Size differences in No.7s in the Premiership, PRO14 and Top 14
Europe’s top three leagues – the Top 14, Guinness Pro14 and the Gallagher Premiership – all have different reputations and styles of play, which means different players are suited to different positions.
While some positions will not get many variations from player to player in different teams, there are certain shirts that can be worn by players of all sizes. Openside flanker is one role where the requirements of height and weight are variable, and while there may be a concept of an ideal seven being the smallest player in the pack, that is by no means a necessity.
So when comparing the starting openside flankers in every game across the three leagues in the most recent weekend of domestic action (the last weekend of November), it offered some surprising and some expected results.
While it should be taken into consideration that this weekend of fixtures was between two blocks of European matches and also in the wake of the World Cup, meaning first-choice players may have been rested, that does not really affect anything because there is nothing to suggest that a better player should be any different in size to anyone else.
What must also be noted is that France operates with left and right flankers, rather than openside and blindside. While that muddies the waters somewhat, it still does not mean that they may no longer seek to fulfil the role of a traditional seven – they must just have a different number on their back.
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However, both sides of the scrum have been accounted for when looking at the French league. The first noticeable thing is that the Top 14 sevens and sixes were a fair bit taller than their PRO14 and Gallagher Premiership counterparts. In France, the average height was 192.14cms (6ft 4ins) for those wearing seven on their back and 191.64cms (6ft 3ins) for those wearing six.
In a league that is dominated by the set-piece and attritional battles upfront, it may not be surprising that the average height of a flanker is only just short of a lock.
This may suggest a move away from the role of ‘fetcher’ flankers that have dominated the game in recent years such as Riche McCaw, David Pocock or Michael Hooper. Of those three, McCaw was the tallest at 187cms (6ft 1in), which means of the 28 flankers that started in the Top 14 at the end of November, only three – or eleven per cent – were smaller than the feted Kiwi (Lyon’s Liam Gill, Brive’s Said Hireche and Bayonne’s Jean Monribot).
Conversely, the sevens in both the PRO14 and the Premiership were quite similar to one another and smaller than those in France. The average height in the PRO14 was 187.57cms (6ft 2ins) and 187.17cms (6ft 2ins) in England, which is virtually identical.
'If you're over the ball and have two blokes over 100 kilos flying into you off their feet, it can be pretty difficult to survive' https://t.co/2herbo61Ix
— liam heagney (@heagneyl) May 5, 2019
Using the comparison to McCaw again, six of the 14 opensides in the PRO14 were smaller as were six of the twelve in the Premiership.
While this may be a fairly basic comparison, it does highlight a contrast in philosophies between France, who may focus on aerial supremacy at the lineout, and the teams in England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland, where there may be a greater emphasis on the breakdown where smaller flankers with a lower centre of gravity profit.
There is not much difference in weight between the three leagues, with flankers in the PRO14 and Premiership being almost identical at 104.23kgs (16st 5lbs) and 104.87kgs (16st 7lbs), respectively. Meanwhile, sixes weighed 104.6kgs and sevens weighed 107.3kgs, suggesting France still favour heavier flankers.
However, the average weight of the lightest flanker on either side of the scrum in France, and perhaps most suited to being a stereotypical seven, was 102.5kgs, which is just under the average of the other leagues.
This can be misleading though, as the likes of Northampton Saints’ Lewis Ludlam and the Scarlets’ Josh Macleod are two examples of players that were heavier than their blindside team-mate during this round of fixtures.
The Top 14’s proclivity to opt for slightly heavier and taller flankers, be it at six or seven, is symptomatic of the differences between the styles in the PRO14/Premiership and France where more mobile loose forwards are adopted to facilitate a quicker brand of rugby.
During the round in focus, Glasgow Warriors’ Chris Fusaro was the smallest (180cms/ 5ft 11ins) and second-lightest (94kgs/14st 11lbs) flanker in Europe and he succinctly mirrors and suits the high-tempo style of rugby that Dave Rennie seeks to play at Scotstoun.
However, the stats from the PRO14 are a slight red herring, as they were skewed by the Italian and South African sides. Of the 14 opensides that started that particular weekend, all four from Italy or South Africa weighed over 105kgs (16st 6lbs), with the Southern Kings’ Thembelani Bholi and Benetton’s Braam Steyn weighing the heaviest.
The blindside flanker might be the least glamorous position in modern rugby, writes @rhigarthjones https://t.co/4X8IswyyAg
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 14, 2019
This is perhaps indicative of the style of rugby played by both nations, especially South Africa, who traditionally favour heavier and more powerful packs. When only looking at the sevens from Wales, Ireland and Scotland, the average height was 186.3cms (6ft 1in) and average weight is 102.2kgs (16st 1lb), which does show a perceptible difference compared to England, let alone France.
In that case, the Premiership sits between the two leagues, which is unsurprising due to the variety of approaches by each team. For example, Exeter Chiefs fielded Don Armand in the seven shirt, who is a sizeable option by any league’s standard. The Chiefs stylistically are akin to the stereotypical style of rugby adopted in France, as their success has been built upon supremacy up front.
Elsewhere, the likes of Sam Underhill, Sam Lewis, Dan Thomas and Blair Cowan suggest the league still has not moved away from playing those that have the characteristics of a conventional openside. Obviously, France don’t have opensides per se, but there are still signs that the league is moving away from utilising more mobile flankers, specifically when compared to the Celtic nations.
