Analysis: Tipuric - From ball player to machine
If you have spent any time watching rugby in the past seven or eight years, the chances are you’ve heard someone joke that Justin Tipuric could probably play centre. The reason for that, of course, is that Tipuric’s sevens’ background, game intelligence, and general skill seem perfectly fitted to allow him to do so.
In the early years of his career, Tipuric was known as one of Wales’ many flair opensides, with his blue scrum cap frequently seen popping up in the wide channels, linking play, offloading, and getting his name on the scoresheet to boot. His jackaling has always been a threat, as has his lineout work, as he only needs one player to lift him, but it was his flair that caught the eye.
In recent years, however, he has been more noticeable for endless grunt work — the type that, were it not for his iconic scrum cap, might go unseen. His tackle count is always one of the highest in the Wales team and, while they might not be “dominant” tackles, he rarely misses one. In fact, in 2017, between Ospreys, Wales, and the Lions, he made 346 tackles and only missed just seven.
His tackle completion at the Rugby World Cup, when Wales consistently invited opposition teams to run at them, backing their defence, was 95% over five games. Not bad when you consider the teams he played included Australia, France, and the eventual winners.
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WATCH: The guys round up all the Guinness Six Nations and Premiership action. They discuss the shenanigans at the breakdown in England v Ireland among others. We also hear from Brad Shields on his injury and his quest to get back into Eddie’s England squad.
Now, as new coach Wayne Pivac looks to add some verve to Wales’ attack, it seems both sides of Tipuric’s game could be used to great effect. Despite underwhelming performances from Wales against Ireland and France, Tipuric has been consistently excellent in attack and defence.
LINING UP EVERYWHERE
It is particularly noticeable that Tipuric, an excellent jumper, has rarely been used in the lineout so far in the Six Nations. Instead, Pivac mostly prefers to use him to defend or attack off the throw, where his game intelligence works to maximum effect.
Here, for instance, he waits in the defensive line and tackles Ireland’s Iain Henderson. The double tackle with Taulupe Faletau prevents Ireland’s latch carry from being effective and Wales get the turnover.
Again and again, on Ireland’s throw, Tipuric was used to make a tackle of the first or second phase rather than to contest the throw. He was also often used as a carrier off Wales’ lineouts. At the very end of the game, when Wales have a lineout on the Irish line, he has a slightly different role. He you can see him stand back and wait. It almost looks as though he is ambling towards the Welsh maul but he is actually analysing the situation, waiting for the right moment, and picking his entrance perfectly in order to take the ball and score the try.
WORKING 0-80
Most professional players at this level work pretty hard but Tipuric’s work ethic is something special. According to Sam Larner, rugby analyst and journalist, Tipuric has one of the highest rates for attacking ruck arrivals in the tournament so far. His tackle counts have consistently been at game-high levels and he carries more than most of his fellow Welsh forwards.
Time and again in games, his scrum cap can be spotted making multiple interventions in a few seconds. Here, against Ireland, you can see him take the ball, pass it on before latching onto the carrier, and helping secure the ball.
In the opening 20 seconds against France, he is involved twice in Wales’ move, arriving at the attacking ruck in time to secure the ball before getting back into position to run a line from Dan Biggar. Here, he comfortably picks up the ball and passes it on before arriving at yet another ruck.
In Tipuric’s case, this work isn’t unseen because of his scrum cap but it’s not always obvious how important these small interventions are. His awareness of the game around him and immediate arrival at these rucks helps his team secure the ball and also allows other players to get into position for the next phase. The more players Wales have free, the more options there are in attack.
Here, he makes a tackle and wins Wales a turnover, doing classic openside work. All the momentum was with France at this point and this turnover was important in Wales getting a foothold back in the game as they built up to an equaliser.
CATCHING THE EYE
Of course, picking up all of this grunt work doesn’t mean Tipuric has forgotten how to do the exciting stuff. A player of his calibre is perfectly suited to Pivac’s approach and he has already returned frequently to the wide channels where he can be so effective. Here, against Ireland, he shows he hasn’t forgotten how to pick a lovely line or throw a well-timed offload.
Later, he linked up beautifully down the right wing with Taulupe Faletau, another Welsh forward who is comfortable in the wide channels. Against France, he showed his quick thinking here, recognising that the French players were protesting the free kick rather than moving back 10 metres so he takes the kick quickly, earning a penalty advantage as he does so, and then carries towards the French line to try to take them off-guard.
