Backline generals

Flyhalves are generally called the playmakers of the backline. For all of Priestland´s goalkicking deficiencies on Sunday, he managed to kick start the Welsh backline. Sexton was good in patches at opening up the Irish attack but he kicked away too much possession and rather aimlessly at times to make things worse. Parks was the worst, failing to open things up on attack and was even more dire with his kicking.

But normally your halves are servicing the backs and depending on the quality of that service, which in large part is dictated by the preparation made by the forwards, the backline play relies on these two players. Hence the term playmakers.

But in your backline, you also need a backline general who is ensuring that defence and attack are coordinating well between the different parts. When looking around the teams I noticed a trend in these backline generals.

1. New Zealand
For all of Carter´s effectiveness as playmaker, the power and handling of Nonu, I feel it is Conrad Smith who is the glue of the NZ backline. You can rely on him to keep things steady on defence and is often the spark on attack.

2. Australia
He can play most positions in the backline but Australia always seem to operate best when AAC plays at outside centre. He is a class winger and at home at fullback but his best position for me is at OC because of the way he melds the Aussie backline together. It is therefore no coincidence that the previous Aussie backline general was Stirling Mortlock and why AAC operates best from that position. He provides stability on defence and a focal point on attack for the rest of the Aussie backline to follow. Genia and Cooper make the play with the razzle dazzle but AAC holds the thing together for me.

3. SA
He is off to Japan and is going to be a huge loss for SA. Fourie anchored the SA defence and provided the impetus for attack. You take away him from the equation and you not only lose a great player (one of the most underrated players to play the game in my opinion) but also a great backline leader. Someone with experience and cunning able to unlock defences or hold firm against strong offensives.

4. England
Tindall used to be a backline general in my opinion. He was still useful on defence but not able to spark enough English attacks. Throw in Tuilagi and suddenly the English backline looks a lot more potent. Take him out and England look solid on defence but appear somewhat toothless on attack.

So I could mention Davies for Wales and Rougerie for France (he doesn't always play at centre granted but he does seem to anchor the French attack and defence) and it seems to me the top sides have their backline general operating at centre keeping things fluid on attack or defence.

So I have read a few posts this week that Ireland lack size or power in the centres or that Bowe should come off the wing to meet the power of Rougerie. But for me the biggest loss BOD is to Ireland is not so much the player he is (let´s face it, most of BOD´s impact is from inspired individual brilliance) but the leader he is for the Irish backline. Ireland looked static in attack not so much from the service Sexton was providing but from the way the Irish backline was operating. What Ireland are really missing is not so much their talisman player but their backline general. Somebody who wouldn´t have allowed North to cross so easily in the second half for example. Someone who would´ve got the Irish backline making more yards.

What do you think of my theory? Do I have something here or are these the hungover and sleep-deprived ramblings from the Wales Ireland, poker Superbowl extravaganza?

I agree every good backline needs a "general" and hopefully Barritt can do this for England. Ireland need to find a successor to BOD soon

I think you're spot on Kia. From an England point of view Tindall was always referred to as the 'back-line organiser' and some at the time assumed it was a fabrication to justify his inclusion in the side. What he fulfilled very well though was exactly the sort of role you have described above, and as such England's defence was generally excellent leading up to and during the RWC.

What he failed to do most of the time was execute and ignite a flowing attack, sometimes through lack of vision but mostly lack of skills in execution.

I think Tuilagi has some way to go in the defensive regard, and his distribution also needs some work, but he's very young and will hopefully develop those attributes over time. Barritt, I see as the new defensive Tindall and for that reason i'd want to pair him with Tuilagi in the centre for England.

Roberts is definatly the general in the Welsh backline, leads in attack and defence whether he's having one of his better games or not, before that Henson was always our general.

I think Ireland are at an awkward stage where they're losing their previous "general" BOD and haven't really brought through a new one. Tin the long term however, I think Spence will fill this roll. This really could have been his tournament.

Completely agree with this however I would wager that Tuilagi is not a backline general really. I would also say that Scotland used Patterson at wing/fullback as their general for a while.

Who would Argentina's be?
They had Contempomi in 2007 but he was defo 3rd fiddle to Pichot and Hernandez.

pete (buachaill on eirne) wrote:Completely agree with this however I would wager that Tuilagi is not a backline general really. I would also say that Scotland used Patterson at wing/fullback as their general for a while.

Who would Argentina's be?
They had Contempomi in 2007 but he was defo 3rd fiddle to Pichot and Hernandez.

Pichot. He was a master General, amazing at leading his team and controlling the game. But Contempomi was the back-line leader, Pichot just led everything

Yes Tuilagi was a stretch (although he has the makings if he can get regular games for England) and I agree on Roberts (though Davies outshone him on the weekend, Roberts is still returning from injury), on reflection, but I just found it interesting so many backline generals are outside centres. It makes sense as they are at the hub of the backline and are in a better position to dictate how a backline functions on defence and attack.

With Ireland I don´t see D'Arcy as that backline general. I get the impression Kidney doesn´t want two new caps in the centre of the backline but I didn't get a sense on Sunday D'Arcy was using his experience to help out the backline.

Pichot is a good shout. The ball never got out much beyond flyhalf in any event so he was able to have more of an influence on the team as a whole.

Scotland for me lack a backline general. They lack a playmaker as well that can ignite a backline but they appear too lateral when they try to get expansive on attack.

Been rather like that for a while with NZ I think Kia. Even though Fox, Merts, Carter have been the initiators of play we've always had the Stanleys, Bunces and Umaga's to steady the ship outwide, usually because they can get a better sense of the space out there for both attack and defence.

Oz the same under Mortlock as you've mentioned so agree completely BOD and Fourie will be missed but for SA I still think its an opportunity to blood new talent as I think there's more of it simmering under the pot lid than
we've been lead to believe. But certainly short term its an issue and the expansive game may have to take some breaking in.

We've been lucky in that way. In the north more tends to be based around the 10 but certainly with wales that extra dimension is coming through as its been for a while under BOD.

It was our failure to adopt a backline defence suited to the players who took the field which was proved our undoing. The staggered defence with BOD as the shooter has been honed over a number of years. Asking anyone (McFadden, Earls or Bowe) to fill that role is looking for trouble.

It's like giving Nigel from accounts Steve Jobs old office and asking him to come up with the next technological whizzgidget. Time and again we invited Wales run on to us and McFadden didn't shoot out far enough to cause Priestland to hesitate or be in a position to smother Roberts/North on the inside angle. Nor did our centres hunt as a pair as of old.

I honestly feel if we had played a flat, man on defence advancing as a line we would have won the game. Inviting those monster to get up a head of steam was suicide. I fully expect us to use the same tactic against the French with much the same result. It's not that we missed our midfield general. We just didn't adapt to his loss.