‘Kicking game’ the key to success

TEST rugby statistics show that rugby is increasingly moving towards a situation where teams benefit more from playing without the ball, which is why the “kicking game” has become the most important catchphrase in the sport.

The “kicking game” may imply only the ability to kick well, but it actually encompasses a wide range of skills from positional play to aerial ability to contest the ball. It is both an attacking and defensive weapon.

In a nutshell an effective kicking game is all about field position — spending less time in your territory and more time in the opponents’ half. “Most tries and points are being scored from lineouts and secondly from turnover ball,” said Bok kicking coach Louis Koen. “Turnovers can be anything from a poor kick to losing the ball at a ruck or in contact.

“How we as the Springboks look at it, is that we want more of those aspects in the game — we want more lineouts, but we also want to create more broken field opportunities.

“Most tries are scored from attacks starting in the opposition’s half. A superior kicking game allows you to create these three scenarios more effectively than any other.

“But a kicking game is only as good as the other aspects that make it effective. Your lineout has to be able to put pressure on a defending team and you have to be able put pressure on their kickers.”

It is no wonder then that Bok coach Heyneke Meyer sees such high value in an effective lineout and also why Koen has been working hard to upskill the players in their ability to make good kicking decisions.

“Taking the reverse, you don’t want to be pinned in your half and to avoid that you have to have a good exit plan — which again largely comes down to a superior kicking game,” Koen said.

“There are options when it comes to exiting your own territory, but they come down to running the ball out of dangerous zones or kicking it to touch or to be contested. Players have to decide what type of kick they

The kicking game not only implies the ability to kick well, but a range of skills ... an attacking and defensive weapon

need to make in certain situations.

“Because we’re more unpredictable on attack, opponents cannot simply sit back with two wings and wait for us to kick down their throats, because guys like Willie le Roux and Cornal Hendricks will counter from deep. But if their wings are up we have the capability to kick accurately,” Koen explains.

When there is a ruck or set piece outside of the 22m area teams cannot kick directly to touch. In that case they have to launch contestable kicks where chasers put pressure on the man fielding the ball — kicking with the intention to regain possession.

Another reason the kicking game is so crucial is the advancement of defensive structures. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to break defences down by taking the ball through phases. “An interesting fact of international rugby is that the longer you keep the ball in hand the less likely you are to score a try.

“Most tries are scored from first phase, the second-most from second and the third-most from third. But when it comes to fourth phase the statistical chance drops to below 8%. And it keeps dropping with each subsequent phase.”

Kicking might not be the most pleasing aspect of the modern game but is the proven route to success.