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How over 300 tackles a season left Jono Ross' shoulder 'hanging on'
Jono Ross was on course for a third successive season of making more than 300 tackles in the Gallagher Premiership before the Covid-19 pandemic brought an abrupt halt to the mayhem he was creating.
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The Sale Sharks back row had continued to maintain his reputation as the iron man of the sport in the English league despite requiring surgery on his left shoulder at the end of last season.
Rather than douse his tackling fires, Ross merely headed to the gym to ensure he was fully fit for the start of a campaign that is currently suspended just 13 rounds of matches into the 22-game schedule.
In his first season at Sale after moving from Stade Francais in 2017, the Johannesburg-born 29-year-old put in 336 tackles to top the Premiership tackle count.
He then followed this up with another 331 tackles last season to repeat his position as the best in the business – and he currently leads the table again on 201 despite his operation.
His defensive prowess is not just all about physicality either, Ross telling RugbyPass that being mentally on his game is just as important when constantly halting ball-carrying opponents.
“In rugby – especially in my position – it is a difficult one to make sure you are strong every week, push through things that are hurting and just get on with it,” he said.
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“There is pride in the number of tackles and it is an indication of work rate but ultimately I’m trying to do whatever is best for the team and somehow I seem to make a lot of tackles.
“It’s important to be effective in those tackles, dominant and ensuring they are good quality tackles while also improving other parts of my game.
“I have had some good coaching along the way, but a lot of it has to do with mentality and being willing to put your body where it hurts.
“I’m not trying to make it sound worse that it is and lots of guys do it, but it does come down to that mentality, although technique is also important because there are concerns about head knocks and injuries.
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“Personally, I prefer to tackle a bit higher because I feel you can dominate an attacker if you tackle him like that. I also think it is safer.
'It is inevitable that if we can restart, we are going to be playing through the summer'https://t.co/cmUmlOd2mq
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“There is a lot of talk about chop tackling but there are some hard things (down there) like knees and hips. It is an interesting debate but I feel safer making tackles through the ball and the chest area.
“I had a coach John McFarland (ex-Bulls and Springboks) and he was big on that. It was something I developed to win the battle when someone is running at you.”
Ross has led a Sale squad bolstered by fellow South Africans up to second place in the Premiership and they also have a postponed Premiership Rugby Cup final against Harlequins to fit in if the season in England is given the green light to resume.
For now, a self-isolation training regime has been designed to keep Ross fit and his shoulders are glad of the mid-season break. “Obviously, as the season goes on you feel it a bit more worn down and last year I got to point with my shoulder where I was hanging on towards the end.
UNSCRIPTED ? | Our feature length interview series starts with Captain @Jono__Ross! ?
We cover everything from growing up in South Africa, living in Paris, international ambitions & more!
Watch the full interview on YouTube!
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— Sale Sharks ? (@SaleSharksRugby) October 23, 2019
“Coming into this season I had a good period in the gym and ensured that my body was really strong knowing what I was going to go through while also being mentally strong as well.”
With the tackle area a real focus for referees and those trying to make the game as safe as possible, Ross has urged those examining this key area to remember the pace at which the sport is played. “People don’t understand how quickly things happen on the pitch,” he explained. “You have to set yourself in the tackle and dominate the opposition.
“But it can change in a split second with you intending to hit at the right height but the guy can drop and you hit him in the head. You need an understanding of the speed at what things happen and while you want to be safe, the sport is dangerous.”
WATCH: Premiership Rugby considering midweek matches in order to finish the season
Comments on RugbyPass
Why cant I watch Rugby games please?
1 Go to commentsBeautiful shot from Finau, end of story. Gutted for Shaun Stevenson though.
4 Go to commentsThe Chiefs definitely didn’t win ugly. They had the superior scrum, a dominant lineout, and their defence was excellent once the Waratahs scored their two tries (thanks to some lucky refereeing calls mind you). They put pressure on the Waratahs lineout throughout the game, and the mind boggles as to why the referee did not award a yellow card or a penalty try against the Waratahs for repeated scrum infringements on their own try line before Narawa’s first try. And the Chiefs were slick with their passing and running angles on attack. It was a dominant performance all round, even with many questionable refereeing decisions.
1 Go to commentsWasnt late. Ref 2 assistants andTMO all saw it so who are you to say it was?
4 Go to commentsAre the Brumbies playing the Blues twice in a row?
4 Go to commentsBig difference from the Saders. Forwards really muscled up and laid a solid platform. Scooter brought some steel and I liked the loosie combination. Newell has been rather disappointing this season but stepped up big time - happy also to see Franks dot down. He should do that more often! Reihana had a good game and there seems to be more flair and invention with him in the saddle. McNicoll plays well from the back and is reliable plus inventive when he joins the line. Keep it up chaps!
3 Go to comments🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
30 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
4 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusaders , you can keep going.
3 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
30 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
30 Go to commentsShould'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.
30 Go to comments