Analysis: Marcus Smith vs. Christian Lealiifano - The English prodigy against the Wallaby
Ulster’s clash with Harlequins on Friday night put two fly-halves head-to-head in contrasting stages of their career. A southern hemisphere stalwart making a remarkable comeback from a life-threatening illness, against an 18-year-old touted to one day be entrusted with the English 10 jersey.
Ulster’s Christian Lealiifano, who last year was undergoing chemotherapy for leukaemia, showed in the match that he hasn’t lost an inch of class. Meanwhile, upstart sensation Marcus Smith, fought back with some big plays of his own – making for an intriguing encounter.
Ulster’s architect – Lealiifano and his Wall
Lealiifano is a medium-volume passer in Ulster’s system. He drifts in-and-out of first receiver, letting the play run off the halfback for periods of time before injecting himself on set formations.
Ulster came out determined to play a possession game early, holding the ball for long periods within their 1-3-3-1 pattern – even from deep in their own half.
One formation becomes apparent in this structure. After a wide stretch towards the sideline, Ulster brings play back towards the middle with one pod, before setting up the ‘Wall’ formation with the second pod – an attacking platform central to Ulster’s game plan.
Lealiifano slides into first receiver with four option runners outside of him: a Wall of three players and a fourth man (usually a back) as the boot man.
Ulster run a variety of plays off this formation. Lealiifano can simply distribute to ‘1’or ‘2’ for a hit-up, throw a cutout to ‘3’ or hit ‘4’ out the back. The boot-man ‘4’ can also run off any of the front three runners, and the forwards can tip pass amongst each other giving Ulster a multitude of possibilities from the Wall.
In the third minute, Lealiifano slashes open Harlequins with this variation – the first runner drops under him with a dummy-cut line and he drifts across the field.
Harlequins lock George Merrick breaks ranks and puts a shot on Lealiifano, leaving a gaping hole. He hits his third runner with a perfect flat cutout ball for a line break and 50m gain, leading to the first 3 points.
If Lealiifano runs a simple hit-up play with the Wall formation, the next phase he will use the half the field available to run another play – this time with the remaining backs – utilising the space to the sideline until they run out of room, at which point they begin tracking back and restart the process.
The Wall is always used in the middle of the field.
Marcus Smith – Easy does it
Harlequins are cautious with Smith’s induction to top-level rugby, he’s rarely seen at first receiver and often stationed in behind forward runners.
Their forward-dominant play gives Smith the opportunity to play the back-door option on the swivel pass and introduce himself into the game at speed with his dangerous running game. However, this approach limits his touches and ability to make a mark on the game.
On defence Smith is a quasi-fullback, removed from front-line duty and holding position in the back three on the wing. On the few occasions Ulster kicked, they kicked smartly, targeting Smith in the back and winning back possession on more than one occasion. Lealiifano was often the orchestrator of this.
Harlequins use a dosage of box kicks to relieve Smith of too much kicking. But on a few occasions, Smith showed a willingness to take risks with the boot.
Camped on the back of his own in-goal preparing for an exit kick, Smith audaciously makes a cross-kick from his in-goal across the posts, – finding his mark wide giving the Harlequins a chance to catch Ulster off guard.
However, who shuts down the play? Lealiifano.
He drags down the runner in a crucial cover tackle, gets up and swoops round to jackal the ball – earning a penalty and another 3 points.
Going blow-for-blow – Makings of a duel
With Leallifano taking the early points in this contest, Harlequins get a break. Against the run of play, they make a long run off an intercept.
An opportunity beckons for Smith to work off front-foot ball.
He calls for the ball down the short-side on the next phase and gets a one-on-one matchup – skipping around the defender almost effortlessly, illustrating the athleticism that makes him such an exciting prospect and scoring the first try of the match.
Ulster return serve not long after – getting attacking ball after a poor box kick immediately after the restart.