This disparity between the Top 14 and the rest is possibly an insight into why the national team, and the clubs in European competitions fade in the latter stages of matches. France have developed a reputation in recent years of slowing down after 60 minutes, which was abundantly clear in 2019.
Against Wales in the Six Nations and the RWC, France led for much of those matches but lost the game in the final quarter as the fitter Welsh team maintained intensity. The same happened against Argentina at the RWC, but they managed to hold on.
A big pack is often conducive to dominance in the opening stages of a match, as teams can bulldoze their way through the opposition who struggle to get a foothold in the game. But it does come at a price towards the end. There will always be exceptions, but smaller players will be fitter and more mobile.
Terribly sad news out of Wasps today about Alex Rieder… we can only wish him well in his recovery https://t.co/NZOgN2QnU9
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) December 12, 2019
Of course, this is only one position, but looking at the type of openside deployed is indeed a great indicator of a team’s philosophy.
On this particular weekend, the different selections may have been predicated on the conditions or the opponents, which must be taken into account. So while one weekend’s set of selections are not conclusive about anything, they do adhere to certain stereotypes and nuances between different countries.
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Comments on RugbyPass
It was a pleasure to watch those guys playing with such confidence. That trio can all be infuriating for different reasons and I can see why Jones might have decided against them. No way to justify leaving Ikitau out though. Jorgensen and him were both scheduled to return at the same time. Only one of them plays for Randwick and has a dad who is great mates with the national coach though.
53 Go to commentsBrayden Iose and Peter Lakai are very exciting Super Rugby players but are too short and too light to ever be a Test 8 vs South Africa, France, Ireland, and England, Lakai could potentially be a Test player at 7 if he is allowed to focus on 7 for Hurricanes.
5 Go to commentsPencils “Thomas du Toit” into possible 2027 Bok squad.
1 Go to commentsDon’t see why Harrison makes the bench. Jones can play at 10 if needed, and there is a good case for starting her there to begin with if testing combinations. That would leave room for Sing on the bench
1 Go to commentsWhat a load of old bull!
1 Go to commentsOf the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.
29 Go to commentsIrish Rugby CEO be texting Andy Farrell “Andy, i found our next Kiwi Irishman”
5 Go to commentsI certainly don’t miss drinking beers at 8am in the morning watching rugby games being played in NZ.
1 Go to commentsThis looks like a damage limitation exercise for Wales, keeping back some of their more effective players for the last 20/25 minutes to try and counter England’s fresh legs so the Red Roses don’t rack up a big score.
1 Go to commentsVery unlikely the Bulls will beat Leinster in Dublin. It would be different in Pretoria.
1 Go to commentsI think it is a dangerous path to go down to ban a player for the same period that a player they injured takes to recover. Players would be afraid to tackle anyone. I once tackled my best friend at school in a practice match and sprained his ankle. I paid for it by having to play fly-half instead of full-back for the rest of that season’s fixtures.
5 Go to commentsJust such a genuine good bloke…and probably the best all round player in his generation. Good guys do come first sometimes and he handled the W.Cup loss with great attitude.
2 Go to commentsWord in France is that he’s on the radar of a few Top14 clubs.
5 Go to commentsGet blocking Travis, this guy has styles and he’s gonna make a swift impact…!
1 Go to commentsWhat remorse? She claimed that her dangerous tackle wasn’t worthy of a red! She should be compensating the injured player for loss of earnings at the minimum. Her ban should include the recovery time of the injured player as well as the paltry 3 match ban.
5 Go to commentsArdie is a legend. Finished and klaar. Two things: “Yeah, yeah, I have had a few conversations with Razor just around feedback on my game and what I am doing well, what I need to improve on or work-ons. It’s kind of been minimal, mate, but it’s all that I need over here in terms of how to be better, how to get better and what I am doing well.” I hope he’s downplaying it - and that it’s not that “minimal”. The amount of communication and behind the scenes preparation the Bok coaches put into players - Rassie and co would be all over Ardie and being clear on what is expected of him. This stands out for me as something teams should really be looking at in terms of the boks success from a coaching point of view. And was surprised by the comment - “minimal”. In terms of the “debate” around Ireland and South Africa. Nice one Ardie. Indeed. There’s no debate.
2 Go to commentsThere’s a bit of depth there but realistically Australian players have a long way to go to now catch up. The game is moving on fast and Australia are falling behind. Australian sides still don’t priories the breakdown like they should, it’s a non-negotiable if you want to compete on the international stage. That goes for forwards and backs. The Australian team could have a back row that could make a difference but the problem is they don’t have a tight five that can do the business. Tupou is limited in defence, overweight and unfit and the locks are a long way from international standard. Frost is soft and Salakai-Loto is too small so that means they need a Valentini at 8 who has to do the hard graft so limits the effectiveness of the backrow. Schmidt really needs to get a hard working, tough tight 5 if he wants to get this team firing.
3 Go to commentsSorry Morgan you must have been the “go to for a quote” ex player this week. Its rnd 6 and there is plenty of time to cement a starting 15 and finishing 8 so I have no such concerns.
2 Go to commentsGreat read. I wish you had done this article on the ROAR.
2 Go to commentsThe current AB coaching team is basically the Crusaders so it smacks of wanting their familiar leaders around. This is not a good look for the future of the ABs or the younger players in Super working their way up the player ladder. Razor is touted as innovative, forward looking but his early moves look like insecurity and insular, provincial thinking. He is the AB's coach not the Golden Oldies.
10 Go to comments