So why do teams kick so much in modern rugby?
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- Опубліковано 30 січ 2023
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We've all heard the complaints. We've all tried to field questions from a mate wondering why teams stick the ball on the boot so often. And we've all heard commentators scream as a side kick whilst in the attacking ascendancy. And yet it's impossible to play attacking rugby in 2022 without booting the ball. So why do teams kick, what are some common modern tactics, and what should you be looking out for to get the most out of a kicking exchange?
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this is fantastic. why have i had to wait through 10 years of commentators bemoaning 'kick tennis' for someone to stand up and explain what is actually going on? i genuinely think this video might transform my appreciation of the game. thank you!
Spot on, this is the best rugby content on the web
This video is silently sponsored by Faf De Klerk and Springbok management.
🤣😂🤣
As a Springbok fan this is still hilarious 🤣🤣
@Hamish Banish It wasn't mockery. I'll be a Bok fan until my casket drops.
@Hamish Banish don’t be so sensitive it was a joke lol - by a bok supporter.
@Hamish Banish it’s a joke you absolutely melt
"Haha, that pitch looks a lot like ours in that aerial footage. And those jerseys. And the opponent's jerseys. Wait, what is going on?!?!?" Well, being featured on a Squidge Rugby video is definitely our greatest achievement so far! Thanks for throwing in some grassroots rugby from the northernmost club in Finland!
The fact you have made a 24 minute video on how kicking isn’t boring is just fantastic
Interesting how France focuses on precision as they have two of best kickers, but South Africa focuses on disorder as they have the 2 of the best chasers. This video was massively enlightening, thanks!
Seriously appreciate how much work you put into making every aspect of rugby enjoyable! All the commentators and pundits should watch this, and then add a kicking coach to their teams.
When I was learning rugby as a teenager at Cartha Queens Park in Glasgow in the early 90s we were sometimes invited to go down to the club on hot Saturdays in summer for kicking practice. I was a big lumpy lock but it was for everyone. You weren't allowed to run, only walk; you could only kick from where you picked up or caught the ball. The idea was to push the other team back until you could kick it over their goal line.
Only many years later did I realise the genius of what I thought was just a fun pastime for days too hot for training. Our appreciation for the tactical kicking game, for where to find holes and how to plug your own, was excellent.
I've no idea if other clubs did this but I think it was indicative of how Cartha moved up several tiers in the following couple of decades, to the second tier where they stand today.
SHit does it gt tht hot in scotland ? and tht game is called force back
I love how Squidge mixes both guys and girls game in his videos. Also i learned a lot with this one.
I can also confim that Galthié first reason for selecting his 15 is the length and quality of the player's kick (Jaminet, Ramos...).
and mixed in, it is hard to tell at first sight (at least from wide angle) which is which. 👍
@@nathjones77 from wide angles it must be tough i know ( almost same height and built ).😂
And maybe also why he didn't stick with Dulin, who's the most classy FB of the lot, but also the weakest kicker.
I too appreciate the mix of male and female players to demonstrate the importance of a good kicking game
@@rek1827 it's a shame for Dullin, he's a wonderful counter attack player, like the stereotypical full back with (french) flair. But you're right his kicking must be too weak compared to what Galthié would like. Also Dullin takes risks from the 22 and nowadays it doesn't work with the team game plan.
I feel kicking has a bad connotation to it because 10-15 years ago, a lot of kicking was kind of aimless. (same way the topic of the breakdown was dull until...) in the last few years its been properly looked at and strategized so that each kick has a defined purpose. Loved this video, really does enough to explain just how important kicking has become (always was) and how to better realise what kicks we're seeing happen in the game and the likely aim the kicker is trying to achieve.
Fully agreed. In fact, you could argue that kicking was mainly aimless even more recent than 10 years ago. I think it's that reason why pundits tend to shoot down kick tennis, despite it now having a proper function in the game.
Yeah, I seem to recall the complaints about kicking exploded around the time of the ELVs being implemented and not working as intended.
Very true, you used to have punts for touch, chips ahead, grabbers and up and unders - basically either kicking for territory or kicking to regather the ball in attack. Now tactical kicking is much more sophisticated and a generation of pundits have not caught up.
Nah. Kicking has always been tactical. Just that you never noticed before.
@@1oscarbravo What are you talking about? I know that, I was representing the view of annoying boomer pundits who don't get that
Well explained. I used to play rugby 28,29 years ago but i was crap. You made that make a lot of sense, so as i watch a 6n game over 3hrs youve allowed me, and other numpties like me comprehend what we are watching. Thanks again Sir. m
Would love to see more content like this. It really helps further my own knowledge of rugby
A great explanation video!
