'Neanderthal rugby straight out of the 1950s': Why Super Rugby Aotearoa 'leaves the Six Nations for dead'
I love the Six Nations for its history and the passion it engenders, not to mention the fact that Scotland periodically lowers a much better team to clinch the Calcutta Cup.
The rugby? Not so much.
Super Rugby Aotearoa is frothy, bubbly and often loose, though the officiating can be a bit dusty, as it was last weekend. But the skill level, the passing and handling of the backs, in particular, leave the Six Nations for dead.
I can hear the gnashing of teeth out of the north now, crying that I’m not comparing apples with apples, test footy versus franchise footy. Yet a bad pass to the shoulder is a bad pass, a dropped ball is a dropped ball whatever level of the game you are looking at.
This writer took in every minute of the two Super Rugby Aotearoa games – can you believe they both ended in 39-17 scorelines? In the name of work, I watched every minute of the three Six Nations games. I tried really hard to enjoy all 240 minutes, I promise you.
The fourth round of the 6N is often pivotal. So it proved again. But the Six Nations is missing something, not just the crowds from which the players can feed off. The rugby is missing some verve, imagination, changes of angle, a liberal mindset.
The highlight was the double sidestep of Ireland prop Tadgh Furlong off his right foot against Scotland. It was joked that Phil Bennett had gained weight.
All three clashes featured intent and intensity, heavy collisions and heated confrontations. Wales hammered Italy and continued on Wayne Pivac’s ambitious plan of expanding their game and their attitude. Italy too is seeking to play with more elan under Franco Smith, but the Azzurri lack the personnel and tackle like Andrew Mehrtens.
There was some good stuff, for about seven minutes, as Ireland edged Scotland. James Lowe, who loves to run, had to tackle, which he doesn’t like much, while Scots Stuart Hogg and Huw Jones had some heart-warming moments.
But, under fair skies, there was altogether too much kicking. Geez, it was repetitive and not often pinpoint. Still, Johnny Sexton was on one of his good days and that was helpful to the visitors. All too often however, a promising movement would break down due to a poor pass or a simple dropped ball. Frustrating.
Not as frustrating as the England-France encounter at Twickers. Billed as Le Crunch, it turned into Le Letdown. And yet the drama and energy levels were high in the first stanza. We saw offloads and semi-decent passing, but Jonny May, the destroyer of the 2012 All Blacks and the 2020 Irish, ran for his health on the left wing.
Their kingdom for a change of angle! Or just exploiting some space or an overlap. Instead, that early promise degenerated into an extended session of forceback, and a poor game of forceback at that. If only there had been a crowd to boo with gusto.
A Crusaders star is set for a sideline spell after dislocating his shoulder during his side's 39-17 win over the Chiefs in Christchurch on Saturday. #SuperRugbyAotearoa https://t.co/HGV0VsyV0J
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) March 15, 2021
The French were pulled into the gravitational pull of England’s game, despite possessing men of flair and no little skill such as Antoine Dupont, Gael Fickou, Mathieu Jalibert, Gael Fickou, Teddy Thomas and Brice Dulin. French flair, alas, is now almost an amateur era concept.
England’s 23-20 win was hard-earned and critical to the standings, but many viewers would have been thankful for the final whistle. That second 40 was Neanderthal rugby straight out of the 1950s.
Super Rugby Aotearoa, by contrast, is being played in front of decent crowds, and the first thought is to use the ball… unless you are the Blues, who will try to bludgeon you into submission before unleashing Rieko Ioane, Caleb Clarke et al.
Akira Ioane labelled his pass to his brother for the try that never was “a helluva seed.” Can you imagine Billy Vunipola firing that ball 25m infield to Henry Slade on the burst?
The skill level is demonstrably higher, and that does not just mean the forwards can throw a pass or pick a ball off their bootlaces. It means most sides have a bag of tracks into which they delve to break down the increasingly staunch defensive lines. It means if the counter is on, they have the licence to break out. There is no plodding from set-piece to freaking set-piece. The movements are sharp and dynamic. Now we just have to haul the officiating up to the level.
The Six Nations may be many things to many people. But it needs to sort out its main thrust: the footy. Until then, it ranks second best for entertainment value.
Comments on RugbyPass
Well if Parling is an Australian citizen then I suppose that’s OK. It’s more than can be said for The Hobbit in Absentia. I’m guessing Jordan Useless won’t be getting a call up to the Wallabies then because the Melbourne Rebels lineout coached by Parling has been a complete disaster. Parling had better prove himself or it’s out. He’ll be flattered by having one of the best lineout operators in world rugby in Rodda hopefully. If Parling can teach the Wallabies one thing it would be to also teach Australian players to make a serious effort on charge downs. Only Frost and Rodda make an effort. The rest are half hearted and lazy, bar Harry Wilson’s effort last week. There are lots of big missed opportunities.
