Want to win a rugby tournament? Opt for age
So you think rugby is a game for the young? Don’t be too sure, writes James Harrington.
The ageless Dan Carter could make one grand final ‘international’ appearance, according to reports from north of the equator.
The Rugby Paper has claimed that the Barbarians are confident they can persuade the 35-year-old to play against England on May 28.
If it happens, and nothing is official yet, he could line up alongside confirmed Baa-Baas Adam Ashley-Cooper, Will Genia, Facundo Isa, Census Johnston, Corey Flynn, Bundee Aki and Thierry Dusautoir in guest coach Vern Cotter’s squad at Twickenham.
Who wouldn’t want to see a team liberally sprinkled with those players in action? Aki and Isa apart, it’s not so much a Baa-Baas side as a Legends one.
What age may have taken away from many of them in terms of raw speed and power it has more than made up for with great dollops of low-cunning and exceptional game-reading.
Yes, players are bigger and stronger and faster and hairier these days. But don’t be fooled into thinking that means rugby is a young player’s game. There’s plenty of room for the older, wiser head.
History, even recent history, proves that experience is the most valuable commodity for a player. And experience is one of those fine-wine virtues. It comes only with age.
Before the 2003 World Cup final, England – whose squad for the showpiece match boasted a combined total of 638 caps – were labelled ‘Grumpy Old Men’. So many of them were well into their 30s at the time that, when Jonny Wilkinson, a mere stripling at the age of 23, ran out onto the field, he was unable to lower the side’s average age below 28. The average age of the 2011 and 2015 World Cup-winning All Blacks was also 28.
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Four years before England won the northern hemisphere’s only World Cup, Australia’s triumphant side won the final with 622 caps. In 2007, South Africa beat England in Paris with 688 caps-worth of experience. In 2011, New Zealand boasted 709 caps – a belated acceptance of the wisdom that wizened rugby sages will work title-winning wonders better than wet-behind-the-ears tyros.
Not one of those teams comes close to the 2015-vintage All Blacks. New Zealand’s World Cup final team in England had a combined total of 1,339 caps, at an average of 48 per player – the highest of any side in the tournament (for the record, South Africa were second with 42, Australia 41, and Argentina 39).
The fact that New Zealand lost more than 800 caps of experience to retirement after lifting the Webb-Ellis trophy is so well documented that, for more than a year, it was impossible to write an article about the All Blacks without mentioning that figure at least once.
Ironically, it has been left to the All Blacks to prove that the history of rugby age is bunk. It is probable that any team they field against the British and Irish Lions this June will be noticeably out-capped. Yet, if there’s any side that can demonstrate youth and brilliance can outperform experience and low-cunning, it’s them.
Bringing this back to the opening three paragraphs, for a moment. Carter may have a problem, which is why nothing has been confirmed. Racing 92 could qualify – against what seemed insurmountable odds not so long ago – for the Top 14 play-offs if they beat Bordeaux next weekend.
That would mean a quarterfinal on the weekend of May 20. Win that, and they would be in the semifinals on the weekend of May 27 – the same weekend as the Baa-Baas match against England.
Carter has not had the best of seasons, but there’s no way that his bosses at Racing would release their marquee player – who marshalled them to the title in 2016 and who has the experience and, yes, low-cunning, to win the big games – when there’s a Top 14 title for grabs.
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Comments on RugbyPass
In the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getitng to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
5 Go to commentsROG’s contract is until 2027. The conversation about a successor to Galthie after RWC 2027 may be starting now. We can infer that Galthie’s reign stops then. He is throwing the Irish Coaching Job angle in because he is Irish. The next Irish coach MUST be Leo Cullen. As well as being the best coach available, coaching the vast majority of Irish Internationals week in week out, he has shown incredible skill at recruiting the best coaching staff for the job in hand. That was a failing in France. Cullen is a shrewd guy and if there is a need for foreign coaches underneath him he won’t hesitate. Rightly so. Ireland does need to start to bring Irish coaches through. Not just at the professional level but we need to train coaches to man new pathways for developing kids from schools/clubs up through the divisions.
6 Go to commentsNo Islam says it must rule where it stands Thus it is to be deleted from this planet Earth
18 Go to commentsThis team probably does not beat the ABs sadly Not sure if BPA will be available given his signing for Force but has to enter consideration. Very strong possibility of getting schooled by the AB props. Advantage AB. Rodda/Skelton would be a tasty locking combination - would love to see how they get on. Advantage Wallabies. Backrow a risk of getting out hustled and outmuscled by ABs. Will be interesting to see if the Blues feast on the Reds this weekend the way they did the Brumbies we are in big trouble at the breakdown. Great energy, running and defence but goalkicking/general kicking/passing quality in the halves bothers me enormously. SA may have won the World Cup for a lot of the tournament without a recognised goalkicker but Pollard in the final made a difference IMO. Injuries and retirements leave AB stocks a bit lighter but still stronger. 12 and 13 ABs shade it (Barret > Paisami, Ione = Ikitau, arguably) Interesting clash of styles on the wings - Corey Toole running around Caleb Clark and Caleb running over the top of Toole. Reece vs Koro probably the reverse. Pretty even IMO. 15s Kelleway = Love See advantage to ABs man for man, but we are not obviously getting slaughtered anywhere which makes a nice change. Think talent wise we are pretty even and if our cohesion and teamwork is better than the ABs then its just about doable.
11 Go to commentsCompletely agree. More friday night games would be a hit. RFU to make sure every club has a floodlit pitch. Club opens again Saturday to welcome touch / tag. Minis and youths on Sunday
5 Go to comments1.97m and 105Kg? Proportionately, probably skinnier than me at 1.82 and 82kilos. He won’t survive against the big guys at that weight.
55 Go to commentsThe value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
6 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
11 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
54 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.
11 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.
54 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.
6 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
54 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
55 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
54 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.
54 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.
18 Go to comments