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Notorious kicking run-ups
Kicking for the posts can be one of the most nerve-racking parts of rugby. Whether being in front of 80,000 people at Twickenham, or in front of your mates in the grassroots game.
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With kicking percentages getting more and more of a focus, every kick matters.
Kickers tend to be superstitious types, with their routine remaining the same for every kick.
Here we take a look at the Top 5 most notorious place kick run-ups:
5) Owen Farrell:
One of England’s greatest ever playmakers, Owen Farrell has always been ruthless from the kicking tee.
One will often spot his pre-kick technique being rather unique though.
Farrell tends to swipe his right leg across his body multiple times, one assumes to prepare for his range of motion. Before moving his head in the same direction as he glances from the ball to the posts.
Farrell has been a true stalwart of England Rugby. Having made his Saracens debut at the tender age of 17, he has gone on to become the permanent captain of the England national team and taken part in three British and Irish Lions tours.
4) Jonny Wilkinson:
Arguably the greatest kicker of his generation.
Jonny Wilkinson had a very unique kicking stance, which was copied by enthusiastic young players all over the world.
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Wilkinson would tap his toes behind him and then bend his legs. Following that he would cup his hands in front of him, blocking out all the external noise. Before going on, more often than not, to blast the ball over the posts.
Wilkinson scored over 5000 points in his 17-year professional career. One of the most decorated rugby players of all time, Wilkinson has the Rugby World Cup, 2 Heineken Champions Cups, the English Premiership, the Top 14, and multiple Six Nations Championships to his name.
3) Gavin Henson:
Gavin Henson made his name for Wales Rugby after his huge long-range effort to beat England in 2005. His run-up technique was unique to say the least.
Running low to the ground it was immortalised in EA Sports Rugby 06 video game.
How he achieved such power from such an unorthodox run-up is anyone’s guess, but it was certainly great to watch.
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Henson became quite the journeyman during his 19-year professional career, playing for no less than ten different clubs.
Since retiring he has tried his hand at Rugby League and taken over as the landlord of The Fox and Hounds in St Brides Major in the Vale of Glamorgan.
2) Dan Biggar:
A quality kicker with multiple Wales and British and Irish Lions caps, Dan Biggar boasts a huge kicking percentage.
His run-up has changed over the years. But once upon a time, it did rather resemble a Saturday night dance.
With a shake of the legs, a brush of his hair, and a stroke of each shoulder repeated multiple times, Biggar would spend half a minute preparing for his kicks.
The talented fly-half spent the majority of his career at the Ospreys, before moving to English premiership outfit Northampton Saints in 2018.
Capped over 100 times for Wales, bigger has always been known as a particularly vocal player which has enabled him to effectively captain the national side at times.
1) Rob cook:
Although the least known on the list, Rob Cook takes the top spot due to his truly bizarre kicking stance.
Standing wide legs wide apart, backside pointing out and hands held out in front of him, there is no other kicker in the world that gets such a humorous response from the crowd. Wolf whistles, jeers, and laughter erupted when Cook stepped up to nudge the ball over the posts.
A talented full-back, Cook played in the premiership for Gloucester for over four years. Last seen performing for level 7 side Malvern, he is now a Level 3 RFU coach offering 1-1 and group coaching sessions.
If you fancy a laugh, do check out some of the best and most entertaining place kick run-ups ever in this video:
Comments on RugbyPass
A long held question in popular culture asks if art imitates live or does the latter influence the former? Over this 6 nations I can ask the same question of the media influencing the thoughts of its audience or vice versa. Nobody wants to see cricket scores in rugby, as a spectacle it is not sustainable. With so many articles about England’s procession and lack of competition it feeds the epicaricacy of many looking for an opportunity to pounce. England are not the first team to dominate nor does it happen only in rugby, think Federer, Nadal, Red Bull or Mercedes, Manchester Utd, Australia in tests and World Cups. Instead of celebrating the achievements why find reasons to falsify it pointing towards larger playing pool, professional for a longer period or mitigate with the lack of growth in other nations. Can we not enjoy it while it is hear and know that it won’t last for ever, others coveting what England have will soon take the crown, ask the aforementioned?
6 Go to commentsShame he won’t turn out for the Netherlands now they’re improving. U20s are Euro champs and in the U20 Trophy this year. The senior sides gets better every year too.
2 Go to commentsWill rugbypass tv be showing these games?
1 Go to commentsWell where do you start, the fact that England have a professional domestic league and Ireland’s is fully amatuer, that they have fully seperated professional squads at Fifteens and Sevens (7’s thinly disguised as GB), and Ireland have fully pro Sevens squad who loan some players back to the Semi-Professional Fifteens squad (moved from amateur for only a year or so) for a few games at 6N & RWC’s. The Women’s games is a shambles, and is at risk of killing itself by pushing for professionalism when the market isn’t really there to support it outside one or two countnries..
