Bouthier’s viral spiral may herald return of the kick
French full-back’s huge effort delighted fans and could prompt a revival of the tactic, says Tom Cary
The afternoon was already an unmitigated disaster for England – 17-0 down in under half an hour to a team Eddie Jones had promised to marmalise – when France’s debutant fullback, Anthony Bouthier, launched the spiral that went viral. A booming 90-metre torpedo, off a turnover ball deep inside France’s 22, which soared over English heads, eventually finding touch well inside the England 22. The Stade de France erupted.
Those 10 seconds last Sunday seemed to sum up England’s miserable afternoon, all fumbling and forlorn where France were gloriously affirmative. But might they have a longer-term impact? Might Bouthier’s boot herald the return of the spiral kick as a force in the game?
You only needed to look at the response on social media to appreciate there is a public desire to see more of them; the eulogies, the exploding head emojis. “This is like unlocking the cheat code on
Rugby 08” was a typical response. Others argued over the best spiral of all time – Gavin Henson putting boot to ball in Wales’s win over Ireland in the 2008 Six Nations was a popular pick, while older heads wistfully recalled the days when David Campese or Serge Blanco would regularly launch exocets 90 metres down the pitch.
Bouthier’s missile gained traction with professionals, too. Dave Alred, England’s former kicking guru, was surprised by the response the kick generated, although not displeased. “I was a bit ‘Well, no s---, Sherlock’,” he told
The Daily Telegraph. “I’ve always coached the spiral. That’s what happens when you connect sweetly. It’s no great surprise.”
Alred believes a combination of factors led to the spiral kick falling out of fashion 10 or 20 years ago. Partly, he says, it was the influence of Australian Football League and rugby league coaches who arrived in union and started coaching the now widely favoured “drop punt”. But mostly it is an aversion to risk in the professional age.
“The spiral is a little riskier,” he says. “But it is a gamble well worth taking when done properly. Look at how hard teams work for 10 yards of territory.
“A properly executed spiral kick will win you 60 metres in one go.
‘A spiral kick can win 60 metres in one go. You have to choose your moment’
You just have to choose your moment.”
Alred is convinced the spiral will return as a force in the game. The Englishman works for five months a year with Queensland Reds, where he says coach Brad Thorn is fully on board with his principles, while he does bespoke work with the likes of Johnny Sexton and George Ford alongside his work in golf with Ryder Cup hero Francesco Molinari.
A glance at Alred’s Twitter feed suggests he has also started working with New Zealand’s Beauden Barrett, through their shared Adidas links. Alred will not comment on that relationship.
“The thing with the spiral is most players believe you have to cut across the ball when striking it. You don’t. The boot grips the ball and allows you to hit along the target line. If you imagine the grooves on a golf wedge, they make a huge difference to the bite. It’s the same principal with the boots,” he says
Alred adds it is not just the greater distance it generates that makes the spiral a useful weapon. “Drop punts stall in the air, so the defender doesn’t have to run back so far to retrieve them,” he points out. “Plus he can catch them clean.
“Whereas you hit a spiral kick and the defender is s----ing himself! Not only will the ball travel further in the air, the bloke isn’t going to be able to jump. He has to stand to catch a lowtrajectory spiral.”
Alredsays: “My rule of thumb is if you’re kicking where the opposition are going to retrieve it first, use the spiral. If you’re kicking to compete or catch, then use the drop punt.
“The spiral kick will come back providing the team has a performance culture rather than a negative avoidance culture – mark my words.”