Unfortunately, Wales couldn’t capitalise on the scrum position he earned them, despite numerous attempts and it is clear that, generally, Pivac’s new approach is going to take time to stick. One player who looks absolutely at home with the approach, however, is Tipuric and it’s no surprise.
High-octane, high-risk attacking game plans like Pivac’s require many of his qualities: not just game intelligence and a wide skill set but the ability to generate fastball in attack and gain turnover ball to turn defence into attack, as well as a huge workrate.
Wales have an astonishingly large group of talented back row options and competition is fierce but it would take some player to dislodge Tipuric from his position, just as it does at the breakdown.
Comments on RugbyPass
Gee my Highlanders were terrible. They have gone backwards since the start of the season. The trouble began when we left Millar behind to prep as the 10 against the Brumbies and he was disconnected from the team that came back from Aussie. We rested Patchell for that game and we blew an avalanche of ball in good attacking positions in the 1st half. Against the Rebels we seem to of gone into a pod system with forwards hanging off from the breakdown leaving Fakatava to secure our ball!
72 Go to commentsPot Kettle, the English and French teams have done it for years.
19 Go to commentsHas virtually played every minute of previous games. Back row of Li Lo Willie , Grace and Blackadder would be the 1. Crusaders issue is a very average 1st 5 who cannot run. Kicking in general play is also below par They need to put Yong Kemara in. He must have so.e talent for them to bring him down from Waikato. Hoehepa would struggle to play in so.e club sided
4 Go to commentsI hope this a good thing making all these changes!
2 Go to commentsThe Hurricanes are good, especially with a decent coach now. However, let’s be real, the Crusaders and Chiefs are clearly a good degree weaker without the players they’ve lost overseas now. The Canes lost one player. It’s also why the aussie teams ‘seem’ to be stronger.
9 Go to commentsOr you could develop your own players instead of constantly taking from the SH competition and weakening it in the process? With all the player and financial resources these unions have compared to SH countries you’d think they could manage that, or is weakening the SH comps and their national sides an added bonus? Probably.
3 Go to commentsNot so fast Aaron, we might need you in black yet lol. God knows he’d be a lot less nerve-racking than hot and (very) cold players like Perofeta. It’s really a shame Reuben Love isn’t playing 10, we’ve got enough 15 options.
4 Go to commentsAnd those from the NH still seem to be puzzled (and delighted) why NZ’s depth isn’t what it once was. Over 600 NZ players overseas, that’s insane. This sort of deal is why Super Rugby coaches have admitted they struggle now to find enough quality to fill out their squads.
6 Go to commentsArticle intéressant ! La question devrait régulièrement se poser pour les jeunes français originaires de Nouvelle-Calédonie, Wallis-et-Futuna et de Polynésie entre la Nouvelle-Zélande et la Métropole… Difficile pour la fédération française de rugby de se positionner : soit le choix est fait de dénicher les jeunes talents et de les faire venir très tôt en Métropole, au risque de les déraciner, soit on prend le risque de se les faire “piller” par les All Blacks qui, telle une araignée, essaye de récupérer tous les talents des îles du Pacifique… À la France de se défendre en développant l’aura du XV de France et des clubs français dans ses collectivités d’Outre-mer !
3 Go to commentsWrong bay. He needs to come to the REAL BAY which is Bay Of Plenty and have a crack at making the Chiefs.
3 Go to commentsIs Barrett going play full back??? They already have all the centers…
15 Go to commentsForgive my ignorance, I might not fully understand so would appreciate clarification: Didn’t the Bulls have to fly with three different carriers, paid for by the South African Rugby Union, whilst Edinburgh got a chartered flight sponsored by EPCR? Also, as far as I understand it South African teams don’t yet share in the revenue from the competition and are not allowed to host Semi-finals or Finals at home. Surely if everyone wants South Africans to “take the competition seriously” then they must make South Africans feel welcome, allow them to share in the revenue, and give them the same levels of access as the teams from the other countries. Just a reminder that South Africa has a large and passionate Rugby audience. Just by virtue of our teams being a part of these competitions means that more of us are likely to watch the knockout games, even if our teams haven’t qualified. It would be silly to alienate such a large audience by making them feel unwelcome.
