- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Support play in Australian rugby at the elite level is about as rare as a politician’s convictions.
A rugby guru-cum-philosopher in Wales captured the four principles of rugby as go-forward, pressure, continuity and support.
Some would add a fifth: contest possession.
But support underpins all of these principles – after all it is a team game, so support around the ball and the ball carrier is fundamental.
After three rounds of Super Rugby we once again see the difference between New Zealand and the rest. It is easy to say the Kiwis have better skills and play an up-tempo game, but how they are able to maximise these advantages? The answer is superior support play.
Whether it is chasing a kick, a line-break or at the tackle area, New Zealand teams realise that go-forward, pressure, and continuity are all derived from urgent support play.
Next time the Crusaders, Hurricanes, Blues or Chiefs make a line break, take a look at how many support players are stacked around the ball. Just count them. More often than not, they will be in the classic diamond formation, with the ball carrier at the tip, supports left and right for the pass, and another trailing. And all busting their guts to get in position to create options for the ball carrier.
[latest_videos_strip category=”rugby” name=”Rugby”]
Then have a look at when an Aussie team makes a line break – or, for that matter, the Wallabies more often than not in the last ten years. Even with a wide angle lens, you would struggle to find a support player within a bull’s roar, let alone three of them. And don’t get me started on supporting the kicker by chasing kicks…
I really feel sorry for Mick Byrne. This guy has the onerous task of upskilling the ballwork of our elite players and adapting them to the unstructured game, but it is a waste of time being able to pop an offload on counterattack if there isn’t anyone there to offload to.
I watched the Brumbies, Reds, Waratahs and the Rebels last weekend, as all created opportunities and penetrated the opposition line only to see 80 per cent of try-scoring chances come to nothing, because either no support players were there or one was, who promptly ran the wrong line.
You do not need a PhD to run hard in support and pick a decent line off the ball carrier. It is not rocket science to run a line out wide that avoids putting an opposition player between you and the ball carrier and then watching him snaffle the intercept and run 80 metres to score while you scratch your head in bewilderment.
In the past, we could put this lack of support down to inferior fitness levels, however our Super teams now at least look fit, so there is no excuse for not working hard off the ball.
Are our players too posh to push hard in support? Is this somehow beneath them or their pay grade? I ask this because at senior schoolboy and club level I see kids every weekend support their mates when they have the ball or make a break.
The sooner we fix it the better – we may even see a few of those rare opportunities in the modern game where a player breaks the line get converted into tries.
The Kiwis understand just how vital support play is, even more so nowadays against well-organised defences. It’s about time the Australian teams got it as well.
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.