We must strive to rescue Northern Hemisphere rugby
Focus on skills and fitness, not just power Bring relegation into the Six Nations
FOR the first time we go into the World Cup s e mi- finals without a Northern Hemisphere team. Is it a blip or are we in terminal decline up here?
England were eliminated at the group stage and France went out with barely a whimper. Scotland f ans will bemoan the match officials while the Irish and Welsh curse their luck over injuries, but the reality is they have all been beaten when it mattered most.
To add a little more context, I really like the Welsh team and have been impressed by them throughout the tournament. Against South Africa they went to make things happen. I regret they didn’t have fewer injuries, notably Scott Williams and Jonathan Davies, because I do not think South Africa, with their limited game plan, are much different from the Six Nations sides.
Ireland will perhaps be l eft feeling the most confused. They have made great progress under Joe Schmidt and put in a fine display against France but were then blown wide open by a dynamic Argentina team.
Scotland have also improved a great deal under Vern Cotter — they were nowhere near that performance two years ago.
France, l i ke England, have struggled to find their identity — or at least the right identity — and both teams find themselves at a crossroads.
That said, to ignore the fact that no Northern Hemisphere team will be in t he s emi- f i nals and that, consequently, only one Northern Hemisphere side will have won the World Cup i n eight attempts, would be dangerous.
To sweep it under the carpet and just look forward to the Six Nations would be a mistake because Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa are only going to get better.
This is not about copying New Zealand or anyone else. That is one of my pet hates. Copy and you come second at best, but we seem to have forgotten some of the simple principles of what this game is about. This is a game about speed, space and being bloody tough. I can’t help but feel we are too obsessed with the latter. With this in mind, there are a few things we need to address.
Firstly, fitness. There is much talk about elaborate fitness camps and everybody reaching new levels but I see no evidence of that with England or France. Both appeared heavy and slow.
On Saturday, France looked like shire horses, New Zealand were glistening thoroughbreds. England were the same in their games. Wales and Scotland looked exceptionally fit to me and closer to the Southern Hemisphere teams.
Secondly, there are some very skilful players in the Northern Hemisphere but often they do not make the cut, especially if they are labelled ‘mavericks’.
Six Nations teams have some skilful players but not all have the required skillset. Everybody in the New Zealand side can handle brilliantly and Australia and Argentina are not far behind.
The speed and accuracy of the pass or even a willingness to even look to pass is often missing.
Rugby is about finding space, but we have forgotten how to find it. ‘Let the ball do the work’ is an old football saying usually directed at eight-year- olds. But it is our elite rugby players who need reminding of this right now.
We have turned our backs on sevens as a way of polishing up ball skills in aspiring Test players. Our sevens squads just produce sevens players these days. The New Zealand, Puma and Wallaby squads are packed with players who have spent a season with their national sevens squad at some formative stage of their careers.
Basic selection is still a big problem — with England and France the worst offenders. It has been shown up time and time again that the World Cup was never going to be won with a big, slow back row and a midfield trio founded on defence, not attack.
I despise t he e xpression ‘ball-carrier’, which is used so often. It means a player being asked to run straight and smash into the opposition and is self-limiting. Ball- carriers win you nothing, ball-players can take on the world.
Look at Nicolas Sanchez and Juan Martin Hernandez at 10 and 12 for Argentina, Bernard Foley and Matt Giteau for Australia and Dan Carter plus the likes of Ma’a Nonu, Conrad Smith and Sonny Bill Williams for New Zealand.
They are all passers, thinkers, off-loaders and, yes, they can throw some power in, too, but only when it adds to the mix.
At the elite level, the Six Nations is a huge financial driver but as a pure rugby tournament it has stagnated. It doesn’t seem as quick or innovative as other modern competitions. It is a great day out, but the rugby has become a little routine and stale.
The Six Nations must introduce bonus points. All the domestic competitions use them and now the World Cup does, too. It encourages positive rugby. You can earn that extra reward for four tries or chasing a lost cause and getting within seven points of the opposition.
Also, why not introduce a Six Nations promotion and relegation system with a play- off game against the European Nations Cup champions?
Northern Hemisphere rugby should not be a closed shop that is allowed to block the ambitions of Georgia and Romania and any other emerging country. The current situation has come close to killing off the ambition of those wanting t o dream big and provided a safety net for those who simply are not performing.
I believe in Northern Hemisphere rugby. Being unrepresented in the semi-finals is not a fair reflection of the players we have. Sadly, though, it is a fair representation of how we currently approach the game.
It’s not about copying but we have forgotten basic principles