SIR CLIVE WOODWARD: HOW TO SAVE 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 semi- 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 fans 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 even just a couple fewer injuries, notably Scott Williams and Jonathan Davies, because I do not think South Africa with their very limited game plan are much different from the Six Nations sides.
Ireland will perhaps be left 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 superbly dynamic Argentina team. Scotland have also improved a great deal under Vern Cotter — they were nowhere near that performance two years ago.
france, like england, have struggled to find their identity — or at the 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 the semi-finals and, consequently, that only one Northern Hemisphere side will have won the World Cup in 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. Strong, undeniably, but the days when brute strength and power win you anything are long gone.
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’ or — heaven forbid — are englishmen playing in france.
Six Nations teams have some skilful players but definitely not all have the required skillset. everybody in the New Zealand side can handle brilliantly and Australia and Argentina are not far behind. every one of Argentina’s tries had some display of world-class skill.
Against france, New Zealand lock Brodie Retallick looked as much at ease on the ball as Dan Carter. I am not asking for offloads ‘out the back’ from everyone, but simply 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 totally 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 squad 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 the expression ‘ ballcarrier’, which is used so often. It means a player being asked to run straight and smash into the opposition and is totally self-limiting. Ball-carriers win you nothing, ball- players can takek on th the world.ld Look at Nicholas Sanchez and Juan Martin Hernandez at 10 and 12 for Argentina, Bernard foley and Matt Giteau for Australia and 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.
I’m a huge fan of rugby league and the introduction of Phil Larder as my defensive coach was fundamental to england’s success in 2003. But I wonder if in the north we have become a bit too dependent on the rugby league coaches’ views.
Ironically, the flat passing game in league is superior to union but their default setting is to be defensively minded and it is now creeping into how union teams are attacking and selecting as well. It needs to b be counterbalanced by top rugby union attacking brains.
Also, why do we keep hearing about club versus country?
The Super Rugby franchises all seem pointed towards the national team but up here there is massive tension between the french league club owners and the national team. I don’t believe all is sweetness and light between the RfU and the Premiership, either.
We saw last summer that the Premiership effectively prevented england from fielding a full team in the first Test against New Zealand. That is totally unacceptable. english professional rugby should be 13 teams: 12 Premiership clubs and the international team all working on one very clear agenda.
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 bonus points 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 at the end of the season 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 to dream big and provided a safety net for those who simply are not performing.
Outside the Six Nations, the autumn internationals are not an accurate assessment of Southern Hemisphere strength as their teams arrive tired. We must also findf a way to tour the Southern Hemisphere rested, with all our players available and in much better condition. Take the game to them and start winning away. We have become comfortable losing on the other side of the world. We seem more interested in whether the Lions do well in the Southern Hemisphere than our national sides, which makes no sense.
The home unions need to see the bigger picture generally and work more closely together. We celebrate coming together every four years for the Lions so why not be more cohesive in between?
I sense we are already frantically playing catch-up in trying to put a truly competitive Olympic sevens squad together for 2016. Not only is there a danger of falling short on the pitch but I don’t think they have really appreciated how Olympic sevens will impact on the game and how they need to be at the forefront, not bringing up the rear.
As ever, 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.
I keep hearing of club versus country... it is unacceptable
England and France appear heavy and slow