Lealiifano goes into distribution mode, taking control of Ulster’s pattern from a lineout: Crash middle. Spread right to sideline. Pod off 9 back to the left. Wall formation and crash middle.
Coming around the corner on the fifth phase Lealiifano hears the call for a cross kick and stabs one in behind. The kick finds space, bouncing up awkwardly for Harlequins fullback. Ulster’s inside centre Stuart McCloskey toes the ball forward and scores.
Lealiifano has officially entered the zone – showing complete mastery of Ulster’s 1-3-3-1 and the bravado to make a bold play on the fly – executing both structure and impromptu play flawlessly to hit back within minutes.
He can’t put a foot wrong at this point – he has been responsible for the work leading to all of Ulster’s 13 points.
Smith in the saddle
Down 13-5 on the scoreboard, Quins start to get more possession. Smith finds himself getting into first receiver more, and on the stroke of the half-hour mark, ignites the play.
Feeling pressure from the outside rush defender, Smith cuts back off the left foot and attacks the line, breaking through a valiant effort by Ulster’s prop Wiehahn Herbst.
The one thing you don’t want to present Smith with is a staggered defensive line, especially when the inside defender is a front-rower.
Smith feigns the gap, jinks off the left again and comes out the other side. He has the presence of mind to find an inside support runner in Kyle Sinckler out of his blind spot, but the prop is tackled around the 22.
With the pressure completely on Ulster, things fall apart just as quickly as Smith reverts back to normal structure, backing out of first receiver whilst his forwards struggle to get down the field.
After two aimless phases, Harlequins are completely disjointed and the momentum is lost from their line break.
With Smith falling back out of play, halfback Ian Prior has to carry across field when no forward runners present themselves at first receiver. The outside men are so deep, Prior has to launch a wide pass further losing more ground.
On the next phase, Smith works around back into first receiver and attacks the line working an inside ball with winger Charlie Walker. Walker ghosts straight through and stands up Ulster fullback Charles Piutau to score under the posts.
Smith is most dangerous playing flat and attacking the line. His best asset is his running game and any time he can use it, the better. Within seconds he had opened up Ulster with two line breaks – one himself and assisting on another.
In Harlequins’ current structure, his opportunities of getting first receiver ball are limited. He’s generally out of play for long periods of the match, and on this occasion reverting to his role nearly blew a scoring opportunity.
Hopefully, as his game develops, he is encouraged to find more touches and structures are put in place to support that. The potential is there for Smith to be a game-breaking force.
Master and apprentice
Smith had worked his side back into the game down 16-12 at halftime. But Ulster who were far more clinical in what they were doing, cracked the Harlequins three minutes into the second half and never looked back.
Lealiifano was involved in more lead-up play through the second half, although in a lesser capacity as Ulster found other ways to break the Harlequins.
The performance from Lealiifano was world-class, but Smith showed he will be a force one day. On this occasion though, the Wallaby got the treats.
Comments on RugbyPass
The Melbourne Rebels lineout is a complete disaster so not surprisingly a kiwi coach of the Wallabies hires the worst lineout coach in the country and a foreigner to boot. No surprises whatsoever here…….
3 Go to commentsThank your for wasting 2 minutes of my life Daniel. There is a useful message in there somewhere but your delivery sucks.
7 Go to commentsBen Smith, you are cry baby
213 Go to commentsSux that homophobia is still a thing though. I wonder how many players who could have become legends never kept playing rugby because they felt unwelcome.
