Rugby is more dangerous for wingers than any other position

Telegraph

4 days ago

The press box at Ashton Gate offers an impeccable view of the pitch, which often brings small instances – such as friendly fire during the warm-ups – to the attention.
On Saturday afternoon, as the Harlequins starters were running against replacements and travelling reserves half an hour before kick-off, Rodrigo Isgro and Jake Murray charged in opposing directions to vie for a high ball. They leapt into the air and whacked into one another, with Murray coming off worse.
Clearly in some pain, the young scrum-half peeled himself off the floor. Fortunately, he would be fit to come off the bench against Bristol Bears later on. Topsy Ojo, meanwhile, was preparing to commentate for BBC Radio 5 Live high up in the media seats. The former London Irish favourite winced.
Fairly or unfairly, wing used to be regarded as the position where one could most easily avoid the physical stuff and keep a clean shirt. These days, chiefly because of a refereeing directive that has made a profound impact, back-three players must be immensely courageous because many believe that the pivotal battleground of aerial competition has become as perilous as anything in rugby.
Fans of rugby union have become accustomed to the concept of unintended consequences and an apparent increase in aerial collisions is a result of the crackdown on 'escorting'; the practice of teams protecting their own back-field catchers by shepherding chasers after an opposition kick.
Angus Gardner set a decisive tone during England's loss to New Zealand last November, demanding that players be granted 'access' to the ball, and the sport has looked different since.
Training practices, tactics and even recruitment have been influenced. Trends are cyclical, and one source stressed the point that it is less than a decade since there was a push to protect catchers with a spate of red cards for reckless chasing.
'You are essentially encouraging contact in the air now, which only seems to get penalised if something bad happens,' a senior Premiership coach said.
'The duty of care for the catcher, which was there a few years ago, appears to have gone. I think that's very, very strange. Only a couple of years ago, we were trying to reduce those situations. Now, we're openly trying to get more of them.
'It's definitely more dangerous now, of course it is. You can go up high, at pace and bump the catcher. That's how we have to coach it. And that's very challenging because you don't want to risk injury in the week, but you have to expose them to what it is going to be like in a game.
'Catchers need to really own the space and almost go through the chaser, where the chaser has free licence to make contact. It seems very like AFL.'
AFL laws allow players to call for a mark anywhere on the pitch provided the ball has been kicked 15 metres, which obviously heightens the significance of a clean catch. By last summer, escorting in rugby union had effectively become coordinated obstruction.
Possession from kick-returns was so reliable that it was treated like another set-piece and the 'gloves' of backpedalling team-mates that cocooned catchers were ugly on the eye.
Authorities were also eager to create more broken-field scenarios. Alex Goode, the Saracens full-back who bowed out last weekend after 402 club appearances, remains highly sceptical.
'I don't think it's better for the game,' he says. 'Escorting had probably gone too far, but it's now chaos. You've got guys running into the air and colliding with each other and the refs are in a difficult position.
'It just encourages more kicking, because there is such a good chance of winning back the ball. There was a theory that there would be more transition situations and more unstructured attack, but I don't think that's coming to fruition.'
Saracens train 'live' aerial drills once or twice a week, but Goode fears that the injury situation 'will only get worse' because 'there are collisions left, right and centre'.
It is understood that governing bodies are more focused on eradicating 'always illegal' actions such as shoulder charges and reckless actions against vulnerable players at the breakdown.
Ben Stevenson, the Newcastle Falcons wing, copped a ban this week after being sent off for a mistimed challenge that flipped Santiago Carreras of Gloucester, showing that sanctions are still doled out.
Ojo highlights Freddie Steward as an emblem of how the landscape has changed. Close to indispensable to England at one point, the Leicester Tigers full-back was usurped by George Furbank as head coach Steve Borthwick leant into kick-return as a source of attacking impetus.
Steward could find himself coveted again soon because there is agreement that chasers have a big advantage.
'Before, chasers had to work a bit harder to get around the escort while keeping their eye on the ball and then getting up,' Goode adds.
'The kick had to be good and the chase was something you had to really refine to make it a skill. Now, it does seem a bit too easy to get up and spoil with one arm. I'd say that it encourages a more kick-focused game.'
Andy Farrell's cohort of back-three players in the British and Irish Lions squad leaves little doubt over the importance of aerial prowess.
Tommy Freeman, Mack Hansen, James Lowe, Duhan van der Merwe, Elliot Daly, Hugo Keenan and Blair Kinghorn all stand at least 6ft. Darcy Graham, who is 5ft 9in, was overlooked.
'I think [the directive] will affect recruitment strategies over the coming years,' suggested one source. 'Wingers' values had dropped, if you look at the positional stuff that comes out of the salary-cap report. People weren't spending as much money on them because they were putting it towards other areas.
'The change means a full-back who is very, very good in the air becomes more important and valuable. It will be the same for wingers who can go and get the ball.
'Will Muir is probably the best in the Premiership. He owns the space really well, he's brave in the air and goes for it with one hand a lot of the time. Kyle Steyn had a field day there on Friday night for Glasgow Warriors against Stormers as well.'
The days of wings keeping a low profile and returning to the changing rooms in spotless kit are long gone. In the air, fierce commitment is critical and danger now comes with the territory.