Here’s a relevant example from recently:
In our tag rugby league I’m recognised as ‘the kicker’.
There was this one game where we were on last play, and the ball gets passed to me.
The defender shouts ‘He’s going to kick and chase it’ (which I had been planning on doing) except half their team drops back to cover the backfield, leaving their defensive line with more holes than swiss cheese!
Easiest 50meter dash I ever made, simply because they knew we could kick!
Exactly! and that's why Fullbacks like Hogg or Capuozzo are so dangerous. They'll wait for that chance to run through Swiss cheese
@@sumboi2321 And when you're saying Swiss cheese you're thinking Gruyère or Emmental (who have holes). But what is terrifying with Hogg, Capuozzo, or Dupont, is that they could make that run through Comté or Tome (who don't have holes) as long as the slice is thin enough. They run when your defense doesn't even have holes yet but just has become a bit thinner than it was.
@@Minimoimaximus delicious
That's a big part of Scotland's recent relative success - you have to decide how much to cover the back field for Finn's kicks, but take the risk of Hogg, wee Darcy and VDM running through you. Ireland have coped well with it but England have notably failed.
@@Minimoimaximus You're just making me hungry
Since finding this channel, I have completely changed from some that doesn't like kicking to someone that now would kick at every opportunity
it takes a special kind of talent to combine this much insight into such a well edited package. not only is the info critical, but the rhythm of the cut used to deliver it. smashing.
Was fully expecting to see Ntamack's in goal bit of magic in this video. Started to worry I wouldn't see it.
But Squidge is like Ntamack's hair, always reliable.
I have been watching this channel for a number of years. This is the first time I have commented; absolutely fantastic work. Well done Squidge. The idea of educating casual fans to enjoy something that is often maligned is a tight rope of a topic. You nailed it! Great job!
It's also difficult to see how "kick tennis" works to the average spectator when the camera pans with the ball and you cannot see positioning of the players sitting back out of frame.
Also this is very difficult to train at club level because you will have four props yelling at you after three volleys.
Interesting comment. As "not much of a fan of soccer", I found the same with soccer some years ago: I was privileged enough to watch Bayern-Munich vs Barcelona live. I was amazed by some serious long-distance clever passing and the amount of running off-the-ball by soccer-players (each minute of a game) so as "to get into position" / fob an opponent. Having only seen soccer on TV up to then, a whole new perspective opened (same as yours): "[Watching soccer on TV], it's difficult to see how "kick tennis" works to the average soccer-spectator when the camera pans with the ball and you cannot see positioning of the players out of frame." It gave me respect (which I never had before) for soccer-players' fitness and planning / scheming. So now when I watch soccer on TV (i.e. basically only at World Cup) I have respect and a much better inkling of what is happening "off-camera".
100% agree, it's all about getting them out of position and if all you can see is a zoom in, you're not going to see that. I used to watch Top 14 a lot and they kicked all the time so you could see it super clearly.
The rugby world needs you more than ever! Please continue with your work! The sport is growing exponentially ❤
Superb video ! With the new 50-22 rule I always wondered why it wasn't so common in the game ?
Because your forwards would smash you in the sheds at half time for making them run around so much 🤣
Such an amazing insight into the kicking game. You say that this is only scratching the surface but I would love for you to gouge your way through any subjects like this that you can. You're making the game more accessable and enjoyable to the viewer, thank you.
Great informative video! Would be nice to have a series on different areas of the game like this. This will be really helpful for introducing rugby to new people
This was absolutely great. Really cool to see something you've mentioned a bunch in your other videos fleshed out a covered in details. Would love to see more like this!
Keep up the good work Squidge
All right, here goes. I've enjoyed most of your videos, and this one was long overdue. As a casual but passionate rugby fan, I had not much of an idea of the importance and real impact of kicking, and now I think I'm beginning to get it. I actually found myself trying to analyze the kicking in the France - Ireland, Wales - Scotland and England - Italy games (can't wait for your input on that so I can compare it with my own xD).
Thanks mate, you gave me a whole new appreciation for the game I love ! ^^
This was great! I would love to watch more of these breakdowns. You explain it so well!!
Fab video. Love the old offloads and all, but a great kicking tussle is great too. But will definitely be keeping an eye out for some of the things you pointed out. Its going to enhance my watching for sure. Well done - your videos are great, but i thought this one was particularly so.
Awesome job Squidge! Please keep the strategy and tactics coming.
