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Rugby in Canada and the Issue of “Warrior Spirit”
By Lisa Cooper - lisa@bcrugbynews.com
posted Jan 6 2006
There has been a lot of talk recently on different rugby websites and with different rugby personalities over (surprise) the men’s national team. One of the main topics that was of some interest to myself is the lack of what I'll refer to generally as “warrior spirit” in many players. There is much reference to rugby Canada teams and players of old and how they possessed this warrior spirit and how if the players and teams of today had more of what the teams and players of the past had that we could be more competitive on the world stage. It seems a simple and attractive solution doesn’t it? The coaches and selectors need to find the warriors and throw them on the field, if only a handful of them and things will change for the better. I am, of course, oversimplifying the argument but you get the gist of it.
Being the ever opinionated gal that I am (and I fully accept and expect that my gender will make some of you stop reading at this point), I have a different view. Although I understand the arguments that have been made on this topic I fail to see the logic in them and feel that the faults in our NSMT and other rugby programs in Canada as a whole stem from elsewhere.
I agree that rugby is a game that can be compared to warfare and that in war, strength and toughness are critical elements of success. However, there are other equally critical elements to success in battle that, in my view, have been lost in our Canadian rugby programs. I will refer to these elements for the purposes of this editorial as “knowledge” and “skill”. To further the warfare analogy lets consider a venerable and historical example of Canadian toughness and success in warfare – WW I's Vimy Ridge. To recap, Vimy was a battle in 1917 where the Canadians succeeded in capturing a critical objective that the British and French had failed at securing previously. The Canadians were able to succeed where other “tough” troops had failed and their victory proved to be a turning point in the war. What is important for the purposes of this article is why they succeeded.
No one can argue that Canadians have a historical military reputation for exceptional toughness in battle. However, what distinguishes Vimy is how the Canadians were able to be flexible and innovative where others had been rigid and uncreative. Notably, the Canadians used meticulous rehearsal using models; tunneling to create surprise; the “rolling barrage” of artillery; and a completely new kind of preparation where every soldier knew the entire battle strategy rather than merely being a pawn.
The point is, the Canadians were tough, yes, but it was their ability to adapt their battle tactics to the demands of new and unanticipated situations in real time and then to execute professionally in the moment of truth that allowed them to ultimately prevail. It is precisely this ability to read the game, to flexibly adapt and to then execute that, I will argue, are the primary obstacles to the success of the Canadian NSMT.
Now back to our teams of yesteryear. Let’s go back to the NSMT in ‘91. I’m not going to go into details but this is a year that people remember in Canadian rugby history because we made it to the quarter finals at the WC, had some great wins and close encounters with great teams. This is a team that deserves all the credit and respect that is due for their accomplishments. But this was 15 years ago and the times they are a changing, and in rugby terms they have changed rapidly. For example, in England (current world champions) they started the Guinness Premiership in 1986 (now the Zurich Premiership), but the era of professionalism did not start until after the 1995 WC when media moguls realized the potential for earning and threw money at the game. In the southern hemisphere in 1996 the Super 10 became the Super 12 and with that became fully professional also. Contracts were signed by players and consequently rugby players are being held to a much higher standard as athletes than they had been in the past.
Post-training beers have been supplanted by the consumption of energy drinks and rehydration protocols. The “big guys” on the team are expected to do a lot more than scrummage and win lineouts and crash the ball through a bunch of weedy backs. They are now expected to do it all, including having great handling skills, learning to kick and keep up to those backs with endurance and speed. Those same backs are, in turn, expected to put on size, become stronger and able to take on “forward” dominated roles on the field. What we are left with, rather than a division of forwards and backs, big guys and little guys, tough guys and skilled guys, are teams with 15 capable athletes on the field who can handle anything thrown at them, plus reserves sitting on the bench who can do the same.
On top of all of that, these players are involved in systems and programs with their clubs and or national teams that allow for training every day. Each player is subject to constant drills, fitness and nutrition regimes and regular team work and bonding. They can afford the best equipment and coaches, trainers and physios and anything else that will aid in their development - and much of this training starts at a young age. Many kids in Britain and the Southern Hemisphere grow up with a rugby ball in their hands. Rugby is encouraged and supported through these systems and having started from a young age many of these players have a better knowledge and understanding of the game later in life and their skills are more refined.
The differences and hurdles that our NSMT and Canadian rugby generally now face on a world stage are of a much larger scale than 15 years ago. 15 years ago, being tough and hard may have gotten you to within 20 points of NZ, because back then it was a fist fight. But the terms of engagement have changed, and if we are to succeed, as our countrymen proved at Vimy, we cannot look backwards for answers.