19 Go to commentsFirst of all. This guy is very much behind the curve. All the bleating, whingeing, whining and moaning took place days ago already. Not adding anything to the topic other than more bleating, whingeing, whining and moaning. 🍼 Second of all, not one mention of the fact that South African teams can’t get home semi finals or finals. The tournament was undermined and devalued by the administrators. 🤡 Thirdly, football teams often have to juggle selections in mid week games, premier games, champions league games etc. and will from time to time prioritize certain titles over others. 🐒 And lastly FEK Neil, and anyone else for that matter, for insisting on telling teams how to manage themselves. If they make what is largely a business decision that suits them and doesn’t suit you - tough shite. 💩 It’s not rocket science as to why the Bulls did what they did. If this guy is too slow to figure it out (and is deliberately not mentioning one of the key reasons why) then he isn’t a journalist. He should join the rest of us pundit plebs in comments section. 🥴
19 Go to commentsSo the first door to knock on Rob is Parliament followed by HMRC. The Irish Revenue deliver a 40% tax relief rebate on the HIGHEST EARNING TEN YEARS of every pro Irish rugby players contract earnings at retirement. That goes a long way to both retaining their best talent and freeing up wages for marquee players. Who knows, if that had been in place in the UK, you might not have been able to poach Hoggy and Jonny Gray from Glasgow…!!!
3 Go to comments1. True, if that “free” ticket means access to all but the prized exhibit - EVIP only. SA cannot host semis, even if they’ve earned it (see Sharks vs ASM Clermont Auvergne at… Twickenham Stoop). 2. Why no selective outrage over Lyon doing the exact same thing a week earlier? Out of all the countries France send the most “B teams”, why nobody talking about “disrespect” and “prioritising domestic leagues” and “kicking them out”? 3. Why no mention of the Sharks fielding all of their Springboks for the second rate Challenge cup QF? No commitment? 4. Why no mention of all the SA teams qualifying for respective euro knock out comps in the two seasons they’ve been in it? How many euro teams have qualified for KO’s in their history? Can’t compete? 5. Why no mention of SA teams beating French and English giants La Rochelle and Saracens? How many euro teams have done that in their history? Add no quality? The fact is that SA teams are only in their second season in europe, with no status and a fraction of the resources. Since joining the URC, SA has seen a repatriation of a number of players, and this will only grow once SA start sharing in the profits of competing in these comps, meaning bigger squads with greater depth and quality, meaning they don’t have to prioritise comps as they have to now - they don’t have imports from Pacifica and South America and everywhere else in between like “European” teams have - also less “Saffas” in Prem and T14, that’s what we want right? 'If the South Africans are in, they need to be all in' True, and we have to ensure we give them the same status and resources as we give everyone else to do just that. A small compromise on scheduling will go a long way in avoiding these situations, but guess what, France and England wont compromise on scheduling because they ironically… prioritise their domestic comps, go figure!
19 Go to commentsthe success of the premiership can be summarized by : only 10 teams. It makes a huge difference with the overcrowded top 14 (let us not talk about Leinster and URC…)
2 Go to commentsGood for him. The ABs were fooling around again with converted fullbacks that had a penetration of a marshmallow. Laumape or as Aki has shown for Ireland, go forward is important in the centres. If it had been DMac - Aki- Aumua - Ioane- Telea- Jordan in France the final result would have been different.
4 Go to commentsDan Carter a apporté son professionnalisme, des méthodes de travail, un esprit qui manquaient à l’USAP. Son influence, même une fois blessé a été énorme. Et pour citer une anecdote, certains soirs il venait de lui-même à l’entraînement des jeunes pour dispenser ses conseils. On ne peut pas compter ce qu’il a apporté au club en heures de jeu sur le terrain. Est-ce que le club en a eu pour son argent ? Avec la publicité sur son nom et le titre, je suppose que oui.
1 Go to commentsThe SA sides are suffering from a bum rap here. There isn’t a side anywhere in the world that would do things differently in their shoes. They’ve been set up to fail in the EPCR comps by vested interests, with last minute intercontinental travel requirements that costs an arm and a leg to book in advance just on the possibility they might be required. And the total nonsense that denies any chance of home venues is entirely biased and absolutely unsporting. Either EPCR, the Top14 & the Gallagher Premiership get it sorted on a fair and equitable sporting basis for ALL participants or expect the ridicule to continue. Right now, these comps are a joke!
19 Go to commentsSA sides should do the right thing and leave the champions cup, they are lowering the standard with completely one sided games, not up to the right level. The greatest club tournament in the world is being banjaxed by the weak SA sides.
19 Go to comments