The final of the darts world championship would not normally be a must-watch for international rugby coaches. Lean muscle and protein shakes were definitely not in evidence at Alexandra Palace – let’s just say few in the crowd appeared to be embarking on a dry January. The backdrop could hardly have been more lively short of Gary Anderson and Phil “The Power” Taylor entertaining the guests at one of Caligula’s wilder soirees.
Amid the reverential chants of Stand Up If You Love The Darts and close-ups of Anderson’s tension-racked partner, however, some outstanding sporting nerve was displayed. Taylor has won umpteen world titles but this was his opponent’s first final, inviting the kind of mental turmoil which turns even the smoothest throwing arms to jelly. Briefly the Scotsman appeared to wobble before revealing the coolness in adversity which sets a world champion apart from the herd.
Swap north London for Twickenham and similar depths of sangfroid will be required by the main marksmen of the major sides involved in the Rugby World Cup this year. Look back at how many global finals have been settled by one defining kick, whether it be a penalty or a drop-goal, rather than a try: Joel Stransky in 1995, Jonny Wilkinson in 2003, Stephen Donald in 2011. South Africa beat England in Paris in 2007 with five penalty goals. Slightly more accurate goal-kicking could have squeezed France ahead of Richie McCaw’s New Zealand in Auckland.
In short, it is all very well debating the finer points of England’s back row and midfield balance, Ireland’s strength in depth or the long-term benefits of dual Welsh contracts. When it boils down to it every title contender is going to need a goal-kicker capable of slotting goals consistently. End of story.
Not just consistently, either, but when it really, really matters: when the posts suddenly begin to look as if they are located in a different postcode and the crowd have temporarily forgotten all about respecting the kicker. Hitting the bullseye in such circumstances is not a skill given to everyone.
This is why Stuart Lancaster and Warren Gatland will have watched Sunday’s game between Leicester and Bath with some interest.
The Tigers’ resident Welsh fly-half, Owen Williams – who has just re-signed for the club – did strike a post with one penalty attempt and missed the tricky conversion of Tom Youngs’s try, but otherwise he slotted four out of four to keep the home side in control. His opposite number George Ford, in contrast, pushed a very kickable penalty wide just before half-time which would have significantly helped his side’s cause and then unaccountably missed from point-blank range when a late conversion would have given Bath a losing bonus point.
The old adage still applies: goal-kickers win games, they should not be blamed for losing them. Ford, even so, will be well aware that a similar scenario in an England jersey in, say, Cardiff next month is unlikely to be shrugged off as simply one of those things by the management. This is a World Cup year and place-kicking is far from a minor 1%-er, particularly with a rival such as Owen Farrell around.
How interesting then to study the two players’ goal-kicking stats this season. Ford’s strike rate in all first-class games is 80.2% – 77 successful kicks from 96 attempts – fractionally better than Farrell’s 79.2% (42 successes from 53 attempts). Both trail the domestic leader, Exeter’s Gareth Steenson, who still boasts an 85.7% success rate despite a mixed day against Gloucester at the weekend.
You can interpret those figures in a variety of different ways – Farrell has been coming back from injury, Ford kicked pretty well for England in the autumn – but Lancaster would love to see both players’ averages creep up this spring. If they do so, England will enjoy a fine Six Nations. If not, the probability is they will falter. Perhaps they should get Anderson – based lately in Burnham-on-Sea – or Taylor along to training to demonstrate what world-class mental strength looks like.
The way ahead
Rugby union, as we know, is not a perfect sport. It is abundantly obvious something needs to be done to reduce the number of collapsed scrums and the amount of game-time they occupy. Clarity and consistency in the area of television match official referrals, forward passes and straight put-ins remain elusive. The practice of players charging in to rucks from metres away to “clear” opponents oblivious to the looming collision remains dangerous and should be dealt with more strictly. Concussion protocols need to be treated with absolute seriousness. Occasionally, though, we should all lift our heads up and applaud those trying to think a little differently and stay one jump ahead of the behemoths. Step forward Ian Madigan, whose smart decision to tap, twist and score when Ulster were expecting him to kick routinely to touch for a five-metre line-out helped Leinster to an important weekend win. May 2015 be a year in which brain outwits brawn on a more frequent basis.
One to watch this week
Bath v Wasps. Having just run into one uncompromising pack at Leicester, Bath are about to collide with another at The Rec. Wasps are starting to gain real momentum, their back-row are humming and Christian Wade is roaring back to top form out wide. It will be fascinating to see how Bath respond and whether there will be a place for Sam Burgess in the home starting XV.
