New breakdown thinking good for rugby (and Ireland)

The breakdown interpretation applied by Craig Joubert in Ireland v Wales is entirely correct, and should be good for the game.........

The background is that the new interpretation reinforces the distinction between tackling and rucking. That is very much what the game was about in the old days and sharpening the distinction will bring light to a breakdown that has become a frustrating part of the game in recent years.

Fundamentally, it means the tackled player will get the right to play the ball immediately after he is tackled – and that entitlement is laid down in the rules. It also makes clear that the tackler does not have a divine right to compete for the ball. Ultimately, it may mean that tacklers simply have to complete a tackle and make sure they don’t get in the way of the attacking ball.

Instead of a wrestling match, the contest for possession will more often take place between arriving players: that is as it should be. The low, fast clear out once again becomes possible.

For individual defending players and team coaches, decisions have to be made: commit to the breakdown and compete for the ball, or fan out across the pitch and force the opposition to play their way through you, hoping for a handling error.

Decision making is central to Union game

The first option risks the slow death of being marched up the field as the attack goes through multiple phases, the second means you may fail to turn the ball over or slow it down, and leave space out wide. Ultimately, it is those equations and that decision making factor – and not the contest for possession itself per se - that gives Union its unique character and truly distinguishes it from League.

On the attacking side, the new breakdown may also require a more sophisticated decision making dynamic between the attacking half-back combination and the defence as a whole: think of George Gregan and Stephen Larkham pulling the strings from 9 and 10 for Australia in the early 2000s.

In is interesting to note Nigel Owens actually applied a version of this interpretation during Ireland’s victory over South Africa: the Welshman penalised Heinrich Brussow for executing a turnover while participating in a tackle. People within the IRFU and the coaching setup itself certainly seemed to be aware of the issue but the players on the field seemed to have little more than a superficial knowledge of what was happening and had to adjust on the hoof.

What was surprising was that some Irish players seemed to have very little understanding of what Joubert was doing. The double whammy for Ireland was Joubert’s harsh refereeing of the offside line, which forced Ireland to lay back.

Hamstrung Ireland struggling to manage big ball carriers

That meant Wales were able to run their big carriers at Ireland with some speed and was in large part why Wales were able to march Ireland from the half-way line back into their own 22 on several occasions.

Welsh ineptitude meant that was as far is it went but if Ireland had performed against France the way they did on Saturday, it is fair to suggest that they would have been well beaten and it is worth remembering that France were also able to slash Ireland open by using big men running hard lines against the grain.

In a broader sense, the concern for Ireland is that they were caught on the hop. It is frequently mentioned in dispatches that preparing for individual referees is a sophisticated business in the professional game: it looked anything but on Saturday though Alan Gaffney and Paul McNaughton admitted that the game was refereed as Joubert said he would do it.

Flowing, multi-phase game could suit Ireland

But that should be a short term issue. In the longer run, a multi-phase game with a more free flowing breakdown could depower the scrum by bringing in more multi-phase play, and it might also mean less kicking. Mobile props such as Marcus Horan, Gethin Jenkins and Cian Healy will be suited as, arguably, will second rows who cover a lot of ground but lack the man-mountain quality certain locks have. New Zealand and Australia could also be favoured.

We may just get a more flowing, exciting game as a result.