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The introduction of the hybrid rugby player

Recently, England head coach Eddie Jones promoted the idea of the ‘hybrid’ rugby player. He believes the game is evolving and players now more than ever, should be multi-faceted and be as comfortable playing in the three-quarter line as they are in the scrum.

To an extent, that evolution is already well under way. Skill level and technical abilities have improved across the board. Jones suggested that England and Exeter Chiefs winger Jack Nowell, would be quite comfortable playing as an openside flanker. This caused some criticism among pundits but was not without merit. Nowell is quick as expected of any winger, but he is also strong and capable of turning over ball and winning possession. He tackles well, carries effectively and is a great support runner so why not?

The Pros

But what’s the point? Why would you want 9 forwards or an extra back on the pitch? Well it all depends on the opposition you are playing or possibly the conditions. Against a team that have a large mobile set of forwards, having an extra back row on the pitch to carry, tackle, ruck, and maul can only be a positive. More recently Jones considered Ben Earl, the Bristol’s Bears flanker for a change of position. During the 2020 Six Nations, Earl trained with England in the centre and on the wing.

Having an extra wing on the pitch might be useful if you intend to play a high tempo game against a team with questionable fitness or defensive inadequacies. Or a team that plays a very territorial game. An extra back can be useful for counter attacking opportunities.

The Cons

Of course there are some draw backs to this philosophy. Eddie Jones isn’t the first coach to consider putting 24 hour gyms near me a player in a totally different position. In 2009 following a number of injuries, Italy’s coach Nick Mallett picked flanker Mauro Bergamasco at scrum half. The experiment didn’t go well and was quickly consigned to history.

What the Bergamasco disaster showed was that moving a player to a position that requires technical expertise in a specific area, like passing or kicking from a ruck or a scrum can present huge challenges. Given time and coaching, he may well have become a useful scrum half but as short notice cover due to injury, it was too much to ask.

There are lots of transferable skills between a flanker and a winger. That’s why interchanging players like Nowell and Earl can work. However as an example, although the modern day front row forward can run and handle the ball immeasurable better than their predecessors from the amateur era, it would be unwise to swap them with a scrum half or a fly half. The technical skills required would be too great. Again they would benefit from time and coaching but it could not be done as a quick fix or a tactical decision on match day. And vice versa, a fly half switching to tight head would just be reckless and dangerous!

Keep innovating

There are benefits to this strategy for a coach. It can offer them more options in the way their team play the game. As highlighted above, there are limitations based on the positional skill requirements, but innovations like this will make the game more entertaining, and in turn will help to find new followers for the sport.

x8oyavf017

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on Jul 16, 21