and stays square to the defence as he delivers the ball. This has the effect of drawing the defence up towards him and creating a little bit of extra space on the outside (40:44 and 55:34), it also allows him to take the gap when it is presented (51:04).

A physical threat on attack
Size tends to drag physicality along as its willing companion. The lineout move at 37:39 has Debreczeni up in line outside Tom English, checking the two Chiefs centres momentarily, and giving Koroibete and Naivalu extra space in which to play.

Even more impressive is his cleanout of All Black No.7 Sam Cane at 13:24. Cane is already well-established over the ball as Debreczeni gets up off the ground, but the Rebels fullback still removes him with a drive-block, taking Cane all the way back through the Chiefs’ side of the tackle. It is decisive and there is nothing passive about it at all.

The shift to fullback will resuscitate Debreczeni’s international prospects with the Wallabies, and Aaron Cruden’s departure to France will give McKenzie the opportunity to do the same in New Zealand from five-eighth.

McKenzie has been on the outer in the national team, largely because he has been playing fullback at Super Rugby level, with the Chiefs accommodating both he and Cruden. Against the Rebels, McKenzie got to start in what will turn out to be his true international position.

Ironically, Cruden came off the bench to fill in at number 10 only 25 minutes into the game, again forcing McKenzie into fullback.

McKenzie is a livewire who needs constant involvement and enjoys the hot seat at flyhalf, and he achieved as much in that 30 minutes as he did in an hour in which he only made another 12 contributions.

Multiple touches with the defence right in front of him keeps his mind fully concentrated and alive, as in the long sequence from 10:13-10:40. Here he gets on the ball three times and is particularly effective with the second touch on the wrap-around at 10:35. He wants to be in a position with a defender right in his face, even five metres out from his own goal-line (13:35).

After Cruden replaced Toni Pulu, McKenzie played mostly out of the backfield. While he can still be a dangerous proposition in this role on the counter, at only 5’9 and 79kgs, he would inevitably be ‘shelled’ by the heavy artillery of opposition kicking games at Test level.

The more time he can spend at first five-eighth for the Chiefs, the more he will become a realistic All Black contender in 2017.

Summary
Rugby union is entering a new era, in which versatility can make or break a player’s aspirations to fulfil all of his potential.

From a coach’s point of view, shifting players into new positions (even if it is only in very specific situations on the field) is a chance to break down set thinking, expand existing notions of what requirements traditionally ‘belong’ to a position and ultimately, push forward the frontiers of the game.

Jack Debreczeni will be offering up thanks to Tony McGahan for the opportunity to play fullback with the Rebels, as will Damian McKenzie to Dave Rennie and Wayne Smith at the Chiefs.

Both have been given a lifeline which will rekindle the fire underneath their international aspirations. For that – and for making the game of rugby more interesting and attractive in the process – we can all be thankful.