Why English rugby needs to master the breakdown
Teams were out-thought and overworked when contesting the ruck, writes Charlie Morgan
Winning turnover ball is more valuable than ever, to relieve pressure and then apply it
In the context of international competition, last season was a sobering one for English rugby. Eddie Jones’ side lost five Tests in a row and no Premiership club reached the Champions Cup semi-finals. Optimists can talk about success and failure working in cycles, but those facts are still concerning.
Somewhere between other reasons – tired British and Irish Lions tourists and superior player welfare in Ireland among them – refereeing trends in the Premiership have been held up as an explanation for these struggles. There was a perception that England’s group of officials, who work collaboratively, stringently applied World Rugby’s new laws, specifically by rigidly defining the formation of a ruck with the arrival of the first player.
As a result, so the theory goes, officials encouraged quick, clean ball retention and discouraged defenders keen to compete on the floor, for fear of conceding penalties. When facing opponents more eager to contest, overseen by referees from other countries willing to let them, English teams were out-thought and overworked.
Turnover ball is more valuable than ever, both for relieving pressure and reapplying it. “Jackalling” is not the only means of regaining possession, with Saracens frequently forcing handling errors with an aggressive press. As New Zealand are showing, tackles that target the carrier’s upper body and rip the ball away can also create a precious transition situation. Look at how Brodie Retallick sparked an 80-metre counter for Beauden Barrett’s fourth try against Australia on Saturday.
That said, Opta’s tallies of rucks per jackal turnover – both clean pilfers and ones bringing holding-on penalties – over the past three editions of the Premiership and the Pro12 and Pro14 still tell a story. The frequency of jackal turnovers in the Pro12/14 has stayed level while those in the Premiership have become rarer. Are Pro14 scavengers more adaptable? Or are Pro14 officials more lenient? The answer is probably somewhere in between.