Why Is English Rugby Turning to League Coaches For Help?
Is the number of English rugby league coaches switching codes the result of a core skills crisis the 15-a-side game? Lee Calvert investigates.
Last July it was announced that former rugby league international and Wigan coach Paul Deacon was taking over the role of attack coach for Sale Sharks, making him the latest in a growing number of coaches from a purely rugby league background to find employment in the fifteen-man code.
What these coaches all seem to find is that union players’ core skills – passing, catching, running lines – are lacking compared to their league counterparts. “You don’t have to coach [league players] to catch, pass and tackle,” says Mike Ford, a former league international and, until last week, Director of Rugby at Bath. “What we learn from [league] is the actual detail on the execution. And we’ve learned loads.”
Since rugby union went professional there has been a greater move towards conditioning and coaching – as you would expect in the increasingly sports science dominated era. But have the core skills of players suffered as a result?
Tony Fretwell, National Player Development Manager at the Rugby Football League and England Rugby League Academy coach, explains: “A significant amount of time in rugby union is spent at the breakdown, lineouts and scrums – areas that do not really feature in rugby league. When a union forward is working on these areas, he is working on skill, but not what people would refer to as the ‘core’ skills of either rugby code. Most core skills happen in the loose, so it stands to reason that league, a more ball-in-hand game, would be in advance of union with this.”
Union players are no less skilled; they’re just spreading themselves thinner: “[They] have to apply that talent to a wider range of skills for the fifteen man code,” says Fretwell. “League players have a narrower core skill set but as a result of the narrow focus they can place on them, the levels of those skills is higher.”
This would certainly bear out with even a cursory glance at the forwards in the northern hemisphere, where a genuine ball-playing forward is rare and exceptional rather than expected. Commentators often speak of the likes of Mako Vunipola, who can actually pass a ball, as if they can control the moon and the tides.
Denis Betts, another league legend, spent some time as skills coach at Gloucester and echoed the view of the difficulty of maintaining basic core skills in rugby union. “You’re trying to develop a fully functioning line-out, a strong scrum and a creative backline. In bringing all that together, you can lose sight of the fact that none of that works unless you do the simple things properly. All these are little things that you don’t often think about because they are just part of the game. But they are things you have to work on constantly.”
Factor in the obsession with size and the time spent in the gym, plus the issue of circumspect gameplan coaching. Warren Gatland has arguably the most talented Welsh squad since the 1970s, yet forces them to be beasted in Poland and then execute a gameplan which resembles two gym monkeys headbutting each other for eighty minutes. The really scary thing is that it gets results a lot of the time, at least until they come up against a Tri Nations team. And therein lies the rub.
For too long northern hemisphere rugby has not had an all-court game and the use of league coaches appears to be one of the many strategies employed to solve this issue. But in reality, the timidity of the coaching is the biggest problem. As Tony Fretwell states, union players are not less talented, but until they are set free from the gym and endless drills at every level of the game, then the solution may be some way off.
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