[su_dropcap style=”flat” size=”4″]R[/su_dropcap]ugby has become the land of the giants over the last few years. I mean, it always has been, to a certain extent. Go back to the mid-2000s and you’ll find your fair share of huge men all through the pro-game but when we talk about the modern forward, physical size and athletic capacity is a conversation that you can’t ignore and that’s particularly true in the back row.
Here are the average height and weight for back-row forwards across the three general positions in the Gallagher Premiership, TOP14 and PRO14 in January 2020 according to this excellent Rugbypass article.
| Position | Openside | Blindside | #8 |
|---|---|---|---|
| TOP14 | 6'4" / 104KG | 6'4" / 107KG | 6'3" / 108KG |
| Gallagher Premiership | 6'2" / 105KG | 6'5" / 113KG | 6'3" / 113KG |
| PRO14 | 6'2" / 102KG | 6'3" / 109KG | 6'3" / 108KG |
Now, these are just numbers, at the end of the day, but they show a trend of what coaches and clubs have tended to look at in certain positions and that is for taller and heavier players across the back-row. Is it any surprise that CJ Stander, one of the best back-rows in Europe over the last five seasons at 6’1″, was told by the Blue Bulls in 2012 that he was “too small” to play in the loose forwards and, instead, should move to hooker to further his career? The Bulls were wrong, in this instance, and drastically so but were they wrong in general when you look at the size of players currently playing across the top European leagues across the back-row? I mean, probably not.
That isn’t to say that height directly correlates to “good at rugby” but above average height rugby athletes tend to have;
- Higher absolute strength
- Greater capacity to put on effective muscle mass due to longer frame
- Longer reach (good for the lineout)
- Larger hands (good for ball manipulation, passing and offloading)
There are always exceptions to the rule but when you see the general size of back-row forwards getting taller, it isn’t for aesthetic purposes. Taller players can generally pack on more effective muscle mass – which is always desirable in a collision sport – and they are more desirable lineout players because a taller player with a longer wingspan is generally a more efficient jumping option all things being equal. There are always exceptions to the rule and physical outliers when it comes to the certain players in certain positions but, over the last six or seven years, you have rarely been punished for going “big” when it comes to the back-row.
But I think that might be changing.
I’ve spent a lot of time talking about “roles” over the last year on this platform, as opposed to the more generic, nebulous concepts of “positions”. What is an “openside”, for example? I’ve often heard that Peter O’Mahony doesn’t have “the pace” to play in the #7 jersey yet you could argue that his best performances for Ireland and Munster over the last few months have been with that number on his shirt.
Why is that? Because the number on the shirt is meaningless. There is no such thing as a “proper” openside just as having a “real” blindside flanker is only useful if the old cliche of what a blindside should be happens to line up with the roles you require of the player who also happens to have #6 on his back.
Your game plan dictates your role set and your role set influences the attributes of the players you need to fill those roles.
For example, if your gameplan is to play a kick heavy, set-piece and defensive pressure game like the 2019 Springboks, you would have to play a “big” back five selection to maximise your offensive and defensive lineout options so that you can get the most out of your kicking game. A gameplan with a lot of territorial kicking needs to have a big offensive lineout/lineout maul/heavy scrum attached to it or you’re just kicking without a plan.
Essentially, if I’m not worried about your offensive scrum, why should I be bothered about knocking on one of your box kicks under pressure? If I’m not worried about your offensive lineout/maul, then why would I fret about putting the ball out of play after you kick deep to me? If you don’t have a back-row that can facilitate this style of play, then you can’t play that way effectively. The Springboks tended to start with a back-row of Kolisi (combo work rate flanker), Du Toit (4/6D Lock) and Vermuelen (power forward) with Louw (combo work rate flanker) on the bench for their big games.
Let’s look at those roles;
Combo Work Rate Flanker: You could describe this type of player as a #6.5 in that they offer some of the traditional qualities of a blindside flanker AND a traditional openside flanker without easily being pigeonholed as either. I would describe a Combo Work Rate Flanker as being a player with a wide defensive radius (in that they can comfortably cover the wider spaces, as opposed to being limited to central, tighter areas in the manner of a heavy second row) combined with excellent kick transition coverage, a large offensive and/or defensive breakdown presence and an ability to rotate in the lineout as a secondary/tertiary jumper.
I’d rate Kolisi as a higher tackle output CWR Flanker and Louw as a more defensive breakdown focused CWR Flanker but they both play similar roles.
4/6D Lock: There are not that many players who can perform this role set at an elite level because of the size, power and cardio requirements needed to execute it perfectly. It’s a lot more than simply being a lock playing in the back row. For me, there is Maro Itoje, Pieter Steph Du Toit, Tadhg Beirne, Franco Mostert and maybe Bernard Le Roux who fit into this description and that’s pretty much it.
A 4/6D lock is almost a prerequisite to playing a defence heavy, kick heavy game because they have to give you all the offensive and defensive lineout, maul and scrummaging output of a second row but with an 80-minute engine, massive offensive/defensive breakdown numbers and the wider defensive radius of a much smaller player. Watch Pieter Steph Du Toit and Maro Itoje (who started in the second row) in this clip to get an idea of the cardio output needed to fill out this role successfully.
