I'm going to make this short and to the point -
the eastern seaboard S14 franchises are playing like a sack of balls, and while
a large part of that seems to be to basic ball skills evaporating overnight (and
with it, confidence), but a lot of our top-line players are out with injuries
at, coincidentally, the same time. This sort of attrition has been commonplace
for about two years now, starting in the 2005 Test season where we blooded a
shed load of players due to injuries and retirement. The resultant poor form
resulted in Eddie Jones getting the boot.
But at this point, without a trace of exaggeration, you could say that
Queensland at least are in the midst of an injury crisis. The current figure is
11 of their preferred 22 are out, in positions all over the park. In fact, the
only place they haven't suffered significant injury is the back row, where
stalwarts John Roe and David Croft, accompanied by the 2nd year tyro Mitch
Chapman, have only given about two litres of Croft's blood and Roe's stoic
acceptance of their fate and continued patience at post-match interviews. Names
out of this include the talismanic Latham, late bloomer Andrew Brown, and first
choice front rowers Blake, Holmes, Hardman, and Moore.
An article today quotes Eddie Jones as abandoning
his pick n drive strategy due to a lack of muscle up front, but one must ask
where he will turn with so many talented backline players absent, with more
scheduled to depart for the U19 World Cup shortly. Eddie also believes his
rigourous pre-season and forward-oriented strategy is not to blame for the
hideous injury toll, but pundits looking on have looked at the sky and asked
"how else?"
Across the border in NSW, the biggest blows have been the loss of Daniel
Vickerman and Phil Waugh for the season. The departure of several others hasn't
helped, but recruitment was meant to cover that and while it has failed, is no
excuse. These two represent major leaders in the Tahs' pack, and provide the
aggression and drive that other players (such as Lyons) lack. The only other of
note to fall foul of fate's fickle whim is lineout deputy Kanaar, and while this
is a hammer blow to the lineout and ball running ability of the Tahs, the
replacements here at least provide a similar measure of Kanaar's size and
ability.
The same old story emerges when you turn your gaze to the nation's
capital, with Larkham and Mortlock both sitting on the sidelines for extended
periods. While the talent cannot be underestimated, it is clear that years of
running at the line is taking the toll on both players, and the sporadic
opportunities (often presented by injury) to bring through new talent in the
flyhalf position especially has resulted in little. The long-term appointment of
Gregan and Larkham as the starting Wallaby half pairing has produced crop
failure as far as appointing a mid-20s halfback and flyhalf to replace them.
Instead, we have a raft of teenagers or rookies, and old returnees such as
Cordingley to take those critical spots. C'est la vie.
The Western Force has been least affected by injury, beyond a few niggles
here and there. This is in direct opposition to a situation they had last year
where their midfield was crippled by injury, and forced upon them rookie choices
who performed admirably, but without much success. The recruitment they have
done in the off-season has resulted in something wonderful happening out west,
where they now sit proudly in third, well ahead of the other Australian
franchises, and have built a season on solid forward play, fast backs, and trust
in the team. Having a couple of star players such as Giteau and Shepherd doesn't
hurt either
Looking across the board, with Queensland so badly hit, and other
provinces missing one or two of their leadership group who are generally star
players to boot, you have to say the injury toll is down to a few things:
- Reliance on key players. Guys like Vickerman are up to their second or
third shoulder reconstruction, simply because they play a lot of top-level rugby
and particularly Test matches. With Phil Waugh, you could simply say his ankle
injury was unlucky, being stepped on at a ruck in the first minute of a S14
game. At present, Australian rugby does not believe it has the depth to rotate
players, and thus gets caught in the vicious cycle of relying on these players
and bemoaning the lack of experience in its rookies.
- Training methods. While the above is true, there must surely be some
serious investigation called into what is wrong with Queensland rugby at present
to have so many players out injured. Bad fortune surely does not extend this
far, unless the rugby Gods are punishing Queensland for hiring Eddie Jones
Is the reported punishing pre-season taking its toll on injury for the Reds?
- Game plan. Similarly, what are the chances that Eddie's confrontational
game plan has increased the chances of injury to his charges? We aren't seeing
this level of injury at any other franchise...
Most importantly, what can be done to address this problem? Injury creates
pressure on depth, and without the national pool of replacements that NZ has, in
addition to the feeder provinces and ANZC, to where do we turn? At present, the
only backups a province has is to call in old favours or bring in their Academy
recruits, most of whom have barely entered open club rugby, to fill the holes.
Recently Queensland did this in the front row and the boy got stretchered off,
which hardly looks promising as a long-term solution and certainly won't have
the Mothers' Association crying out for their lads to be wearing 1, 2 or 3.
The Australian Rugby Championship is a step in the right direction, and
will hopefully provide for Australian rugby a measure of surety when it comes to
any future situations like this (heaven forbid). But again, it still isn't
providing certain positions - especially the front row and scrum in general,
anything difficult beyond what they've faced in club land already. As always,
the Wallabies will be absent on national duties, and the fringe players will
return to club rugby. Nothing will change unless new initiatives are formed.
The front row in particular is a cultural issue - at junior levels the fat
kids who aren't fast enough for numbers 6-15, and aren't tall enough for the
second row, are thrust into the darkness of the set-piece and forgotten. Over
time, those back rowers who can't shed their puppy fat join them. The overriding
theme is that, like schoolyard teams picking the unpopular kids last, so does
the anointing of a front rower closely follow a lack of willing candidates.
A Rugby Academy, similar to the one for Cricket, needs to be established
to bring through developing talent as well as establish a truly national pool of
players available for injury crises. This institution will provide permanent
administration and teaching staff to standardise training in skills and physical
development to promising talent in the 16-21 year old bracket, in addition to
regular guests such as former Wallabies to pass on knowledge in their chosen
discipline. At the same time, national teams selected for schoolboys, U19, and
U21 will rely largely on the Institution for their pre-tour integration and
training.
For those in the 16-18 year old bracket, regular camps within school
holidays will be provided so as not to interrupt their regular schooling, with
an emphasis on physical development and thorough liaison with their provincial
rugby academy on their ongoing progress. The older students will be encouraged
to pursue tertiary qualifications via nearby Universities, with an overriding
focus on development of life skills and the philosophy that rugby is not
forever. We don't want to fall into the traps the NRL has set for itself by
over-inflating these kids.
That's my two bits, anyway...
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