THE FALL AND FALL OF AUSSIE RUGBY

written Saturday 15/09/07

THE SHOPPING LIST! 

Well I thought I better write something provocative,  I haven’t had any bad mail for a while,  and readers are dropping off drastically.  As I sit and watch rugby league,  and in particular the Eels performance against the Broncos,  Sunday 02/09/07 and the Cowboys vs the Bulldogs Saturday 08/09/07,  and watched a couple of lackluster matches out of the World Cup,  amidst I might say much pomp,  pageantry and fanfare,  I get to thinking about how the ARU money men go about targeting these blokes out of rugby league,  and get to thinking that maybe,  just a very,  very big maybe they got it about 90% wrong. 

Can I also say that the need to target these blokes at the height of their rugby league careers indicates a shortfall,  a severe shortfall in the rugby development process,  and is something that needs to be fixed rather than see it keep happening.  However,  let’s have a look at why and who I would target out of rugby league. 

There seems to have been a penchant to target rugby league outside backs,  Sailor,  Tuqiri,  Rogers (was playing wing at the time of recruitment I believe),  Gasnier,  (was a centre at the time),  Anasta may have been a five eighth and Johns of course was a halfback,  Willie Tonga is an outside back that was at one time targeted and of course Timana Tahu an outside rugby league back.  From memory Cross was too. 

One can’t help thinking that these guys are really missing the point,  and seemingly trying to rely on big,  potent rugby league outside backs doing all the go forward in a wider channel.  All of the leaguies signed so far seem “uncomfortable” and less than instinctive in their rugby roles. 

Anyway there is an old adage,  a very old adage that states that you can’t go forward wide until you go forward in the middle,  I have heard Eddie Jones say it,  I have heard John Connolly say it,  I say it (not that I carry too much weight),  Wayne Bennett says it,  and the list goes on. 

Couple that with the fact that rugby league defences are so tight these days that the offload in and past contact is now a very big aspect of the game.   So we have some really big forwards,(and backs)  big fast guys punching hard through,  either close or a pass or two wide,  offloading out of that play if they can punch through and get free,  or setting up a quick play the ball and punching the offload off the next play against a slightly more disorganized defence. 

So let’s get to the players I would target.  Admittedly I am going to disregard the behavioural issues some of these guys have faced,  but in fairness so did the ARU when chasing Gasnier,  yet used the alleged rumours floating around about Andrew Johns as an excuse well after the event,  interesting.  I am sure there are less than saintly figures in rugby circles too, and there are plenty of “rumours” circulating about high profile rugby players.  I also always feel that resources can and should be better managed than they are in many,  many cases,  and who knows how right the media has been on pronouncing some of these players guilty and guiltier than they are earlier than they need be.

On top of that,  the rugby strategy seems to have been to target players that are at the top of their game in league,  and the top of the earning spectrum,  and simply offer them deals on a par or exceeding what league could actually afford to pay.  League rallies around in some cases and gets together media deals and third party stuff,  seems even to win in most of those circumstances,  Johns and Gasnier being two examples.  Now with rugby coffers tightening up,  the gravy train there may need to come to an end as well.  With a strategy like that,  you are mostly going to get yourself an older player,  with a limited lifespan to play,  I said mostly,  Tuqiri was an exception,  as is Tahu,  the others didn’t come.  Cross has a way to go to prove himself yet. 

So,  as the two games become more and more similar,  and they do in the fact that we are playing out of static sequences,  the ruck as we know it is gone,  the ruck used to be able to move forward,  advance the ball,  get the defence moving backwards.  Now it is basically static,  and like the play the ball it is now about recycle pace and efficiency,   not about go forward.  The maul is disappearing,  and it was a great weapon to move forward,  attract defenders,  and set up attacks.  The new laws,  if adopted,  will kill the maul.  Administrators have done everything in their power to reduce the scrum to something that doesn’t move that much,  and the sack in the lineout coupled with the new maul law will stop any unit go forward off the lineout. 

The new experimental laws for some reason have killed off the pick and drive,  and it will be sad to see power scrummagers like Argentina and France,  South Africa too having to rethink how they play the game and who they select when/if the new laws are adopted.   

