Aaron Cruden is proof that players of all sizes can play rugby safely.
RUGBY CAN BE A GAME FOR ALL SHAPES AND SIZES IF THE LITTLE MEN ESPECIALLY TAKE THE TIME TO LEARN GOOD TECHNIQUE. GREGOR PAUL SPOKE TO AARON CRUDEN TO FIND OUT HOW THE 82KG FIRST- FIVE SURVIVES IN THE TEST ARENA.
There are little moments in nearly every game that encapsulate what rugby is all about. When the All Blacks played the Wallabies at Eden Park this year, there were arguably too many that it became impossible to keep track.
There was perhaps one, however, that triggered something deep within the soul. It came midway through the first half when Australia were attacking down the left. They had a sniff of a chance as the All Black defence was scrambling to cover.
Michael Hooper took possession five metres out and it looked bleak. He stepped back off his left foot, hoping to beat the defence by going against the grain. But instead he was sat down hard. Not by a hulking great loose forward – but by the 82kg Aaron Cruden.
The second smallest man on the field had read the Australian captain’s intentions perfectly. Cruden steadied himself, waited for Hooper to come to him, kept his eyes up, pushed his head to one side and led with his shoulders. It was close to the perfect tackle and the Wallabies’ momentum died on the spot.
“I was trying to cover the short side and saw him coming on an inside ball. It is something we have talked about – the Australians like to test your inside defence. So for me to get in the right spot at the right time, I was able to make a dominant tackle and I don’t make too many of those in my career so I’ll take that one.
“I know it is something my mum used to say to me when I was growing up, ‘ they can’t run without their legs’ so if you are not the biggest guy, you just have to try to chop them down fast. With the right technique, everything is possible. My friends gave me a bit of stick saying they
couldn’t believe it was me who made the tackle. They said they thought it was the No 1 not the No 10.”
That Cruden could bury the 105kg Hooper was testament to the fact that good technique conquers all. Rugby truly can be a game for all shapes and sizes if the smaller men are prepared to learn good technique.
Cruden has become renowned for being a little ball of rubber. He’s tough and he’s durable. Some of that is down to his mental strength. Some of it is due to the fact he keeps himself in prime condition, but really he’s able to survive in test football because he trusts his technique in contact.
He wouldn’t stand a chance of bringing big men down if he wasn’t technically adept. He wouldn’t stand a chance of getting through 80 minutes without incurring serious injury if he didn’t take his safety seriously.
Modern rugby has one great anomaly: first- five has become one of the most important defensive channels on the field. Back in the day, a No 10 could get away without so much as having to even flap an arm about in the direction of attackers. There were flankers and centres to do that sort of stuff.
Not now. So we have the most curious contradiction that a position which comes with a huge defensive shift – against the biggest ball carriers – is also one that is best suited offensively to a smaller man.
Cruden’s trump card is his agility and his elusive running. His size makes it hard for big men to get a good shot on him. He’s often able to jink into holes, or dance past big lugs he sees lost at sea in the backline.
But the flip side is that opposition sides are tempted to test his defence. He’s the man they want to target because there will be times when he’s tackling men almost 50kg heavier than himself.
“I’m not the biggest man running around,” he says with good humoured understatement. You are going to get different ranges of body shapes and different body sizes out on the rugby field so it is creating the confidence within guys of a smaller stature to go out there and enjoy what they are doing but to do it in a safe environment if they come up aganist a bigger guy. That’s they key – that’s what it is all about.
“I was really lucky growing up. I was never the biggest so technique was always a huge thing. I had a lot of coaches who took the time to show me the right technique of where to put my head to avoid a stray knee or catching someone’s hip which can knock you out.
“The concussion rule that has been brought in to professional rugby – I think that is something that could be looked at for lower levels of rugby as well. It is definitely a step in the right direction for player welfare and keeping everyone safe, above board. Rugby is a physical game but a lot of injury can be avoided if the right measures are taken.”
Not that he needed any reminding, but Cruden endured such a brutal baptism in Super Rugby that the need to look after himself is always forefront of his mind. When he made his debut for the Hurricanes in 2010, he came off the bench in the first game of the season against the Blues.
Seasoned campaigner Benson Stanley, famous for his aggressive defence, lined up Cruden when the Hurricanes first- five took his first touch. The whole stadium winced: Stanley made a thunderous tackle and Cruden was hit hard.
Cruden knows he has to play with his wits about him. He knows that if he switches off or executes poorly, the results could be damaging.
“There is always a bit of apprehension,” he says. “But if you do the preparation throughout the week and have real trust in your technique that you can be in the right spot to make the tackle or to scrummage you can go out there and execute the task.
“You just have to trust your instinct and while that fear is somewhere in the back of your mind – that’s where you put it and rip it into everything.”