Former World Cup winner tells Leicester where modern rugby is going wrong
Former England flanker and World Cup winner Neil Back sent an important message to his former club Leicester Tigers on Twitter shortly after they welcomed Jan McGinity to their backroom staff on Wednesday.
McGinity will move into the new role of head of elite performance recruitment, as part of a reshuffle at the Tigers who are coming off the back of their most disappointing season in the professional era.
Upon announcing their recruitment news on social media, which included Ged Glynn moving into the role of head of performance pathway and talent identification and the return of Pat Howard to mentor head coach Geordan Murphy, Back highlighted what Leicester’s priorities – and indeed what the priorities of every rugby team – should be.
He said: “Let’s hope that a young potential player’s Height, Weight, Speed & Max Bench Press come further down Leicester Tigers priority list when it comes to identifying young talent.”
Back also highlighted that this approach, where players are selected based on their physical attributes, may have led to stars like Johnny Wilkinson being overlooked.
Let’s hope that a young potential player’s Height, Weight, Speed & Max Bench Press come further down @LeicesterTigers priority list when it comes to identifying young talent else you could miss out on a player like England rugby’s @JonnyWilkinson who wouldn’t get a look in ?? https://t.co/NXwCfXcZsp
— Neil Back MBE (@NeilBack) June 26, 2019
The former British and Irish Lion underlined one of modern rugby’s biggest flaws and criticisms in his post. It has long been argued, particularly by players from the amateur era, that the skill level in rugby has diminished.
They claim that rugby is now a game in favour of players being more physically gifted, an opinion backed up by the drastic increase in the average weight of players over the past 25 years.
Measuring a player’s height, weight, speed and bench press is moving closer towards the NFL’s approach with the combine where potential signings are compared to one another with a series of physical tests. However, Back clearly feels there is more to rugby than just these four factors.
?
Jan McGinity has joined the club in the new position of Head of Elite Performance Recruitment, with Ged Glynn moving in to the role of Head of Performance Pathway and Talent Identification.https://t.co/ENsPkyzc4i
— Leicester Tigers (@LeicesterTigers) June 26, 2019
Being a diminutive flanker by modern standards, Back himself would perhaps be overlooked by this modern approach of recruitment. At under 6ft and less than 15 stone, he may have not met the criteria of a modern rugby team.
The 66-cap international was one of England’s finest forwards, famed for his incredible workrate, but he was perhaps England’s last world-class openside flanker.
Appreciate @EllisGenge giving some time to talk @LeicesterTigers, @EnglandRugby, @HITZRugby and how proud he is to come from Bristol
https://t.co/uPjmx3vgY9— liam heagney (@heagneyl) June 2, 2019
Of course, this is not to say that smaller players do not make it in modern rugby. Far from it. The All Blacks’ Damian McKenzie is just an example of how someone that looks comparatively minute alongside his team-mates can still be devastating.
However, with rugby seemingly drifting further away from prioritising skill and rugby intelligence, Back felt the need to stress that these attributes should not be forgotten.
WATCH: Episode one of The Academy, the six-part RugbyPass documentary series looking at how Leicester Tigers develop their players
Comments on RugbyPass
smith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
36 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
9 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
36 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
2 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
36 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
36 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
36 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. All the Kiwis sticking up for this unprincipled individual because they can't accept justified criticism, he has zero credibility or integrity. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
36 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
36 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
2 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
36 Go to comments