For mine those things take the game ever closer to rugby league,  and that being the case in my thoughts,  we need to be thinking/developing/recruiting players that can punch holes in the defence,  and then offload behind the tackle line,  or set up a quick recycle and play on out of that punch in behind,  with a slightly more disorganized defence. 

My feeling is that certainly the number one player in the world in busting the line and effecting an off load is Sonny Bill Williams,  he is big,  he is very fast,  he hits really hard and just has a vast array of skills.  In reality for mine he could play 6,  8,  12 or 13 if punching hard through the 12 channel was your game.  I know that he is contracted now,  but I certainly advocated his being chased two years ago. You would also get valuable years from him,  I think he is 23,  and the less physical rugby would perhaps see him on the field for more time.   

Number two target would be Willie Mason,  bear in mind I am forgetting about all the alleged rubbish that goes on and is reported to go on.  On a football field this big unit is abrasive and brutal.  He would have to play 6,  but is extremely hard to stop,  almost impossible at times,  imagine him if you would running a couple of channels wide at a Giteau.  As the commentators described the other night,  when some lunatic threw himself at Willie and got churned up in the maelstrom,  “it’s like a tennis ball under a herd of buffalo”.  Willie Mason at 6 puts Sonny Bill at 8. 

The other big offloading forward I really like is from Parramatta in Feletei Mateo,  pretty similar to Sonny Bill,  maybe even bigger,  and these guys are not only big,  but they are really,  really fast and agile with amazing skill sets. 

The backs,  well there is a wing of them out there if cross code recruiting is your go.  Really hard to know where to start.  For mine it is a toss up between Matt Bowen,  Israel Folau and Greg Inglis.  In fact I threw an alternative backline to my loungeroom last night,  10/09/2007,   and they were all in it. 

Just looking at them all,  I have to go with Matt Bowen,  he seems really suited to the rugby code,  great feet somewhat like Jason Robinson,  but unlike Robinson from England,  possesses some real tactical nous and ability in the kicking department.  In broken play and kick returns,  he would be a sizzler. 

He is closely followed however by Folau and Inglis,  two superstars of the NRL and still teenagers.  It is hard to come to terms with just how good these two blokes are,  and how good they will or might become. 

Folau in my opinion gets the 13 jersey and Inglis one of the wing spots,  or fullback,  or an alternating role with Bowen. 

The other guy I really like in the NRL at the moment is Parramatta product Krisnan Inu,  big fast and fairly freakish,  he would be on my list too.  About 20 and 100 kilos and well the rest just all falls into place doesn’t it. 

Jarred Hayne would be my outside choice,  may not have the tactical nous required,  but gee he is a freak in his own right. 

I haven’t mentioned Thurston,  even though he made my loungeroom selection of 10/09/07.  the reason I have not mentioned him is I think we are fairly OK for flyhalves at the moment,  and for a number of years,  plenty of good ones coming through,  but if you needed one now,  he would be invaluable,  worth whatever you have to pay for him.  He is a real schemer and you can watch him setting up a side minutes and several sets out from when it is all going to happen,  just what you what in a 10,  very tactically astute,  they call him the world’s best league player for a reason. 

Cameron Smith too could be worth a look at halfback,  along with Robbie Farrar.  At the end of the day,  I have come up with more outside backs than forwards,  but the two key operatives are big,  fast,  aggressive and abrasive go forward forwards.  Australia has failed to develop and replace Finegan and Kefu,  Williams and Mason would do the job! 

Also note,  no front rowers or locks,  rugby hasn’t developed these well either but you won’t develop a rugby front rower in league circles,  although Shane Webcke was one that would have been stunning with a 1 on his back,  rugby doesn’t see operatives like Webcke play the code I am afraid.

While you may not and possibly do not agree with the authour and his thoughts,  the authour doesn't really care,  and freely admits he may not be 100% correct.  However,  the basis of what is said is factual as best we can determine on any given day.  Always challenge the status quo,  better things evolve when current systems and ideals are questioned and challenged.  Make change positive,  strive to make positive change.