Just put a second row at #6, right? Wrong. If you can’t get Du Toit’s defensive coverage and work rate here – chasing a kick before filing out into a wider defensive position to hem in England post-box kick all without the ball getting outside you – you’re playing yourself by selecting a loosehead lock in the back row.
Power Forward: I would describe this role as, essentially, a ball-carrying second row who you load up as a primary ball carrier in your rotation but who can also be a core lineout component as a jumper, lifter and mauler on both sides of the ball. The lineout aspect of this role set is an important distinction in this role as it adds primary/secondary jumping to your overall back-row blend.
The Springboks used this role blend as part of their 6/2 split “bomb-squad”, where they swapped out their entire front five during a game and used their back-row replacements to keep the continuity of roles, rather than change anything drastically. Exeter, for example, use a back-row blend of a 4/6D lock, a power forward and a wing forward to implement their primary game-plan.
Whoever finds the perfect mix of game plan and role implementation will be ready to dominate the game in the medium term.
The tweaking of the breakdown rules has opened up new ways of playing and I think it’s an inevitability that future law evolutions will make a “vertical” style of play that relies heavily on kick pressure and set-piece more difficult to play effectively.
It won’t become illegal to play a box kick and pressure game – and everything that comes with it – but as the laws around the breakdown in particular start to favour quick, technical ruck “wins” and defensive line speed gets more and more oppressive, I think a move to a more “horizontal” or wide-wide game will become inevitable.
With that, in my opinion, comes a need for smaller, more versatile forwards in the back-row.
We’ve seen the benefits of taller than average rugby athletes have, but what do smaller rugby athletes have in their favour?
- Faster rotational capability
- Generally better power acceleration and explosivity
- Greater agility and shorter distance to travel on the jackal and a smaller profile to attack during the cleanout
- Greater endurance
- Greater balance and a lower centre of gravity for use in the carry and in the tackle
When I say small, here, I mean small in context because the range in height and weight I’m speaking about is from around 5’11 to 6’2″ with a weight range anywhere from 100kg to 115kg. Basically, the guys who some coaches might have the “have you thought about becoming a hooker?” conversation with – there’s an expanded role for them right now and stretching into the future.
The Hybrid Player
When Eddie Jones spoke about how Jack Nowell could play as a flanker, it raised more than a few eyebrows across the game.
But tell me, once you move away from the set-piece what’s is the difference between what Jack Nowell (5’11″/86KG) and Josh Van Der Flier (5’11″/106KG) would be expected to do with the ball in the wide areas? They would both be expected to carry the ball and use their pace and agility to challenge their opponent. They would both be expected to clean out any dynamic ruck situations in those same wide areas. Both would be expected to cover wide areas defensively, make impactful tackles and counter-ruck.
When you remove the concept of where both players might be during a scrum or lineout, they start to look very similar. Not identical, but enough similarities that it makes you think about what might be possible with back-row construction. As with playing a vertical, kick/territory style game, however, there’s no point selecting players that don’t suit the players at your disposal.
If we take Eddie Jones use of hybrid players and look at who he has consistently selected for England over the last year or more with everyone fit, we can see a clear pattern – Tom Curry and Sam Underhill alongside Billy Vunipola with, as of late, Ben Earl off the bench in a 6/2 split.
I would class Tom Curry, Ben Earl and Sam Underhill as different variations of the same role – Wing Forwards.
Wing Forward: A small forward between 5’11 and 6’2″ who is comfortable loading up in a specific role set depending on their configuration that is, at best, a tertiary jumping option in the lineout.
- Heavy Wing Forward: This wing forward is very comfortable carrying the ball off #9 or #10 and usually has a big work rate in defence (tackle and breakdown) in central areas of the field. They occasionally jump in the lineout as a tertiary jumping option on certain lineout plays but can be found as the +1 position as a step in lifter, maul driver or as a breaking pass/carry option.
Example: Tom Curry, CJ Stander, Selevasio Tolofua, Scott Penny - Strike Wing Forward: This wing forward is comfortable carrying the ball in wider areas as a primary attacking threat and can be found as a maul component or midfield hitter on the set-piece. They are effective breakdown threats and can easily slot in as primary central or wide defenders depending on the situation.
Example: Ben Earl, Hamish Watson, Ardie Savea, Sam Simmonds, Kwagga Smith, John Hodnett - Defensive Wing Forward: This version of a wing forward is a defensive focused small forward who loads up on tackles, defensive and offensive ruck entries and wide support play.
Example: Sam Underhill, Josh Van Der Flier, Sam Cane, Ellis Jenkins
Wing Forwards give you a lot of what the modern game dictates and, barring injury, most of them will give you a full 80 minutes which allow you to focus your replacements on other areas. For me, the most progressive back row role combination you can make right now is a Power Forward combined with two Wing Forwards of whatever configuration you need depending on the opposition with a Combo Work Rate Flanker as role cover on the bench.
For me, these smaller forwards are chronically undervalued and offer the smart, progressive coach a way to project their gameplan onto most opponents with enough variety that you can scheme for team-specific threats.
Next week, I’ll speak about combining your back row role set with your front five and midfield as part of your larger game plan.