Not just for viewers but for the casual players as well
Thank you for explaining this . I love rugby, have for 20 years, but you have blown my mind on how much more is going on. Hope I can appreciate the coming games more with your teachings Professor Squidge.
Great video, love it when the videos are about tactics of the game and are more than a review of the latest international fixture. A lot of work goes into this. Its great to see your intellect for the game on show, reason I started watching this channel.
Honestly really well presented, as someone who actually plays rugby professionally it’s hard to explain to family and friends what’s happening why kicking important. And as a prop people have a similar view on scrums so thank you for making it easier to understand!
GREAT VIDEO, loved it. Especially (as an italy fan) the quick analisis of the kick against Australia (Lamaro is great ).
The victory of Italy over Wales was also the result of a superior kicking game.
Absolutely brilliant, has really improved my appreciation of tactical kicking, Squidge you are the MVP
Superb analysis and editing as ever!
It should be a requirement for every dad/pub man to watch this video before the WC
Love the content...so much to learn from videos like these. Thanx!
Please keep making videos focused on tactics alongside the team and match reviews!
genuinely superb work, thanks squidge!
Thank you for this. I really enjoyed last weekend's Six Nations matches.
I'm an American with limited exposure to rugby. Without quite knowing why, I don't enjoy watching Rugby League. You're videos have helped me realize what a casual viewer like me suspected already, there's far more strategy going on in rugby union. I'll be watching next weekend's matches with a more educated eye, though surely will miss much.
Having finally caught up on this video, I was struck by a few things:
1) People complain about kicking in rugby, despite the sport being rugby union *football*
2) Some of those complaints are because of the fruitless kicking that happened late in the amateur era -- the era of 10-man rugby (I'm looking at you, Rob Andrew -- but not exclusively).
3) Modern kicking helps create space, in some of the same ways that the midfield maul and 6-7 man ruck -- and lack of substitutions -- used to
4) There's a comparison between the balance of kicking and running in modern rugby and the balance of running and passing in the gridiron game. In gridiron, pass-heavy teams still need a ground game, or the defense will focus on the receivers; and run-heavy teams need to pass to keep running lanes open. Kicking in modern rugby helps keep the running lanes open for the attack.
Great vid. As an avid rugby fan I think I knew this but the way you detail it obviously is better then how I could ever articulate it. Well done
I don't get why people think kicking is boring because I personally find it very entertaining. Only time I don't like kicking is when it's constantly going back and forth for like 5 minutes but otherwise I'm pretty cool with it
Whats boring is storming down the field and being forced to stop all your momentum and have to kick the ball away because its the 6th tackle. Thats a reason why Rugby Union is superior. Storming down the field trying to get over the try line when youre oh so close is very exciting to watch. Being forced to chip kick it or kick it straight up and often resulting in a turnover and no points in League is equally as boring IMO.
@@Chaz4543 This would make sense if Union didn't have fewer average phases per possession than League does despite having no tackle count. The difference is we kick to attack, you kick because it's better to defend in their 40 than have the ball in your own 40.
@@Jamie-ye7fu If youre close to the tryline and you have to kick after the 6th tackle thats not kicking to attack, thats kicking because you are forced to kick. 9/10 times it fails so I dont see how its a attack move. Its literally a desperation move/kick.
I hear so many people say NFL/American football fans would like League better but NFL/American football you get more downs and get to keep on going if you get enough yards. League isnt like that so I would think Americans would have trouble understanding why they cant get more than 6 possessions and are forced to kick it away.
@@Chaz4543 you kick to force a repeat set or to start your defensive set in a good position. same idea as behind union except there's actually variance in kicks. in the 2019 Union World Cup, the most expansive ever, it had the highest average number of phases per possession than all its predecessors and it was still only 3.0 on the dot so you can all moan at being "forced" to kick after the 5th play the ball in league when on average you don't even get through half of that in your game. not that every team does just kick, some might run it and prefer to handover the ball close to the try line than risk kicking it dead for an optional kick, and others might contest a bomb, a grubber, a lateral, etc. people talk about league as though the biggest difference is the tackle count when it's not, it's the tackle itself. the count came 50 years after the play-the-ball as a consequence of the tackle
@Chaz4542 As for NFL, they only have 11 minutes of action in a 3 hour slot so ye tbf I don't disagree, they would probably understand union a lot better.
Thank you. I have always wondered why so much kicking.
Great breakdown of the underrated kicking side of RUF and well timed with the WC 2023!
Awesome video yet again. Thank u. Best rugby analysis around
As an explainer, this is incredible. Top stuff Squidge, I'd love to see more content like this from you.