A good friend and former international rugby player pointed out something interesting to me in recent conversation about the lack of basic skills in Canadian rugby. He said, “every time they report on basketball what do you see in the background?” He answered for me, “The players are always practicing shooting.” I had to agree and understood his point and thought it to be very insightful. In particular, it is important to note that when the players are practicing their shots they rarely are practicing the low percentage shots i.e. anything outside half court. Instead, they spend hours on their shots in and around the paint. By contrast, although Canadian rugby players, like basketball players, spend extra time in the gym doing weight training and cardio, it seems the only person who spends time on basic rugby skills outside of training is the kicker. Many training sessions are filled with practicing phases and plays, perhaps it being assumed that everyone possesses the basic knowledge and skills needed to perform competently. Rarely do I see players practicing basic passing, something which is a key element to the game and has the ability to make or break a play and win or lose a match. Passing practice, as between players, often involves throwing long spin passes rather than short accurate pop or float passes - practicing low percentage passing rather than high. Most young kids I have watched and dealt with quickly take on or are taught these bad habits. Many are eager to learn how to spin pass, perhaps because it “looks" better than passes that are actually more useful and have a higher accuracy rate. At a recent U19 boy’s final I watched at least 4 or 5 “hail-Mary” spin passes thrown for at least 2 interception tries – a clear example of bad habits and bad decision making.
Another facet of our game which is notably deficient at all levels is the applied understanding of the gain line principle in open field play. Too often do I see players running east/west rather than north/south and even more perplexing is the tendency under pressure to pass to “flat footed” players rather than taking the ball forward for a net gain. It seems that the overall response to a systemic breakdown is a state of panic rather than a reflexive return to basics. So why are these players not being taught differently? The point is that you have to walk before you can run and many players in Canada lack what I believe are key fundamentals or weapons in their arsenal to be used in different situations on the field that will allow them to hit full stride.
So where do these bad habits come from and why aren’t our coaches recognizing the need for basic skills development? Many kids in Canada don’t start playing rugby until they start high-school and many even later into their teenage years. A high school rugby coach told me recently that they really don’t have enough time to work on basic skills consistently as the season is so short and they don’t have a lot of time to practice before their first games start. Basketball/Hockey seasons end and rugby starts with only a couple of weeks in between. A lot of kids are new to the game, so the rules and positions have to be explained, scrummaging and lineouts as well as back plays and simple defense are worked on and before you know it you have a game.
I don’t believe that fingers should be pointed at anyone in particular as it seems that the involvement in many different sports by younger kids in Canada, despite giving us incredibly well rounded athletes, is the real culprit. That being said, I do believe that coaches should be held to some higher standards, most importantly, to recognize the need for development in the areas of basic knowledge and skill.
As we fail to achieve as a rugby nation, we tend to compare ourselves to those nations that do. What are they doing right? Or more importantly what are they doing that we aren’t? A good example of something that is available to us, that doesn’t have dollar signs attached to it and can be implemented all across the country is touch rugby. Touch rugby is huge in the Southern Hemisphere, so big in fact that organized leagues have been set up and are extremely popular. Most rugby players in the Southern Hemisphere grow up having played a lot of touch rugby, a game that focuses on basic skills and knowledge. Passing, defensive and offensive running lines and communication are keys in touch and are fundamentals in the 15 man game. More important, I believe, is learning to find and create space under pressure, something which is integral when playing against skilled and organized defensive teams (which today almost all World Class teams are). Touch also helps build confidence in these same skill areas in younger or inexperienced players as the contact aspect is not included. Here in Canada for the most part we play “silly buggers”, something similar although much more flexible on the rules. I believe that silly buggers promotes bad skills and habits and if it is true that you play how you practice, then this analogy stands true here in Canada. If coaches and players followed proper touch rules and used it regularly as a training tool I think that over time they would see dramatic increases in player’s basic skills, knowledge and overall ability to read the game. Summer touch leagues for those of us here in BC, and perhaps indoor touch leagues for those in the east, are a great way to keep fit and practice or fine tune your skills in the off season. It is also a great way to mix female/male players and younger/older players, so that all can learn from one another and development is occurring at all levels.
In summary, although there are a number of different approaches and methods to coaching the basics in rugby, the key is that they need to be taught and practiced to a consistent degree so that each player, by and large, possesses the same skill set and knowledge to proficiently execute the fundamentals needed in the game.
It is my hope that by elevating the baseline of knowledge and skill in our players here in Canada we will permit ourselves the luxury of choosing those exceptional individuals who posses these valuable attributes and “warrior spirit”. These players will be more than athletes that have been trained to complete specific tasks, they, like our soldiers at Vimy Ridge, will be flexible and adaptable to different situations. For to succeed on a world stage we must be courageous enough to be innovative in our methods of training and humble enough to meticulously practice the fundamentals in the event that our strategies fail.
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