27 Go to commentsGreat read thanks and glad he’s committed to Aus rugby! The comment from the no 8 saying he’s never done lineouts before doesn’t surprise me. There often isn’t the same upbringing with rugby here as there is in nz and parts of Europe. Seems like he’s doing a great job at the Rebels
27 Go to commentsScott Barrett. End of story.
1 Go to commentsDu Plessis Kirifi will not be selected by the All Blacks. He is nowhere near 6’0” tall. He looks good in Super Rugby in wide open , fast pace rugby. That is not Test rugby. He would be rag dolled by South Africa, Ireland, France, and England.
7 Go to commentsIt’s Razor so Blackadder and Grace for starters. Although on second thoughts K Read looked in great shape on TV the other day.
34 Go to commentsGreat piece Nick, plenty to chew on. Loved this ‘biases’ line from Geoff, shows he is a thinker - “If you asked me for a shortlist of coaches who appealed to my biases, he would be on it.” I think Schmidt is towing a similar line to Rennie in regards to OS players, he is publicly saying he prefers local talent, but almost certainly will be fighting to have the likes of skelton in the team. Interesting to hear the backroom on the rebels and what a cockup that is, just when you think RA admin has hit rock bottom it digs deeper. Other bit that caught my eye was his skills focus on things like passing from 7s at the base of the lineout, great little details. but also scary that a SR level 8 didn’t know how to operate within a lineout - telling!
27 Go to commentsThoroughly enjoyed this thanks Nick. ‘The lineout starts on the ground…’ wish I’d thought of that line when discussing Will’s place in the Wallabies.
27 Go to commentsShannon Frizell’s second year is optional is how I heard it. Given nothing has been confirmed yet it gets more and more likely he signs to return next year. Cant wait to see Finau doing more work on Internal players.
34 Go to commentsBlindside flankers should be hard hitting defenders, good lineout jumper with height, and a hard worker who hits and cleans rucks. If he can be a destructive ball carrier it’s a bonus but not a necessity. Samipeni Fineau and Cullen Grace are excellent at those core skills and my choice at blindside. Brad Shields is dismissed because he is 33 but not sure why that should be a consideration for this season. Shields too does these core roles well. Just don’t pick an 8 and shift him to 6 like the wingers on The Breakdown suggest, as if 6 and 8 are interchangeable. They are not. An 8 is first and foremost a dynamic ball carrier, not necessarily a destructive defender as a 6 should be. Devon Flanders and Akira Ioane are #8 s forced to play blindside because their teams have better options at 8 than them. Do not pick them at blindside
34 Go to commentsSaints obviously didn’t get the memo, or needed an ego boost?
1 Go to commentsReturning to the Chiefs would be another good change that could only put him into a better position to succeed in black
7 Go to commentsSimply outrageous and demonstrably false to say Finau’s tackle on Lynagh was “2 seconds late” In reality it was probably 0.5 seconds after he passed the ball. If you carry the ball at speed to within 5m of the defensive line you can expect to get tackled. Finau could have pulled out of it and not absolutely flattened him for sure, but there was going to be contact either way. He seems like a high risk selection at the moment, but there is no one else like him in NZ at the moment. His big tackles make the highlight reels but he is also a great athlete, very fast for such a big man, spent most of his days at lock so also very strong in the line out.
34 Go to commentsYes, Finau looks like the best option. Blackadder is not big enough for an international 6 - he should join the queue at 7. Frizzell had the power and heft and line-out height to play lock, so maybe that is where the ABs should be looking, not at a 7 who’s not big enough for 6, but at a lock who might have the agility to play 6, like Scott Barrett, or… Natai Ah Kuoi, who absolutely fits that bill, but seldom gets to play 6 because the Chiefs have so many loosies.
34 Go to commentsPaul Quinn was a National MP.
7 Go to commentsNo need to worry about losers’ mentality hysteria from Australia. Finau has all the attributes, I don't recall a high or no arms tackle from him, and his timing has been controlled very well since the round 3 Lynagh tackle. It's an easy decision for Razor, the only question is who should back him up from the bench. He can't be overworked like Squire was in his first full season.
34 Go to comments“Reds coach Les Kiss saying later: “I think every player has the right to feel safe.” Maybe Rugby is the wrong sport for people who want to feel safe..?
34 Go to commentsNot sure what the context was, but the highlights showed one scrum against Aussie where the baby Blacks were going backwards at a pace. The pack has been the issue since 2017, so they might be in for another reality check soon. This tournament should really have been two rounds, would have learned a lot more.
1 Go to commentsPeter Lakai has a ‘lot of size’? Since when? To Kirifi maybe. I think Laidlaw clearly saw he’s too small for 6 or 8, so plonked him at 7. Has potential to be Ardies understudy in black for 7.
7 Go to commentsDalton for skipper?
16 Go to commentsOh he's ‘Irish qualified’ isn't that convenient. If Ireland get any more Kiwis (and Aussie) in their backline they might need to run out in green and black kit soon. How is the supposed best rugby system in the world in need of trawling for journeyman Kiwi players?
2 Go to comments