Barclay: 'Players will have played their last games of their careers without knowing it'
The John Barclay Column: For rugby players lost in the coronavirus-inflicted wilderness, these are strange weeks. Normally, our days are mapped out for us with near-military precision – when to arrive and which kit to wear, when to meet and when to train, what to eat and when to eat it, which analysis to do and which recovery sessions to attend.
Instead, we have a bizarre, but entirely necessary, mid-season ‘freedom’. Some of the boys don’t really know what to do with themselves. At Edinburgh, my bags were packed – sunglasses, Budgy Smugglers and whatever rugby kit I could fit in – for a flight to South Africa last Saturday. We were due to play the Southern Kings and the Cheetahs on a two-game Guinness PRO14 tour, vital fixtures as we look to consolidate our place at the top of Conference B.
WATCH: Bath & England player, Freddie Burns talks us through his fitness regime during lockdown due to the coronavirus.
The uncertainty this pandemic has created is unsettling, and the significance of sport pales in comparison to the wider issues society is contending with. However, here are a couple of interesting – and a little morose – thoughts.
Firstly, it is not out of the question that this season is over. As much as we hope it isn’t, it would be foolish to ignore the possibility. If that is the case many players will have played their last games for their clubs, or even of their careers, without knowing it. Players looking for contracts now have no shop window in which to demonstrate their wares to potential suitors. The season could peter out, players departing without the opportunities to win silverware, say thank you, or wave goodbye.
We don’t know when, how or if the campaign will begin again, and for now, we have been given individual programmes to complete at home. The Edinburgh staff have issued us with bodyweight circuits. I did my first session with my eldest son Finlay as an enthusiastic participant, and my other two children laughing hysterically. Not quite the professional training schedule of an elite rugby player, but a training schedule (of sorts) nonetheless. If we athletes can take anything from this chaos and uncertainty, it’s the unexpected opportunity to spend some quality time with our loved ones.
Meanwhile, with the Guinness Six Nations now in a state of indefinite hiatus, what can Scotland take from their truncated campaign?
Gregor Townsend and his team signed off – for now – on an emphatic note, a hugely controlled and physically bristling victory over a French side that looked to be rampaging towards a grand slam. France might have spent 53 minutes a man down, but even with a full compliment, the outcome would have been the same. It was such a commanding Scottish display.
This has been an odd championship for Scotland but I feel it has been a deeply encouraging one.
There were narrow losses to Ireland and England – Scotland were brilliant in the first and the second was rendered a non-Test by the weather – and comfortable wins over Italy and the French. Defensively, they have been outstanding. Under new specialist Steve Tandy, they have posted the meanest points and tries conceded tallies in the competition, a monumental improvement on the figures of last season.
Scotland are no longer committing as many players to rucks, so they’re able to stock the field with more front-line defenders, on their feet, who are not as tired, and making quality tackles and slowing down ruck after ruck.
Tackle selections are better and the impact in the tackle has also been impressive. Defence is about buying time; time for you to reorganise and press forward. There are many ways to buy time, in the tackle and post-tackle, and Scotland are making smart decisions, targeting the ball in the carry and on the floor where the likes of Jamie Ritchie and Hamish Watson are up there with the best.
The guys have always had a great work ethic so their scramble defence is always going to be great, which says a lot about the culture. The word from the camp is that the team are enjoying working with Tandy, embracing his methods and his hands-on approach.
The scrum has also made big strides, and it is no coincidence that Scotland’s set-piece looks like a weapon with the fit-again Rory Sutherland at its forefront. Adam Hastings has been largely excellent in place of Finn and put in his finest display in a Scotland jersey against the French.
I think Gregor deserves a ton of praise too. He has recognised that his blueprint for the fastest rugby in the world at least needed tweaking, and has been brave enough to change it.
Managing your energy is a big part of the Test game, not just playing for the sake of playing. The Scotland team now looks like it’s operating on a fuller tank. They don’t seem so stressed without the ball. In defence last season, there were a lot of desperate chases, players falling off tackles. They looked like a tired defence rather than a snarling one, spearheaded by the formidable back-row pairing of Ritchie and Watson, who are benefiting at the breakdown from a defensive unit delivering jackal opportunities on a plate.
Gregor is a rugby purist and that high-octane style is deeply embedded in his DNA. To step back and own that change is admirable, and I really like the competitiveness of this new Scotland.
We haven’t seen the likes of Luke Crosbie or much of Rory Hutchinson unleashed in this championship. Darcy Graham is one of our most dangerous players but has missed it all through injury and guys like Sam Skinner and Jonny Gray have also had disrupted campaigns. The word is that fences have been mended between Finn and Gregor, and he could be available for the summer Tests against South Africa and New Zealand, assuming they too are not derailed by the pandemic. The future for Scotland – whenever rugby returns – looks bright.
With the current backdrop of uncertainty and alarm, it is important we remember that rugby is just a game, and we should try to not take it too seriously. Who knows when the next matches will be played? What is certain, though, is that we won’t take our ability to play or watch the sport we love for granted.
Comments on RugbyPass
Should've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
19 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
19 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
9 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
28 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
19 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
28 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
19 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
90 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
4 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
9 Go to comments