‘Matador’ set to replace the ‘jackal’
Jackals are facing rugby extinction as matadors and sweepers look set to take their place.
The new breakdown laws being trialled in the national provincial championship have killed off the classic Richie McCaw role of the ‘‘jackal’’.
No-one, not even the tackler, can use their hands once a ruck has formed, with crafty counter rucking seen as the most productive way to earn turnovers.
Two main roles have emerged to replace the jackal.
First is the matador. He’s a defending player standing over or near a ruck, waiting to be cleaned out by an attacking player (the bull). Just when the bull charges, he waves his imaginary cape in front of the player, who, grasping at thin air, falls to the ground and is penalised for leaving his feet.
It’s something which Wellington Lions assistant coach Richard Watt found a touch frustrating in his side’s 44-21 loss to Otago last Thursday.
‘‘We go in scanning threats to move bodies and we go hissing in and all of a sudden we’ve got nothing to clean out. So physics says they’re going to go off their feet.
‘‘Teams are doing that zero-ruck policy, where they’re there then they’re gone, sort of like a bull fighter, so it’s the decision making of what’s going on there that is something we’ve got to get our head around at the moment.’’
Lions captain Brad Shields was caught by a matador in the match, his first game under the new rules since joining the team from the Hurricanes. He didn’t expect the role to last. ‘‘I think you’ll see there will be a bit more leeway on certain things, like when that happens, or when you’ve got guys on the ground and you’re trying to clean someone out and trip over, it’s inevitable that’s going to happen.
‘‘Players are learning, refs are learning and I think by the end of the season you’ll see some changes and differences in interpretation of the rules.’’
Of more concern for the Lions was their disrupted ruck ball, with halfback Sheridan Rangihuna constantly under pressure when trying to pass from the ruck in the first half.
That’s where the sweeper comes in. It sees a defender getting as far into a breakdown as they can, then using their foot like a broomstick to sweep the ball out, or at the very least make the halfback’s life very difficult.
Shields said they needed to get more physical in clearing the sweepers out. It’s a catch-22 though, as go in too hard and a matador will be there to catch you out.
It has become a point of emphasis for Watt and Lions head coach Earl Va’a this week as they prepare to play North Harbour in Wellington on Saturday.
A 23-point loss would suggest poor defence, but the Lions had 64 per cent possession and missed just nine tackles to Otago’s 33, indicating the game was lost at the breakdown.