DRIVING FORCE
IN PREVIOUS YEARS THE ALL BLACKS HAVE BEEN VULNERABLE TO THE DRIVING MAUL AS IT HAS BEEN A TACTIC LITTLE LOVED IN NEW ZEALAND.
The driving maul is a weapon and a curse depending which side of the rampage you are on.
With the British and Irish Lions tour in full flow, New Zealand rugby needs to muster all the magic potion it can to ensure the All Blacks are not the ones left under a spell, standing on the goalline with hands on hips contemplating another drive-over try.
Already there have been plenty of suggestions about Warren Gatland’s Lions adopting multi-skilled rugby – that effectively means they will have the ability to both move the ball wide and strong-arm opposition in close quarters when necessary.
The reality is, come the three test matches at least, most expect Gatland to revert to type and favour his traditional forward-orientated approach. Crash and bash Gatland does best.
There is no doubt the Lions will look to exert pressure at the set piece. They’ll scrum for penalties, which involves holding the ball in longer than most Super Rugby teams, and back their superior goalkickers to accumulate points. They’ll play for territory. And, rightly or wrongly, they’ll back their pack to get the better of the All Blacks.
WE’RE GOING TO SEE A LOT OF DRIVING MAULS FROM THE LIONS... GAINING PARITY UPFRONT BY HAVING A BIG DRIVING MAUL AND EXCELLENT TACTICAL KICKING GAME IS CERTAINLY SOMETHING THEY’RE GOING TO BRING TO THE PARTY.’ JOHN PLUMTREE
The maul will form a key pillar of that mentality. Like the South Africans, Northern Hemisphere forwards are indoctrinated on the finer points of the maul from a young age. The majority of lineouts in the Six Nations are driven, providing plenty of real-time experience to master the art of defending and employing a shove.
Given the chance, the Lions will use the maul frequently. Done well it allows them to march out of trouble with minimal risk, launch box kicks for wings to chase and contest, and suck in opposition forwards.
“A good driving maul is certainly a good weapon because you can use it in all parts of the field to gain penalties and potentially get 30-40 metres downfield,” Hurricanes assistant coach John Plumtree says. “When I was with the Sharks and in Ireland we had that philosophy around it.
“We’re going to see a lot of driving mauls from the Lions. It’s winter in New Zealand and the conditions cry out for that type of rugby. Gaining parity up-front by having a big driving maul and excellent tactical kicking game is certainly something they’re going to bring to the party.”
There is also a real danger that close to the All Blacks line, the maul could be near-impossible to stop.
Scrutiny will come on the three test referees in particular – South African Jaco Peyper and Frenchmen Jérôme Garcès and Roman Poite – to police both sides and ensure a genuine contest can be had.
Interpretations differ widely when it comes to the maul. Often teams are allowed to get away with players joining in front of the ball carrier or using truck and trailer – breaking off on another tangent and using blockers to do so.
“Sometimes for the average punter it’s a wee bit like watching a collapsed scrum or ruck and the referee makes a penalty and no one really knows what the hell it’s for,” All Blacks set piece guru Mike Cron explains.
“The maul is one of those ambiguous areas where that happens as well. We’ve got ourselves into a bit of trouble with referees invariably only looking at the defending team and never seeing any offences from the attacking team. It’s off balance – that’s the issue we’ve got.
“That’s why teams keep going to mauls now near the goalline because rarely will the referee find an infringement from the attacking team. They’ve got to keep an open mind that there’s two teams in a maul not just one.”
Laws as they stand leave defensive sides limited options. Often the best form of defence is attack. That involves working out opposition lineout calls and throwing up jumpers in front of them. It’s risky business, though. Get the timing or jumper wrong and you can be exposed, with two or three less players to counter push.
Alternatives are to sack the ball winner as soon as his feet hit the ground, flood the maul with as many big bodies as possible at pace to knock it off course or force a mistake.
Holding a maul to a stationary point represents a major win for the defensive team, creating slow, static ball which is easy to defend and almost always kicked away.
There is also the rarely used tactic of not committing altogether. This leads to a farcical but usually effective scene where the attacking team cannot move forward.
