Time to stand up to protect future of No7s
Experimental law places pure openside flankers of the modern game on the endangered species list, writes Marc Hinton.
OPINION: Close your eyes and imagine New Zealand’s rugby history without the momentous contributions of Richie McCaw, Michael Jones, Josh Kronfeld, Graham Mourie, Kel Tremain, Ian Kirkpatrick and Waka Nathan, to name but a select few of the men who have worn the black No 7 jersey with distinction.
Then, while you’re wiping the tears from your face, contemplate never having experienced the current duel for the All Blacks openside flanker berth between the talented Sam Cane and Ardie Savea, let alone getting to savour its captivating essence over upcoming months, and seasons. What sort of a world are we now living in, for goodness sake?
Well, it’s a make-believe one for the case of illustrating my point. The stark reality is that while the past can never be rewritten, and that we’ll always have Richie and the Iceman and co, the future of rugby could be heading down a very dark pathway indeed. The game is at least seriously considering effectively removing the contest for the ball at the tackle, and rendering the No 7, as we know him, as obsolete as the Walkman, VCR recorder and compact disc.
This is the major repercussion of the experimental breakdown laws being trialled in the New Zealand provincial competition. And though there’s still a fair bit of water to flow under the bridge yet before anything gets set in stone, the fact they’ve reached this stage indicates someone, somewhere is considering them very seriously.
The new regulations have completely changed the game of footy and not for the better.
Effectively the competition for the ball in the tackle area has been removed. If you’re the defending team the only way you can now contest possession is to gather collectively and walk over the ball. Even that produces a scrappy kick-fest that does nothing to introduce any clarity into the battle for the ball.
There is no provision under this experimental law for the skilful, strong and smart player arriving swiftly, getting into the right position and making the play for the ball as the tackler goes to the deck.
It’s still possible, of course, to play some decent footy, and it’s actually vastly easier to build the attacking phases and eventually wear down defensive lines with your big, powerful ball-runners. If your team has the ball, chances are they’re going to keep it for a while (a la Super Rugby of the mid-to-late-90s).
But from the provincial rugby I’ve watched, the game just hasn’t been the same. It’s too predictable. Too same-old, same-old. Too generic. Too rugby league.
The ball gets cycled through the phases, teams give up contesting and fan out their defensive lines, and this goes on, and on, and on, until either the attacking team makes an error, the defenders transgress or a stray boot from the opposition on the walk-through kicks the ball loose and we start again.
The result has been a substandard product. I’ve still enjoyed the competition, and in particular its ongoing ability to promote the next tier of professional talent coming through the New Zealand system.
As a breeding ground for our next wave of stars, this competition remains compelling viewing. But as a decent competition featuring rugby to write home about, sorry, but it’s just not doing it.
Look, I know why they’re considering taking away the contest. First and foremost, it’s a safety thing. They’re trying to do away with the bodies flying into the breakdown, and all the physical damage that wreaks.
But is this what we want? Rugby’s essence, surely, is its contest for possession and the premier exponent of that is the No 7 whose job it is to be first to the stoppage.
The final straw came when Auckland coach Nick White effectively waved the white flag and selected Akira Ioane as his No 7 in a supersized loose trio featuring three guys who effectively do the same thing well − carry the ball.
Ioane is a hugely talented footballler. But he’s not an openside flanker.
Laws like this are trialled because we need to see how they play out in reality. Surely now we’ve had a glimpse of the future, the subsequent screaming should be enough to ensure a return to normal service.