Elias shows he can mix it with best in the front-row battle
A HOOKER’S life isn’t always an easy one. Undervalued, underappreciated and, if you look at the figures, underpaid.
They take on vast amounts of pressure - both mentally due to the specific role they play, and physically because of the forces exerted at the scrum– with comparatively little in the way of remuneration.
And when the lineout does go awry, the finger will always be pointed at them before anyone else.
So spare a thought for Ryan Elias - a man who has copped more than his fair share of flak in the past year or so.
He knows exactly how hard the position can be.
When Wales’ lineout was failing to find its target in the absence of Ken Owens last autumn, it was Elias getting it in the neck from supporters.
So too when things didn’t go to plan against the All Blacks.
Indeed, there were probably plenty sharpening the knives when he retained the No.2 jersey to face the world champion Springboks, waiting for another off-day with the arrows.
That day, though, didn’t come. Instead, Elias put in arguably his best performance to date in a red jersey, taking the words of his critics and shoving them down their throats.
The general play in the loose was impressive enough, just as it was against New Zealand in fairness to Elias.
His bulk as a carrier is crucial to a Welsh pack light on weight at the minute, while he’s also a useful option as a breakdown threat.
But, most importantly, the lineout functioned well with Elias on Saturday.
Now, it wasn’t a perfect fix. Instead, it was more of a smart compromise, recognising the conditions and the circumstances and adjusting accordingly.
In fact, Elias’ only lost throw on the weekend was punctuated by a delay in throwing as Wales overcomplicated matters and Eben Etzebeth got up in front of the jumpers.
They simplified things. The vast majority of Elias’ throws were to the front of the lineout, with the hooker getting the ball away before the Springboks had time to even read where the throw was going.
Get the man up in the air at the front, hit him, get him down. Then you can play from there.
Even if that makes moving the ball into midfield a touch more difficult, that’s better than not having possession at all.
Wales made a few of those little concessions, with Adam Beard limiting the extent of Wales’ lineout calling given the conditions.
As well as targeting front ball, they used a smart ploy of throwing straight to the front lifter on the ground in order to get the ball away from the lineout immediately.
They also seemed content that the risk-averse lineout strategy wouldn’t lend itself to setting up mauls in addition to midfield position.
To steal an American football term, Wales’ lineout on Saturday was in many ways similar to the ‘dink and dunk’ offence that has led the New England Patriots to numerous Super Bowl titles in the past two decades.
But just like the Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady was capable of pushing the ball deep when needed, Elias managed to hit the tail of the lineout when called upon on Saturday.
That will be a pleasing thing for both Elias and his coaches, just as much as the way Wales managed their lineout to suit the conditions and the context of the game.
Moving forward, Wales will still likely want to evolve their lineout with more nuances and gadgets, but they also showed they’re capable of limiting that ambition to find success when needed.
Crucially, Elias showed on Saturday he can mix it with the former and the latter.Few can begrudge him that.