Why order of the boot can be vital
Iscarcely moved from my chair in front of the TV this weekend. It was a real rugby feast and not for the first time I started thinking about kicking. Good kicking and bad kicking.
Yes, rugby is a handling, running game but never underestimate the importance of kicking and how it can contribute to good, attacking rugby — especially in these days of packed, disciplined defensive lines who move up at great speed and can suffocate the attacking side. a prime example of this was at Toulon on saturday, when their brilliant young fly-half anthony Belleau bailed them out late on with a try which was very reminiscent of the match-winner Jerry Guscott produced for the lions against australia in 1989. His pack had been battering away for a long time on the Bath line and, although quite controlled, were going nowhere. Only very reluctantly did they let the Toulon backs have the ball and Belleau conjured some magic immediately by threading a little grubber through the massed ranks and winning the race for the ball. I have clocked Belleau on a couple of occasions and he really looks class. I wonder if France have finally uncovered their long-term fly-half, always their problem position. Hopefully they won’t try to convert him to a scrum-half, which is what they usually try to do. There was more good kicking at scarlets during their very entertaining game against Benetton Treviso. The Italians were a bit unfortunate to lose after a gutsy and clever performance in which they went down to 14 men early on after a sending off. Treviso had been defending well and looked certain to get at least a draw when steff evans produced a clever chip ahead and gather to help scarlets secure the win. and then we had the game at Thomond Park between Munster and leicester. There we had good kicking and bad kicking. There was the beautifully timed grubber by Ian Keatley for simon Zebo to dob down and then there was the box kicking. as you know, I’m not a fan of the box kick. The percentage chance of getting the ball back is just too low for me. But Munster and conor Murray are among the best exponents and when he hoisted the ball, he got the hang time right and the chasers were in position to claim the ball or harry the defence. Tigers got their box kicks wrong, kicking far too long and giving Munster easy ball to take. you need to kick with real intent and accuracy. and always be sure as to exactly why you are kicking.
The France team may have flattered to deceive again this autumn, but I love the way la rochelle go about their work. Their win over Wasps yesterday was spectacular and there are lessons to be learned from them. apart from Victor Vito, la rochelle have no superstars, but they are packed full of really good but underrated and constantly overlooked French players, as well as foreign imports who are hungry and playing for the very best of reasons. Vito looks fired up by the challenge, Brock James is a model pro but was discarded by clermont, ryan lamb has been around the block while levani Botia has been played out of position at centre by Fiji. For la rochelle, Botia looks a worldclass openside flanker and you wonder how many centres out there are actually flankers in disguise! It is not so long ago that la rochelle were playing in the Pro D2 and they have grown together developing their exhilarating brand of rugby. Head coach Patrice collazo knows the value of some real grunt up front and backs coach Xavier Garbajosa has given everybody licence to run and thrill. It’s looking bleak for Wasps in terms of the pool but they are not technically out. They can match la rochelle’s creatively but need to up the physicality if they are to reverse the result in the return.
IT Was nice having Martin Johnson back on our screens last week at the Varsity Match, where he presented the rhino Trophy and helped out the BBc with their coverage. Now I am hoping we will see a bit more of our World cup- winning captain in the months ahead. Johnno was really hurt by the events of the rugby World cup in 2011 and the aftermath — and I have experienced a bit of that myself when things go wrong. Believe me, it’s like a physical blow and takes some getting over. But Johnno is one of england’s greatest and most respected rugby men and it would be great to hear more from him. There is talk that he may be working for the BBc as a pundit during the six Nations, which I really hope is true.