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Opinion
Ken Wright may not have been the greatest back to represent Australia, but he did something on the rugby field that I still remember clearly to this day. It was with great relief I was able to find video footage of it to remind myself of one of the classical sidesteps seen in rugby.
Witness it for yourself below. Of course we did not have YouTube back then, so I was able to watch it only on news highlights, but that may have made it more special.
He left Brian McKechnie for dead with a blistering step that led to the third of Greg Cornelsen’s four tries. Commentator Keith Quinn described it aptly as “a scorcher of a sidestep”.
If you do not fancy being heavily tackled, the sidestep is the best weapon with which to beat an opposing player without a hand being laid on you. And since Wright was a small man, standing at 1.7 metres and weighing 71 kilos, the crash method of beating a man was never an option.
He came to the attention of the rugby world when he scored a brilliant individual try for Sydney against the touring Englishmen in 1975. Legend has it that Wright sidestepped the full English forward pack, helping Sydney to a 14-10 victory. He made his Test debut for the Wallabies 11 days later, aged 19, against England.
The sidestep is a gift to a rugby player rather than an attacking weapon created through hard work and practice. Three sidestepping players from years gone by spring to mind: Bryan Williams, David Duckham and Phil Bennett. BeeGee Williams used it to devastating effect on the hard South African grounds in 1970, even sidestepping opposing players in the in-goal area.
Bennett’s highlights reel includes many sidesteps, but the most famous is when he started the move that led to Gareth Edwards’s legendary try for the Barbarians in 1973, including two brilliant sidesteps. In the same match, David Duckham for the Barbarians produced two of the most glorious sidesteps I have ever seen – the second one, with an outrageous dummy thrown in, is still exciting.
Duckham has commented that Peter Jackson, an English player, was an influence in the sidestepping art. Bleddyn Williams and Carwyn James, both Welshman, were also early exponents who may have passed on sidestepping tips. Apparently All Black Ron Jarden may have been an early practitioner of sidestepping too, also in the 1950s.
Kenneth James Wright was born in 1956 in Malabar, New South Wales, and attended Marcellin College in Randwick. He began his rugby career with the Randwick club in 1974, playing representative rugby after only four grade games.
Wright was a scintillating teenage rugby star with sensational acceleration and class. His speed possibly came from his time at the Coogee Surf Club, where quick starts are essential. He was one of the noteworthy players on the Australian Schoolboys tour of the United Kingdom in 1973-74. He possessed an excellent rugby brain and tactical kicking vision, plus his dazzling sidestep added to his armoury.
He played nine internationals for Australia, including a tour to Britain in 1975-76 and a short tour to France and Italy in 1976. On a tour to New Zealand in 1978 Wright played in three unforgettable Tests against the All Blacks. With Paul McLean absent in the first Test, Wright handled the goal kicking duties, missing a decisive penalty goal. The third Test was when he conjured the memorable sidestep, but he also played a hand in four of the five tries from the inside-centre role.
As with many players, there is a peak time in their career – think Bryan Williams in South Africa or Jonah Lomu in the 1995 Rugby World Cup. Wright was arguably at his peak in 1978. His final Test was the third against the All Blacks.
When Ken Wright returned to Australia in 1978 he left rugby union on top and changed codes to rugby league, where he ended up playing five seasons, playing 22 games for the Sydney Roosters from 1979 and 36 times for the Rabbitohs.
“In 1981, when Jack Gibson set up the Rugby League Players Association, Ken became the first player-president of the new body. A qualified and respected accountant, Ken provided his services free of charge for the Men of League in the early years,” wrote Barry Ross.
How would a man of Ken Wright’s physical stature cope in the modern game? It is purely a guess, but I would surmise he would be just fine. With that acceleration he would be difficult to catch!
Is the sidestep a forgotten art? I know Nehe Milner-Skudder is one who stood out with his sidestepping skills, as did Christian Cullen, but they are in the past. Samoa’s Sinoti Sinoti and Tonga’s Telusa Veainu stand out in searches for recent sidestepping players.
If it is a forgotten skill, why do players not possess it? I do not have the answer for that now, but Ken Wright certainly did back in the 1970s.
He may not make it into imagined Wallabies teams, but he provided some memorable moments in a short but brilliant career. And the possessor of that sidestep!
Here’s to Ken Wright, one of my favourite Wallabies.
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.