Over the past few decades the bodyweight of international rugby players has been consistently increasing. In the main such increases have occurred gradually, a reflection of improvements in resistance training and nutrition which have enabled hypertrophy gains without sacrificing speed and mobility.
A comparatively recent development, however, seems to be a deliberate preference for the use of very heavy players in the backline, most notably in the inside centre position. This would appear to reflect a fundamental rethinking of the role of the 12. Consider the following table showing the body weights of midfielders used by major countries in the European Autumn internationals:
Five-eighths | Inside Centres | Outside Centres | ||||
| Australia | Cooper | 84 | Barnes | 88 | Ashley-Cooper | 98 |
| England | Flood | 91 | Hape | 102 | Banahan | 115 |
| France | Traille | 100 | Jauzion | 105 | Rougerie | 104 |
| Ireland | Sexton | 92 | D'Arcy | 93 | O'Driscoll | 95 |
| Italy | Orquera | 78 | Sgarbi | 101 | Canale | 94 |
| New Zealand | Carter | 92 | Nonu | 102 | Smith | 95 |
| Scotland | Parks | 91 | Morrison | 103 | Ansbro | 92 |
| South Africa | Steyn | 88 | de Villiers | 100 | Steyn | 100 |
| Wales | Biggar | 90 | Bishop | 93 | Hook | 92 |
| Data from espnscrum.com site | ||||||
The table lists players in the 10, 12 and 13 positions for the nine Tri Nations and 6 Nations teams in matches played on the 19th and 20th of November. It can be seen that six of the nine inside centres weighed 100kg or more. Only three outside centres and one five-eighth met that weight standard.
Of the sub-100kg 12s, D’Arcy of Ireland and Bishop of Wales each weighed 93kg while the Australian Barnes weighed only 88kg. Significantly the Wallabies have also played the 85kg Giteau at 12 on this tour while the All Blacks have made use of the 108kg Williams.
Traditionally the 12 was the more thick set of the two centres although by no means a huge player. He could play a crash ball type game but also had the speed and agility to be able to exploit gaps. He was expected to be a very solid defender who could cover if necessary for the less robust 10.
Reflecting its labelling of the 10 and 12 positions as first five-eighth and second five-eighth, New Zealand pioneered the practice of replacing a conventional inside centre with a player whose skill set and experience were those of a 10. More recently there has been a general tendency and expectation for five-eighths to attack the line rather than playing an essentially “white shorts” game. Having two light-framed players side by side each attempting to explore gaps encourages a very aggressive defensive reaction.
Possibly because of this many countries, including New Zealand, have gone back to a more conventional inside centre but with the important difference that these players are now very large and physically imposing. The notable exception to this trend is Australia.
The Deans experiment
Robbie Deans has now been coaching the Wallabies for just under three years. I have previously written about the physical conditioning regime which Deans and his strength and conditioning coach Peter Harding have implemented (“The Wallabies – sprinters not stayers”). But it is the type of backline structure and play that he has been developing that will distinguish his tenure as national coach.
As can be seen from the table below, when Deans took the Wallabies to Europe in 2008 their body weight and age profiles were little different to what they were two years previously. Two years later the average body weight and average age of the backs have declined dramatically:
2006 Squad | 2008 vs. England (Nov) | 2010 vs. England (Nov) | |
| Average body weight (kg) | 102.6 | 102.1 | 99.7 |
| Average body weight - forwards | 111.1 | 110.6 | 110.3 |
| Average body weight - backs | 91.8 | 92.4 | 87.6 |
| Average age (yrs) | 26.1 | 26.6 | 25.1 |
| Average age - forwards | 26.8 | 26.4 | |
| Average age - backs | 26.4 | 23.6 | |
| 2006 data from “Building bigger and stronger rugby players – the Sydney University experiment”; 2008 and 2010 data from espnscrum.com.site | |||
The 2010 backs are on average 4.8kg lighter than those of 2008 and 2.8 years younger. The inside centre on the earlier tour was Stirling Mortlock who at 100kg was 15kg heavier than his successor Matt Giteau. During his tenure Deans has taken on tour quite a number of very young and small backs while ignoring or discarding heavier and more robust players. His desire to groom such players creates a potential imbalance which would seem to be reflected in the figures in the table.
Typically his backlines contain four players who would be classed as playmakers and inevitably the 12 position is filled by a back-up five-eighth. Having a small 12 and multiple playmakers in the one backline may prove to be an inspired strategy, although it hasn’t yet yielded obvious dividends. Clearly this approach is at odds with the current thinking of the other leading nations who all appear to have identified the inside centre position as requiring a very big player. Presumably next year’s World Cup will determine which approach prevails.
