Is Size Everything?
After playing 1s and 2s at Millfield on Saturday I fully appreciated the need for size in the modern game.
In the 2s we were up against a monster pack making it difficult at scrum time. This difficulty was compounded by the lack of ball carriers in the Whitgift pack, making establishing a platform for our skillful backs a tough task; although possibly superior in the finishing department the lack of ball meant that we were 21-5 down in the first 15 minutes due to the bludgeoning of the Millfield pack to release their speedy backs around the outside.
However at this point I was called to play for the 1s. Here the pack weights were more evenly matched allowing our skills to more readily do battle. The 1s eventually won 34-28 but the 2s with an inferior pack lost 28-10. Here the huge weight discrepancy can be clearly seen to have had a large bearing on the game highlighting how the modern game is more about power and brutality rather than skill and poise.
The same Saturday England comfortably beat Australia 37-18. The dynamic Australian back-row of Hooper, Dempsey and Samu were constantly going backwards due to their smaller pack making it difficult for them to pilfer English ball. Tom Curry and England struggled in South Africa in the summer to cope with the constant bombardment of South African size loosing large leads in the first 2 tests and loosing 2-1 overall. The time for poise in the wide channels winning games has seemingly elapsed with players like George North, Julian Savea and Joe Cokanasiga coming to prominence over Robinson-esque wingers.
As a teammate said to me: 'Forwards win the games, the backs determine by how much'. A sentiment the watching Gareth Edwards at Millfield wouldn't have shared.
In the 2s we were up against a monster pack making it difficult at scrum time. This difficulty was compounded by the lack of ball carriers in the Whitgift pack, making establishing a platform for our skillful backs a tough task; although possibly superior in the finishing department the lack of ball meant that we were 21-5 down in the first 15 minutes due to the bludgeoning of the Millfield pack to release their speedy backs around the outside.
However at this point I was called to play for the 1s. Here the pack weights were more evenly matched allowing our skills to more readily do battle. The 1s eventually won 34-28 but the 2s with an inferior pack lost 28-10. Here the huge weight discrepancy can be clearly seen to have had a large bearing on the game highlighting how the modern game is more about power and brutality rather than skill and poise.
The same Saturday England comfortably beat Australia 37-18. The dynamic Australian back-row of Hooper, Dempsey and Samu were constantly going backwards due to their smaller pack making it difficult for them to pilfer English ball. Tom Curry and England struggled in South Africa in the summer to cope with the constant bombardment of South African size loosing large leads in the first 2 tests and loosing 2-1 overall. The time for poise in the wide channels winning games has seemingly elapsed with players like George North, Julian Savea and Joe Cokanasiga coming to prominence over Robinson-esque wingers.
As a teammate said to me: 'Forwards win the games, the backs determine by how much'. A sentiment the watching Gareth Edwards at Millfield wouldn't have shared.
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