With the memories of Super Rugby glory (or otherwise) fading fast and an international rugby season looming, our thoughts are turning to the makeup of the Wallabies squad, and of course the Wallabies’ chances not only in the Tri-Nations, but in the Rugby World Cup in September.
It was mentioned on the forum that we have the beginnings of a very skilled Kick Return team within the core Wallabies squad, and I tend to agree. Over the course of the last two years we have seen a renaissance of counter-attack from some of the young Wallaby backs. There are two obvious explanations for this: first, the application of the laws concerning the tackler at the ruck has taken away the fear of holding the ball; and second, the ‘play what’s in front of you’ ethos of the Deans Era has allowed the players some freedom with ball in hand.
This skill set adds a devastating attacking weapon to our arsenal — one that may be our saving grace come the World Cup. I call it a skill set, because it really is a number of skills that, when combined by two or more players, can have fantastic results. This clip highlights what I’m talking about:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEDf9xkzc6s[/youtube]
Last month, The Brown Hornet blogged about the art of speed and stressed the difference between speed and acceleration. In pretty much all the examples from the clip you can see how these players have both skill assets. Acceleration is the first. You can see how the attackers get their legs really moving when they see some defensive holes in order to beat defenders with a simple change of direction or ‘show and go’. The second skill, also very evident in all of these examples, is raw pace. We have seen Kurtley, James, Quade and Digby show real gas when in space to penetrate the gaps in a broken defence.
Vision and a good short kicking game are also key assets to be able to beat a well-set defensive line. We have seen plenty of this from Kurtley over the past two years, but James O’Connor showed he is no slouch in the game against the Blues when he set up Sam Wykes for a great 60-metre try.
Strength in the tackle is also imperative. Against the Blues in the semi-final, Digby and Quade both showed their ability to palm off defenders and stay upright in order to find support players. This is something you can also see in Kurtley’s play as he sets up Lachie Turner against the Brumbies.
The last sequence is probably my favourite of the season. From a Blues clearing kick Quade looks up to find two defenders bearing down on him. Most players would look to pass the ball infield, or put on a kick-chase, but Quade backs himself and uses his strength to palm off the first defender, and his acceleration to get around the second defender. He uses speed to attack the opening outside of the third and fourth defenders, strength again to hold off the tackler long enough, and vision to pick out Ben Tapuai in support on the inside.
It is an element of rugby that showcases all the best bits of backline play, and when it is executed well by our best players, it is a joy to behold.