7 Go to commentsCrazy he’s only 28, feel like he’s been around forever - don’t mind the move, safe pair of hands and creates depth in a thin position for ABs. Hopefully aides Kemara’s growth also without thrusting too much responsibility on him
1 Go to commentsMen should show strength and be mean, but they should be able to show emotion to those close yo them in certain times, birth of your child, death of family, proud moment. This article is stupid
7 Go to commentsWhat a weak article…absolute drivel and clickbait, well done. Will stick to rugby365 thanks
7 Go to commentsHonest, discipline, humility… Priceless.
2 Go to commentsSo many excuses. No mention of the SA number 2 being taken out illegally in the 2nd minute. That act of foul play had a massive impact on the SA game. Face it, NZ play pretty dirty very regularly, and it’s only since 2016 they’ve been held to higher officiating standards via stricter officiating and TMO reviews. They deserved to have a man down. Sorry. Fix the yellow and red cards and NZ will win more RWCs. Plus, there WAS a knock on invalidating the one try, so it was NOT a try. Period. Here’s a Kleenex…
213 Go to commentsOverheard conversation between NZ and SA rugby fans everywhere: We’re the greatest! No! we’re the greatest! We’re the greatest! No we’re the greatest! Ireland are arrogant! True but they beat you! We’re the greatest! No! we’re the greatest! Etc. etc, etc.
33 Go to commentsTypical crap Aussie weather
11 Go to comments“If they’d have beaten England, I still feel we would have been talking ‘is this the best team ever,’ ‘is this the best team that’s ever played in the Six Nations'” he said. “I still think they’re not quite that good. I actually don’t think they’re that good.” So Trimble is saying he doesn’t think this is the best 6N team of all time. He is silent on if it is the best Irish team of all time. Can’t disagree with him. Just another misrepresentative clickbait headline from the guys at RP.
33 Go to commentsWow, do we really still have to listen to all the excuses and “unfairness” of it all. Even blaming the bounce of an egg shaped ball for the loss. But the article is about context, so what about the Springboks having to play the other 5 teams in the top 6 and still beating a comparatively rested AB team on a very empty tank.
213 Go to comments“Teams would generally have three coaches below their head honcho; attack coach, defence coach, forwards coach” do they? I’m not sure what the NZ set up is tbh, but the other 4 sides top 5 sides all have very different structures to the one outlined in the article! As well as attack, defence, and forwards coaches, SA, Ireland, and France also have specialist scrum coaches. England have a specialist scrum coach too, but arguably don’t have a forwards coach, with that role taken on by Borthwick. SA also have a backs coach in addition to defence and attack, and Ireland and England have fitness coaches, with England also having two skills coaches.
3 Go to commentsWorst article I've read in a while. Trying to disguise a backhand slap as a compliment. The whole article is a bit weird and negative. I think South African men are emotional in general… think Clad le Clos’s father 2012 London Olympics.
7 Go to commentsIreland are going to win the world cup.
33 Go to commentsIt was the strangest result ever. Etzebeth should've been yellow card for his cynical retiring move and a penalty try. Birth second half tries by the Allblacks were fantastic and the TMO operating outside the law to rule out the first try was egregious. Yes, the boks got the win but it was through some bizarre officiating that allowed them to sneak home against 14 men that dominated them. The quieter Bok supporters know and acknowledge the Allblacks were the better and dominant side. Justifying the win because they beat a pre world cup Allblacks selection is silly.
213 Go to commentsA very English thing to do hey Courtney, blerrie kant
4 Go to commentsIt sounds like Andrew is trying to convince himself or has just lost all perspective. The team did look jaded for the last couple of games of the six nations but a few things were wrong there. Italy tackled their hearts out and made Ireland work hard for every try. Outsmarted by Scotland? Huh? Ireland got held up over the line about 4 times. Scotland did nothing on attack the whole game other than one breakaway near the end. A recharge and reset is needed which they hopefully will have had before the SA your.
33 Go to commentsIncluding SA and Argie teams was great for the quality of rugby, but middle of the night games and player travel/ jet lag make that unworkable. I think that SA in Europe and Argie building an American league with USA, Canada etc would be better long term. If Oz can't sustain Rebels then next cab off the rank should be a Japanese team. Keep regional comps to time zones, both club and test rugby. Then existing test windows for test tours plus RWC.
8 Go to comments