Once a maul is rumbling forward with momentum the only way to legally stop it is for someone to scrap their way through the middle and latch onto the ball. But, even then, they must be bound at all times and avoid poking out the side.
“Once the ball is at the back the law makes it difficult to even get near it,” Cron says. “We need it; it’s a great part of the game but there are two sides to it and the referees have to be mindful that everyone is doing the right thing.”
The Lions won’t consider the maul a noted strength of the New Zealand game and will, therefore, attempt to target the All Blacks there.
Even during the Blues’ dominant win over the Cheetahs at Eden Park in mid-May, Tana Umaga’s men conceded three tries from mauls.
Despite those struggles Cron and others immersed in the Kiwi game believe most New Zealand teams have come a long way in their understanding of its value.
“I would have said we struggled to deal with it up to two years ago but that’s changed dramatically,” Cron says. “We do a lot of mauls and mini mauls depending on what we’re trying to achieve with our attack. It’s part of our repertoire now.”
During his time with the Sharks [2007-2012], Plumtree acknowledges the overriding perception that New Zealand teams were seen as weak when it came to defending the lineout drive.
“We could see some of the Kiwi teams weren’t excited about defending driving mauls. They certainly didn’t have a strategy around how to do that. I think that’s changed now but it’s still hard to defend.
“I would say New Zealand teams are at least 50 per cent to 60 per cent better. It’s just because we’ve had to do more of it and the coaches have put more emphasis on it and more detail around it.”
Still, the maul is hardly glamorous. Highlight reels are naturally more geared towards Beauden Barrett’s audacious attacking brilliance or the Highlanders’ scarcely believable comeback win over the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein.
Such endeavour and skill only enhances the view from some sections in the north that Super Rugby doesn’t provide the same stern examination of forward packs as their competitions do.
That theory overlooks the likes of the Brumbies, Jaguares, Crusaders and all African teams who regularly use the maul as a genuine weapon.
“Everyone is doing their fair share of driving,” Plumtree says. “Some are better at it than others but the All Blacks have got their own thing going in terms of how they play test match rugby. The players know it’s a step up in terms of intensity, pressure and speed and they adjust accordingly to the plan. There’s no way they go in with a Super Rugby mentality, especially going into winter.”
Much like attitudes towards the dropped goal prior to the 2015 World Cup success, New Zealand’s mindset around the maul has clearly shifted significantly.
Where previously Kiwi teams saw the lineout largely as a mechanism to get in and out quickly – to feed the backs with off the top ball – it is now embraced as a way to shape defences in much the same fashion Barrett does so often with his crossfield kicks.
The philosophy is essentially to create doubt. Do one thing, then the other.
Last year the All Blacks scored 80 tries and conceded 18. Much of that dominance came from manipulating opposition by moving defenders and creating space where they wanted it. Exploitation at its best.
Variations from a strong, stable set piece are a big part of the All Blacks’ game – and the maul more than plays its part.
Attitudes have now come full circle to the point where we often see New Zealand Super Rugby teams turn down a shot at goal in favour of kicking to the corner. Depending on the state of the match, the All Blacks are not afraid to do likewise.
Captains are sensing the chance to not only push for tries but extract costly yellow cards for repeated penalties in the danger zone.
Much was made of the manner in which the Crusaders squeezed the life out of the Hurricanes in their match in Christchurch not long before the June break.
On a chilly night the Hurricanes failed to get the desired platform, with the greasy ball and heavy surface contributing to their lack of speed and fluidity on attack.
Many saw this and immediately drew conclusions – putting the Lions in the Crusaders’ place and the All Blacks in the Hurricanes’.
The problem with that is many of the dominant Crusaders forwards will line up for the All Blacks, who will also boast a much more potent backline than the red-and-blacks displayed.
While the rolling maul is indeed a vaunted asset the Lions will favour, it is only one part of the equation, one the All Blacks will feel they are now, more than ever, well equipped to handle.
ONCE THE BALL IS AT THE BACK THE LAW MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO EVEN GET NEAR IT. WE NEED IT; IT’S A GREAT PART OF THE GAME BUT THERE ARE TWO SIDES TO IT AND THE REFEREES HAVE TO BE MINDFUL THAT EVERYONE IS DOING THE RIGHT THING.’ MIKE CRON