1 Start young
First things first: this has been a fabulous Rugby World Cup in terms of extending the sport’s global appeal. Any kid watching New Zealand or Argentina or Australia or Japan could not wish for a better illustration of how rugby union, at its best, should be played. But across the mini-rugby pitches of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland will seven-year-olds be practising their Nehe Milner-Skudder sidesteps and asking for posters of Juan Imhoff for their bedroom walls? Probably not. What they need, particularly at the age of 10-13, is more encouragement to run and pass and evade rather than thud and smash and blunder. Wellington School in Somerset have just sent out an appeal seeking other schools wishing to play U14 and U15 games where team selection is based on size and/or weight.
Contact is clearly a major part of the game but allowing tall, strong early-maturing hulks to bash over smaller ones, destroying their confidence and curtailing the skill development of both parties, helps no one. Henry Slade, perhaps the most skilful young midfield back in England, was a late developer physically who felt he had little option but to work on his skills to compensate. The contrast between him and the majority of his peers who spent their teens running into people is stark.
2 Change mind-set
It is not necessary to copy everything New Zealand do. Instead why not heed the words of the former England international Josh Lewsey who has already been addressing this problem in Wales? He wants rugby there to start producing “better, brighter, more rounded players” who boast good skills as “part of their DNA” rather than just great athletes. Why is it automatically the case that England, say, view themselves as a nation whose strength lies in the forwards?
Look at Argentina. They were in much the same position a few years ago, muddling along with a good pack but winning big games only occasionally. On the advice of Graham Henry they realised the key to being competitive in the Rugby Championship lay in seeking to play a more all-court game and, as a result, scoring more tries. The fruits of that mental adjustment have been there for all to admire at this tournament; the attacking rugby that saw off Ireland in the quarter-final was no fluke. How much the players – and the same applies to New Zealand and Australia – seem to be enjoying their rugby as a result. Would playing the Six Nations on firmer spring pitches not help?
3 Sharper coaching
Much has been made of the lack of northern hemisphere representation in the last four. It is sometimes overlooked that the three best performing European nations – Wales, Scotland and Ireland – all had southern hemisphere head coaches too. There is no question that international coaching, particularly at the top end, is a completely different job from week-in week-out club coaching.
The Premiership, the Pro12 and the Top 14 all have their virtues but even moderately successful sides can get away with playing some pretty mediocre rugby. What has set the sharpest sides – the All Blacks, the Wallabies, the Pumas, Japan – apart over the past month has been the quality and speed of their ball presentation.
An Australia forward will take the ball into contact and the ball will be recycled by Will Genia in a quarter of the time it takes England to do the same thing. A lot of it boils down to coaching. Look at Japan’s scrum … in, out and away within a few seconds, with an agile No8 on the charge. Not all rugby needs to be attractive but dull-witted, orthodox Test sides are increasingly struggling. If Eddie Jones, Joe Schmidt or Michael Cheika were involved with England in some capacity – and one French newspaper is already claiming the Rugby Football Union is seeking to prise Schmidt away from Ireland – it would surely result in English players thinking more clearly.
4 Look abroad
The French rugby newspaper Midi-Olympique names a Top 14 team of the week. Guess who made this week’s XV? Why, three Englishmen: David Strettle, Steffon Armitage and Toby Flood. Nick Abendanon is playing the rugby of his life in Clermont.
Insisting on English international candidates playing only in England is a perfectly legitimate concept which ignores the fact that players improve most when outside their comfort zone. Instead of disappearing into academies at 18 and seeing only the inside of a gym for two years, interspersed with a few A league and U20 games, ambitious young players from the northern hemisphere would be far better enjoying a spell in Australia, New Zealand or South Africa, playing real club rugby in unfamiliar surroundings which, apart from giving them a valuable life experience, would mature them into better on-field decision-makers. Would Australia be in the semi-finals without Matt Giteau?
Possibly but the experience he has gained from his stint in Toulon has been a significant positive. The same goes for Cheika’s stints at Leinster and Stade Français. Louis Picamoles is currently being linked with a move to Bath; would it really be the end of the world if, say, Anthony Watson went to Racing Métro for a year and shared a dressing-room with Dan Carter?
5 Stop making excuses
Let’s face it: the All Blacks and the Wallabies – and increasingly the Pumas – are playing the sort of rugby all supporters would love their own team to produce. As Cheika said on Monday it ultimately boils down to philosophy: “We have a certain identity we want to play to. It doesn’t have to be the same way for everyone … when I was in Ireland I really enjoyed the different cultures between Leinster and Munster. I wouldn’t ever claim that running is better than playing another way but it’s how our people like us to play and what we grow up playing.”
And there you have it. Where there’s a will there’s a way. The north may currently be trailing but the solution is simple enough: accept that the modern international game is changing fast and react accordingly.