Well explained, far too much hate for kicking which has always been a part of the game, what I love about rugby and which sets it above football for me is that there is so much going on in rugby and so many important parts of the game, kicking being one of them!
Great stuff as per usual Squidge!
Amazing as always! Your analysis on South Africa's kick and chase a few years ago greatly increased my enjoyment of watching that tactic. Thank you so much for expanding on this topic, and for all you do to explain the sport without preaching the same old boring rhetoric!
the hatred for kicking has always confused me
What perfect timing to come across this video! I really don't know much about rugby but I had on on tv the other day because why not it is always interesting to watch when I don't know really what is going on. There was a moment I was watching when for like two minutes straight the guys in the back field kept kicking it back to each other and that just made no sense to me why they kept doing that. After watching this video I understand what was happening there much better and has boosted my interest in the sport more because I understand the strategy a little bit more thank you!
As always fantastic analysis 👏🏽
Great to learn more about this side of the game. Appreciate all the work you put in to your videos. On the subject of kicking, why is so little use made of the drop goal these days, or indeed ever? Seems such a useful way of racking up some points when tries are so hard to come by. Would love to hear your thoughts on that.
Probably because its quite difficult, and relatively low percentage. There's a good chance you're going to give up a lot of ground from a 22, or put yourself under pressure if the defence is ready. Higher percentage play is to keep the ball, play for 3 points, or kick a la this video. Going for the dropgoal on advantage also almost feels like a waste. I don't think enough players are good enough at it these days to make it particularly viable, and why it is still the most satisfying way to win a match at the death.
Thank you for another well researched and brilliantly presented piece.
At school (1970s) we were forbidden from kicking, I often wonder how much more we’d have had enjoyed the game with a few more options available to us.
If memory serves, Michael Cheika followed a similar approach back when he was coaching Oz. One wonders if he’s applying a similar approach today. With him coaching Argentinian, with their often brilliant employment of accurate kicking.
Hugely, absolutely massively looking forward to Squidges video on Wales Ireland. Simply cannot wait for it
Great video you help a lot for understanding rugby in to a next level
The kicking game is a bit like some WW2 battles, like Midway, where you are trying to understand where your enemy is, where you can project power, and how to get your opponent off balance or at enough of a disadvantage to the point where a well placed shot gets you to your goal. Love your analysis and totally agree about your view on kicking. Instead of 'kick tennis' a smart commentator would start talking about winning that chess match the same way the try to make scrummaging like chess when it's not even checkers - more like Connect 4 to me.
Wow. Thank you for this. Incredible!
Thanks for this! Really useful information.
Nice. Thanks for this, really well explained.
What a great video and explanation, I was coincidentally discussing this with my friend, whilst watching Scotland beat England at the weekend, not a pleasant sight I can tell you.
GREAT video Squidge, thank you so much !
Brilliant, I learned so much about a game I watch a lot. Thanks 🙏🙏
Brilliant video. Learnt loads!
amazing as always Squidge!
Good stuff as always. I can't say I'm entirely sold on "Kick Tennis Is Beautiful" but the main point stands repeating; kicking wins rugby matches.
I have banged on for years about how the famous RWC99 NVvFRA semi-final is lauded as perhaps the ultimate example of "French flair", when in fact it was ENTIRELY built on kicking, with not a single try-scoring pass involved in France's barrage of 33 unanswered points. Creative, opportunistic tactical kicking rather than a strategic masterplan, but still, a victory for the boot. :-)
I was also thinking about this game and how Lamaison (10) destroyed the All Blacks with so many stars including the one and only Johan Lomu. 💔
I play rugby in France and I’d love to share your videos with my teammates but there are no subtitles. Love your videos man keep it up!
Love these tactical videos. So good, looking forward to the Six Nations even more now as I understand kicking a wee bit more!
A brilliant paradox, being that this is an example of a great breakdown about the kicking game.
You had me at lil' piss boy. Nice one Squidge, keep it up.
Great explainer, thanks Squidge! Very useful for a casual rugby fan, and an excellent antidote to the shit-tier punditry on major broadcasters. I would be all for more of this kind of "video essay"- style content around a central theme rather than (or better: as well as!) the breakdowns of individual games/teams/players.
Bloody hell that was amazing thank you!
I thoroughly enjoyed this.
With you,
A fullback
Great one! and yes please, more depth on kicking and other tactics
these are the videos i need to improve my game. thanks mate!
My favourite part of this video? HAS to be the Squarespace advert. All the little puns and jokes in the footage is perfect.