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3 comments:
A couple of law modifications in the game in the last 3 years have changed the 12's role (specifically in the midfield) in terms of their natural involvements and actions required. I feel this has been lost somewhat on rugby fans when assessing Giteau's performances, or any 12's performance for that matter.
1. Since the introduction of the 5m offside law for both backlines at the scrum, it has significantly placed greater benefit for the blunt attainment of the gain line and quick possession - front foot ball for the attacking team. Whilst attaining the gain line has always been important, what ever a teams strategy is in achieving the gain line - the 12 is now caught either in the ball carry, supporting the inside edge or the outside edge and thus is caught up doing a lot more of the dirty work. Obviously there are strategies around this, but if the set piece is under pressure in anyway the 12 is always called upon to play a supporting role and can not naturally play as the secondary playmaker role as has been desired in the past. This is supported in the statistical accumulation of the number of cleans the 12 has to do in international or Super rugby.
2. The ELV's introduced most nations to new defensive strategies at the lineout, in both the actual lineout contest and the ensuing defensive team systems due to fact that teams did not have to match the equivalent numbers in the lineout. In short the attacking lineout was a nightmare under the ELV"S. Current law has since changed back to equivalent numbers in the lineout, but much greater thought and strategies have been developed. Once again the 12 as the midfield linchpin is under far greater pressure in attack to attain the gain line, or support gain line attainment and maintain possession. The actions and work rate of the 12 has increased greatly and he now has his head in the ruck more then ever before.
3. The tackle and the tackle contest laws introduce last season have seen a significant increase in front foot ball due to cleaner and quicker phase possession. Teams are having to learn to defend on the backfoot and turn reactive defensive situations on the back foot, into proactive defensive situations when opportunity occurs. This is another topic in Australian rugby for a later date. The jackle has become less prevalent with sides opting to counter drive on an individual basis and counter ruck in pairs. One of Ma anonu's strength is not only his defence but his counter rucking ability with his size and power.
'Win the midfield and win the game' - this adage has never been truer in the modern day game under the current laws, changing the 12's workload significantly.
Australia and the Brumbies were at their best when Mortlock was around. He was Mr. to fix it and helped out many of the Australian 10's look good attaining the gain line or doing the dirties supporting from the inside channel. Mortlocks work rate was underestimated. Ma anonu and SB Williams are the SAll Blacks answer.
Size, power, skill can no longer be danced around like we have attempted to do with some of our 12's at Super and international level in picking smaller and nimble 12's as ballplayers. The game simply does not naturally go their way due to shape of the modern day game.
Giteau is not playing any worst, he is simply being caught up in a greater and more physical work load, thus taking him out of his natural ball playing role.
2. The ELV's introduced most nations to new defensive strategies at the lineout, in both the actual lineout contest and the ensuing defensive team systems due to fact that teams did not have to match the equivalent numbers in the lineout. In short the attacking lineout was a nightmare under the ELV"S. Current law has since changed back to equivalent numbers in the lineout, but much greater thought and strategies have been developed. Once again the 12 as the midfield linchpin is under far greater pressure in attack to attain the gain line, or support gain line attainment and maintain possession. The actions and work rate of the 12 has increased greatly and he now has his head in the ruck more then ever before.
3. The tackle and the tackle contest laws introduce last season have seen a significant increase in front foot ball due to cleaner and quicker phase possession. Teams are having to learn to defend on the backfoot and turn reactive defensive situations on the back foot, into proactive defensive situations when opportunity occurs. This is another topic in Australian rugby for a later date. The jackle has become less prevalent with sides opting to counter drive on an individual basis and counter ruck in pairs. One of Ma anonu's strength is not only his defence but his counter rucking ability with his size and power.
'Win the midfield and win the game' - this adage has never been truer in the modern day game under the current laws, changing the 12's workload significantly.
Australia and the Brumbies were at their best when Mortlock was around. He was Mr. to fix it and helped out many of the Australian 10's look good attaining the gain line or doing the dirties supporting from the inside channel. Mortlocks work rate was underestimated. Ma anonu and SB Williams are the SAll Blacks answer.
Size, power, skill can no longer be danced around like we have attempted to do with some of our 12's at Super and international level in picking smaller and nimble 12's as ballplayers. The game simply does not naturally go their way due to shape of the modern day game.
Giteau is not playing any worst, he is simply being caught up in a greater and more physical work load, thus taking him out of his natural ball playing role.
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