Rugby: Same game ... but on a bigger scale

Wayne Smith. Photo / Stephen Barker

When Wayne Smith made his All Black debut in 1980, backs wore medium-size jerseys and used an array of elusive tactics to find holes in the opposition defence.

Subtlety and evasion were methods of attack that day for the All Black backline, which averaged 80kg as they went into combat with the Wallabies in Sydney.

In their final test last year against Wales, the All Black backline had shot up to an average 96kg though still some distance behind their scarlet opponents who carried an average 100kg on each frame.

Rugby's laws have changed since Smith's debut, but kick, run, pass and tackle skills are still the framework of the game.

Finding space in the same sporting rectangle has become the struggle.

Defence and counter-attack will be All Black portfolios this year for Smith as he returns to work with the squad he helped to the last World Cup triumph.

"That's the work I have been doing with the Chiefs, and I'm looking forward to working on defence with the All Blacks and Fossie (Ian Foster) turning defence into counter-attack," he said.

"The Chiefs are still my focus but I will share overall ideas about defence with all the other New Zealand teams and work with them as well."

Players became fitter and bigger as rugby moved into professional times, and defensive structures have become more sophisticated.

Players are asked to be multi-dimensional, so backs have to clean out rucks and forwards have to draw and pass under pressure.

Defensive lines have become harder to breach, and coaching staff spend hours on video analysis and training ground instruction to work on their shape and ideas about cracking the opposition.

Once set-plays finish, defensive lines spread across the field in a crush of collisions until exhaustion creates an overlap or backs isolate some tight-forwards in the defensive line.

Finesse has meshed with conflict which can be maintained because of the permitted substitutions in a 23-man game.

All Black captain Richie McCaw has been in the thick of international contests since 2001 and he feels the game has got harder and faster every season.

Power and size are demanded. Halfback Aaron Smith was the only All Black back under 90kg in that last Cardiff test with Wales, whose fullback, Leigh Halfpenny, squeaked in under that limit at 88kg.

When Smith and Aaron Cruden are paired in the All Blacks they are an 82kg anomaly in a backline world inhabited by men like French centre Mathieu Basteraud whose weight hovers around 120kg.

When Wayne Smith debuted in Sydney, none of his backline colleagues weighed more than 87kg.

They were encouraged to follow their instincts, while current teams are drilled through video analysis, statistical data and replay footage.

Weak shoulders, faulty alignment and uncertain feet positioning are all highlighted by defensive coaches and players who don't rectify their flaws become a liability.

"The game essentially operates the same way," Smith said. "The principles are the same. You are looking to go forward, retain possession and find space."

Smith believes rugby fundamentals that applied in the days of Fred Allen and Charlie Saxton are pertinent today and skills are the key to breaking down rival sides.

"Body types and collisions have changed and that is an area where players have to learn different techniques to cope," he said.

"There are advantages for little guys with quicker feet who can exploit gaps, but these days numbers 12 and 13 have huge roles because they are the loosies of the backline.

"They need a high work-rate, ability to hang in the collisions and also attack and have kicking skills which make it harder for those in the backfield to mark up on."