As a french (and Toulouse) fan, I still prefer to see Ramos trying impossible and dumb breakthrough rather than a Jaminet kick as it's much more entertaining.
But now I understand well why Jaminet was preferred last year.
I consider myself as someone who understand rugby pretty well but this opens a bunch of new perspectives that I never explored before, thanks a lot !
This is a brilliant video, really one of the most interesting one's I've seen on UA-cam.
Pareil
its so paramount. As a Sale Sharks fan I greatly appreciate the art. Gus and George are a treat to watch.
Brilliant detail! Need to show this to my old man
Thank you, excellent again
I'd love more content like this !
Always love your videos. This was a great insight for me (a filthy casual) I hope you do a review of the French/Italy game round 1. That was a great match.
Keep up the good work
Well if ever there was a need for someone to pull back the curtains on the kicking game in rugby...Great job, Squidge. The videos are impeccably put together and are enriching our understanding of the game.
Great video, mate!
Thank you, your understand of the game is second to non. Now I feel rugby supporters including myself will understand the kicking mind set and the value of kicking in the game much better. You deserve recognition from RWU with your education skills, plus you are just gass/ so funny. I hope you will pick the fruit of success in the Rugby World. Man I go so far that I think Russie should appoint you for marketing :)
What we need to make the 'tennis' of the kicking game more exciting is a camera angle from above or behind the try line, like in tennis, or at least zoomed out enough to see the whole pitch.
Even Djokovic v Nadal in a GrandSlam final would be considered dull to watch if the camera view was from the side constantly swinging left to right and just tracking the ball.
Just watched this video and 10 minutes later the start of the Wales Ireland game, 2min in and Ireland score with a TEXTBOOK rendition of what you said... amazing!
Oh wow you really outdone yourself with this well! 👏
Good job Squidge - can you do one on the scrum and what modern strategy / technique is now?
great video mate helps lot of people to understand how rugby plsurf
Oh this is great. Thank you.
Your segues to Squarespace are getting better every video! Genuine lols!
Great video. Only Australia and NZ hates this kicking game. Cause of the league bias, which actually kick every 6th tackle, lol. Kicking was always at the heart of rugby.
Absolutely brilliant. Having watched this can you do a deep dive on Bath's kick game because I don't get it.
Lovely video as always
Excellent Squidge!
Has anyone tried hire you as a strategist/analyist and if all the top 10-15 teams in the world asked you, hypothetically, what country/team would you hypothectically join?
(if just reposted this as a headline question/comment - interesting)
Brilliant video. Needs to be watched by every juniors team:
1. So the kicker understands and practices where they need to kick with relative field positions of both teams (and not just kick blindly down the field), and
2. So the piggies don't bash their own kicker for kicking it away all the time. Although I played with a few #10s that would kick every damn time because they were scared of getting tackled - this may not help them...
What makes for the best Rugby is "ball in hands running and passing the ball to "keep it alive moving forwards to the try line"."
Rugby League evolved under professionalism for several or more decades before Union and converted to this above form of Rugby. In League you can kick anytime but because of the rules, it's generally for 2 main reasons:
1. 6th Tackle to gain more territory from which the opposition has to run the ball forwards to your try-line
2. Statemate-Breaker on the tryline to put up a 50-50 or wide ball to wing or grubber behind the defensive line to convert more visits to the opponents 10m line from their try-line.
3. This is a modern rule change: 40-20 kick for another set of 6. But again it adds to the game not detracts.
Now that's the fundamental difference with RU: RU is kicking simply because running with ball in hand is SO INEFFECTIVE and RISKY with the breakdown for penalties as well as too many players and fresh subs on the pitch meaning there's not enough space while all players are bigger and faster than ever before eg Stewart at full-back is a good eg.
This whole video is pure advertising for "putting lipstick on a pig".
RU is:
1. Random penalty (more kicking)
2. Kicking contest and hoping for a mistake
3. Breakdown lottery/risk (more penalties)
It's a broken rule-set and game design.
just brilliant! Will this discuss with my 9, 10 and 15 immediately
I've always preferred a bit of "kick tennis" to the endless running it and running into a brick wall you often get without kicking. Close range pushover tries, like the ones you mostly see in the Premiership these days have now become the staple of boring rugby, imv.
Please make a video about the late 2000s Bulls.. the way they implemented their kicking game was basically cheat code. The kicking ability of Fourie Du Preez and Morne Steyn, combined with the line out ability of Victor Matfield and Bakkies Botha was something special.
Bravo! Bravo! Bravo! An absolute masterclass in his to analyse the kicking game. You videos should be staple at grass root levels rugby.