6 Go to commentsWayne Smith's input didn't have as much impact on the last final as Davison's red card for Thompson. England were 14 points up and flying when that happened.
6 Go to commentsBilly's been playing consistently well for 2 - 3 seasons now and deserves a look in at the top level. Ioane and ALB are still first choice but there needs to be injury cover and succession. His partnership with Jordie gives him first dibs you'd think. Go the Hurricanes.
3 Go to commentsIt’s not up to Wales to support Georgian Rugby. That’s up to International Rugby and Georgia. I sympathise with Georgia’s decent attempt to create this fixture. But for Wales the proposed match up is just a potential stick to beat them with and a potential big psychological blow that young Welsh team doesn’t need. (I’m Irish BTW.)
2 Go to commentsCale certainly looks great in space, but as you say, he has struggled in contact. At 23 years old, turning 24 this year, he should be close to full physical maturity and yet there exists a considerable gap in the power and physicality required for international rugby. Weight doesn’t automatically equate to power and physicality either. Can he go from a player who’s being physically dominated in Super rugby to physically dominating in international rugby in 1 or 2 years? That’s a big ask but he may end up being a late bloomer.
28 Go to commentsIf rugby wants to remain interesting in the AI era then it will need to work on changing the rules. AI will reduce the tactical advantage of smart game plans, will neutralize primary attacking weapons, and will move rugby from a being a game of inches to a game of millimetres. It will be about sheer athleticism and technique,about avoiding mistakes, and about referees. Many fans will find that boring. The answer is to add creative degrees of freedom to the game. The 50-22 is an example. But we can have fun inventing others, like the right to add more players for X minutes per game, or the equivalent of the 2-point conversion in American football, the ability to call a 12-player scrum, etc. Not saying these are great ideas, but making the point that the more of these alternatives you allow, the less AI will be able to lock down high-probability strategies. This is not because AI does not have the compute power, but because it has more choices and has less data, or less-specific data. That will take time and debate, but big, positive and immediate impact could be in the area of ref/TMO assistance. The technology is easily good enough today to detect forward passes, not-straight lineouts, offside at breakdown/scrum/lineout, obstruction, early/late tackles, and a lot of other things. WR should be ultra aggressive in doing this, as it will really help in an area in which the game is really struggling. In the long run there needs to be substantial creativity applied to the rules. Without that AI (along with all of the pro innovations) will turn rugby into a bash fest.
24 Go to commentsSouth Africa rarely play Ireland and France on these tours. Mostly, England, Scotland and Wales. I wonder why
2 Go to commentsIt was a let’s-see-what-you're-made-of type of a game. The Bulls do look good when the opposition allows them to, but Munster shut them down, and they could not find a way through. Jake should be very worried about their chances in the competition.
2 Go to commentsHats off to Fabian for a very impressive journey to date. Is it as ‘uniquely unlikely’ as Rugby Pass suggests, given Anton Segner’s journey at the Blues?
2 Go to commentsSad that this was not confirmed. When administrators talk about expanding the game they evidently don’t include pathways to the top tier of rugby for teams outside of the old boys club. Rugby deserves better, and certainly Georgia does.
2 Go to commentsLions might take him on if they move on Van Rooyen but I doubt he will want to go back, might consider it a step backwards for himself. Sharks would take him on but if Plumtree goes on to win the challenge cup they will keep him on. Also sharks showing some promising signs recently. Stormers and Bulls are stable and Springboks are already filled up. Quality coach though, interesting to see where he ends up
1 Go to commentsAnd the person responsible for creating a culture of accountability is?
3 Go to commentsMore useless words from Ben Smith -Please get another team to write about. SA really dont need your input, it suck anyway.
264 Go to commentsThis disgraceful episode must result in management and coach team sackings. A new manager with worse results than previous and the coaching staff need to coached. Awful massacre led by donkeys.
1 Go to commentsInteresting article with one glaring mistake. This sentence: “And between the top four nations right now, Ireland, France, South Africa, and New Zealand…” should read: And between the top four nations right now, South Africa, Ireland, New Zealand and France…”. Get it right wistful thinkers, its not that hard.
24 Go to commentsHow did Penny get the gig anyway?
3 Go to commentsNice write up Nick and I would have agreed a week ago. However as you would know Cale & co got absolutely monstered by the Blues back row of Sotutu, Ioane and Papaliti and not all of these 3 are guaranteed a start in the Black jumper. He may need to put some kgs before stepping up, Spring tour? After the week end Joe will be a bit more restless. Will need to pick a mobile tough pack for Wales and hope England does the right thing and bashes the ABs. I like your last paragraph but I would bring Swinton, Hannigan into the 6 role and Bobby V to 8
28 Go to comments