Does Wales' back row have a size problem heading to the World Cup?
Over the years, statistics have suggested that two indicators of a successful World Cup are the height of a team’s backs and the weight of their forwards.
This is not something that everyone will agree with in modern rugby, particularly with teams attempting to increase the speed of the game, but it is nonetheless a way of measuring success.
Therefore, it could be argued that the size of the back row will play a part in a team’s success as they make up over a third of the pack. But a heavy and bruising back row may not necessarily be the recipe for success anymore, particularly with more mobile flankers being in vogue at the moment.
So when Wales’ back row is compared to the other top six teams in rugby’s world rankings in terms of size, a lot can be read into it as Warren Gatland’s loose forwards are the lightest and smallest compared to the other five teams (all heights and weights taken from each country’s website – except England’s simply because there is no way that Lewis Ludlam is 98kg).
Gatland prides himself on having the most well-conditioned teams, particularly in the pack. Their performance against England in the Six Nations is a testament to that, as they were able to outlast Eddie Jones’ side and pull away in the last 20 minutes.
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Their Grand Slam success itself was built upon defence and the tireless work of their forwards. After two gruelling camps in Switzerland and Turkey, they will only be in better condition. Gatland is also the only coach out of the top six to name an 18-13 split between forwards and backs in the 31-man squad, taking six back row players.
This option by the longtime head coach reflects his attitude and approach, that his back row are expected to outwork the opposition, and therefore squad rotation is key to remain fresh. With Australia, Fiji and Georgia in their pool as well, they have some tricky games to contend with and they must tire the heavier packs.
But there may be questions whether this back row is lacking in size going into the World Cup. In terms of height, each nation is fairly close, with Wales and England being smallest on average at 1.88m/6ft 2ins (although England are 1.9m/6ft 3ins with Courtney Lawes included), and the All Blacks, South Africa and Australia being the tallest on average at 1.9m/6ft 3ins.
While there is not much difference in height, there is a greater difference when it comes to the weight of each back row unit. Wales are the lightest, at 103.5kgs/16st 4lbs on average, with the All Blacks being closest at 104.4kgs/16st 6lbs, but the next lightest on average is Ireland at 108.2kgs/17st (and 109kgs/ 17st 2lbs including Tadhg Beirne) which is a considerable increase.
Wales are conceding almost 10kg per player compared to the heaviest back row, England, who are 111.2kgs/17st 7lbs on average (which is the same with or without Lawes). However, that stat is slightly skewed by the considerable weight of Billy Vunipola at 126kgs/19st 12lbs as the average weight is 107.5kgs/16st 13lbs without him.
Then again, Vunipola simply has to be included in England’s back row equation as he is possibly their most influential player, and arguably the best No8 in the world who is going to play as much as he can.
His weight and ballast are instrumental in generating momentum and front foot ball for England, and he is perhaps the player that Wales lack in their back row as Taulupe Faletau, who was ruled out of the World Cup, is the most comparable player to the Saracens No8.
The Springboks’ stats are also slightly misleading as Kwagga Smith, who at 80kgs/12st 8lbs, is likely to be the lightest forward at the World Cup. Without the former sevens star, South Africa actually weigh in with the heaviest back row on average at 113.5kgs/17st 12lbs, with monstrous ball carriers like Duane Vermeulen and Pieter-Steph du Toit in their ranks. This has traditionally served them well and has proved to be a success so far in 2019 as they won the Rugby Championship.
As for Wales’ Pool D opponents Australia, they are 109.2kgs/17st 3lbs on average, which is a fair bit heavier. However, when they line up against each other, Michael Cheika will field David Pocock and Michael Hooper alongside one another with, in all likelihood, Isi Naisarani in the No8 shirt which will bring down the average weight.
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So when comparing the likely combination of Josh Navidi, Justin Tipuric and Ross Moriarty, there won’t actually be too much of a difference in size. They are likely to weigh in lighter against their other pool opponents Georgia, Fiji and Uruguay as well, as Gatland has clearly prioritised the mobility of his back-row, with Aaron Shingler being the heaviest at only 16st 11lbs.
The concept of fielding a faster back row with two openside flankers may be a common occurrence at the World Cup, with the All Blacks often using Sam Cane and Ardie Savea, and England starting to use both Tom Curry and Sam Underhill, which will bring down the weight.
The Springboks still tend to opt for a more sizeable trio at the back of the scrum, with the likes of hooker Malcolm Marx serving almost as another loose forward.
What separates the Grand Slam champions from the other teams, however, is that the likes of Vunipola, CJ Stander and Kieran Read add a bit more weight to their respective back rows, while Wales perhaps lack that character. They instead rely on the brute strength of Moriarty and Navidi, who are hugely powerful themselves while not necessarily being the heaviest.
Those two may be enough for Wales in terms of driving back defences, but the issue may rear its head when it comes to the set-piece as their scrum is probably going to be lighter than their opponents.
In terms of the lineout, the extra height of their opponents could be an advantage too, particularly if Lawes and Beirne are used as flankers for England and Ireland, or Scott Barrett for the All Blacks. That being said, Tipuric is a great lineout option despite not necessarily being the tallest.
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This World Cup may be a fork in the road for back rows in answering the question whether fielding a lighter combination is the way forward to play with more speed and outworking the opposition, particularly in defence.
Wales, and indeed New Zealand, maybe the pioneers of this new wave of thought, but it will only prove a success if they get one over the bigger teams such as South Africa and England in Japan. With all of those teams vying for success, they are going to encounter one another and provide answers for what the back row future will be.
WATCH: Part one of Operation Japan, the two-part RugbyPass documentary on the World Cup in Japan
Comments on RugbyPass
Ben 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.
7 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.
26 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….
26 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….
86 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
3 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
9 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
19 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
14 Go to comments