Will Wales be Playing Total Rugby?

Remember total football? No not a computer game but the ideal, with players able to fill in and do all the jobs, players talented enough to do anything that was needed as and when the situation demanded it – spearheaded by a great Dutch football team.

Those of us old enough to remember that might wonder if the same thing is going to be happening with the Welsh rugby team vs the All Blacks during the 2009 Autumn Internationals. Why do I say that? Well a couple of reasons actually.

Rugby Styles

After a disappointing 6 Nations where Wales could only really be described as predictable many (myself included) criticised the Welsh team for not having a good enough plan B to go to if plan A wasn’t working. Or in fact any sort of plan B. Wales had become obvious, teams knew what we were going to do, fans knew what we were going to do, and we did it anyway.

Since then the coaches have come out and admitted fault with this. There will be an improvement, they have promised us, a plan B for when needed, other styles to call upon if we need to. That’s all well and good, but is it going to happen – and what will the plans be?

“Myself and Shaun have spoken about how to change our game,” continued Howley.

“Going into the Ireland game we wanted to attack from deeper because of the ping-pong kicking. It’s that change of game plan and policy going from game to game that we have to adopt.

Total Rugby

Take a look at the Welsh backline a moment. A good indepth look. Within that backline there are players who cover a lot of positions. Think for a moment.

9 Gareth Cooper – 9 only
10 Stephen Jones – 10/12
11 Shane Williams – 11/9/14
12 Jamie Roberts – 12/11/13/14/15
13 Tom Shanklin – 13/11/12/14
14 Leigh Halfpenny – 14/11/15
15 James Hook – 10/12/13/15

So they can cover all sorts of positions – and that is only positions they have all started in, not to mention ones they can fill in for in an emergency.

This sort of versatility brings with it possibilities, ability to change things up depending on what is happening, the ability to keep opposition guessing.

James Hook

What first got me thinking about this was the selection of James Hook at full back. For many the recent ‘Welsh way’ has been too direct, too predictable and not enough guile. Without Gavin Henson inside Shanklin, or a creative 13 outside Roberts, the Welsh rugby way has worked but been easy enough to predict (and to a lesser degree, stop).

So with Lee Byrne missing the Welsh management decided to go for the virtually untested Hook at fullback option, rather than using one of a number of form fullbacks available to them (Dan Evans, Barry Davies or Jason Tovey for example). Why?

As far as I can see it is because he gives something no other Welsh back gives right now. Broken play running coupled with an instinctive eye for the gap and good distribution skills. Remind you of another player?

But why put him fullback? Well the key to me is halfpenny and Roberts. Jamie Roberts, it should be remembered, started out as a fullback with many tipping him to be the next Welsh star there. Since then he has gone on to prove to be one of the most devastating inside centers in the game, and moving him would be daft.

But there are times when his direct approach doesn’t fit, where we need to slip through a gap rather than hammer through it. So rather than lose Jamie’s effectiveness from center we can keep him there and bring Hook forward when needed. at that point Roberts should drop back. Or one along to 13, or out onto the wing, such is his, and the Welsh lines, versatility.

Hook has a lot of tools for opening defensive lines and I full expect him to be used in midfield a lot, not just as a strike runner. That will mean a Welsh line that actually becomes fluid. Halfpenny can cover back to 15 when Hook comes forward, and Shanks or Roberts taking Halfpenny’s position, or Roberts can cover back.

James Hook can stay in midfield and bring on Roberts as a strike runner ala Lee Byrne on the angle, or Roberts can find Hook embarking on one of his mesmeric broken field runs. Remember how good Roberts looked at 12 for the Lions with Brian O’Driscall outside him, Hook can provide a similar creative spark when he gets called forward.

Kicking

Of course it’s not all about running the ball, you wouldn’t expect a Sean Edwards/Warren Gatland team to be all about that. James Hook also provides a more refined boot from the back man, as Lee Byrne does, whilst Halfpenny and Roberts (the two other options with experience, rather than virtual novices like Evans or Davies) lack that option.

When you think how important kicking is to ‘Plan A’ for Wales you realize why, of those 3, it was James Hook that got the nod at fullback.

But as I see it we now have a backline who will be looking to do each others jobs, who can play ‘total rugby’, and perhaps this is the new way forward for team Wales. Or not. As ever the management have got us guessing and this is simply my best guess. what’s yours?