The Times Sport - UK (2020-09-12)

JOHN WALTON/PA

McConnochie

has returned to

his tryscoring

best for Bath in

recent weeks

the Saracens director of rugby, and
two charities Farrell works for were
considered by the panel in mitigation.
That made it sound like glowing
character references had been
significant in the halving of the ban
from ten matches to five. In reality, it
was a minor factor. The panel’s
decision to cut the ban was made in
accordance with the checklist:
Farrell’s immediate remorse, his guilty
plea and his good disciplinary record.
I do feel however, this was an
accident waiting to happen. Farrell’s
upright technique and desire to make
a dominant tackle makes him liable to

go high, so if it goes wrong it goes

very wrong. But the lynch mob who

wanted the book thrown at him were

wrong to mention the two tackles

from the autumn of 2018, against

South Africa and Australia.

World Rugby has acknowledged

they should have been yellow card

offences and therefore would not

have been considered by the panel.

I do not agree that players should

be able to have their bans halved but I

do understand why the option is

there. Players were challenging every

decision and the judicial system

wanted them to acknowledge

the ludicrous disciplinary system

Sport

the times | Saturday September 12 2020 2GS 17

Sport

Explained

LINEOUTS

Rory Best

Former Ireland

captain and hooker

unacceptable behaviour on the field,

so brought in higher mitigation to

encourage them to plead guilty.

It should not be down to me to

explain this.

Don’t forget to punish the punchers

How can we be at a stage where a

punch to the head, a deliberately

illegal act, is now punished less

severely than a tackle that went

wrong? Siale Piutau and Andrew

Kitchener were banned for three

games this week for punching each

other in the head.

They were heat-of-the-moment

acts but deliberate attempts to cause

harm. Farrell’s dangerous tackle was

reckless, not deliberate, and yet

people think a five-match ban was too

lenient.

I thought Farrell would get a longer

ban but five games remains a heavy

punishment. Think back to the World

Cup, where it was almost standard for

players guilty of a dangerous tackle to

receive a six-match ban reduced to

three on mitigation.

In that context, Farrell’s suspension

is severe, and rightly so. It was a

horror tackle. Farrell accepted in the

hearing that he had set a bad

example.

It is proven that sanctions are one

of the most effective ways of changing

player behaviour. It worked for

punching. We hardly see any of it in

the game any more — but that does

mean we should go easy on it.

Kitchener, centre, and Piutau, right, only got three-match bans for punching

Setting up

Lineout numbers are determined by the type of set piece the fly half and

lineout leader chooses in the pre-lineout huddle. During that huddle, the

hooker goes to the mark to get the ball dry and ready to throw, before the

loose-head prop comes over to inform him of the call. The easiest way to

win a lineout is to go as soon as the forwards hit the line: the later you come

in and the faster you go, the less time the opposition has to read and defend

the situation.

The calls

For Ireland we used a double digit to determine which jumper is thrown to:

the front jumper was number ten, the second was 20, third 30, and so on. The

second digit of that number dictates the type of set piece that will be run. An

11 ball, for example, means the ball is thrown to the front jumper and a maul

follows.

Some teams have two calls: they arrive at a lineout with an 11 and a 32 call, for

example, then the lineout leader puts a finger up to relay which call will best

compete with the opposition’s defensive alignment. Many teams also have a

trigger word used to bail out to the back of the lineout.

The best teams have dummies integrated into their calls. A certain number

will mean a particular jumper runs and feints to jump to trick the opposition

into committing to the wrong lift.

Meanwhile you take a step

forwards or backwards and

lift in the free space.

Practice

Midfield: A good time to use more

numbers and go quickly off the top

because it gives the backs space to

run a move.

In the opposition’s 22: The maul is the

best ploy when in the opposition’s 22

because it offers the best chance of

getting over their line. Go with a five

or six-man lineout and swap a forward

into the halfback position so he can

get straight on the ball and drive.

Varying the numbers

Inside your 22: Use three or four

players when under pressure as it

gives your jumpers more space, which

is harder for the opposition to mark.

Either maul or hit the ground quickly

after the lift so you can set up a

position to kick clear and regain

territory.

I would throw to Iain

Henderson, the forwards coach,

on a platform, who would crouch

then stand to replicate a lineout jumper’s

movement. Simon Easterby would stand on

a ladder in front of him to act as an opponent so

if I underthrew, he would steal it. It helps to make

yourself uncomfortable also: I would practise throwing

blindfolded to hone my muscle memory, or stand with

one foot on a mat. Jamie George, the England hooker, I know

sometimes throws wearing a boxing glove.

Direction of attack

Channel 4 joins

Amazon to air

autumn games

England’s Autumn Nations Cup match

against Ireland is one of three games

from the tournament to be broadcast

on free-to-air television as part of a

rights deal involving Channel 4 and

Amazon Prime.

Eddie Jones’s team will bounce

around the channels this autumn.

Their game against the Barbarians on

October 25 will be on Sky and their

2020 Six Nations title decider against

Italy on October 31 will be on ITV.

The RFU had no television deal in

place for England’s November series,

which was cancelled due to the pan-

demic. Channel 4 already owned the

rights to Ireland’s autumn schedule and

will broadcast all three of their Autumn

Nations Cup pool matches.

Ireland open the new tournament

with a game in Dublin against Wales on

Friday, November 13 before tackling

England at Twickenham on November

21 and Georgia in Dublin on November

29.

Amazon Prime has been confirmed

as the tournament’s main broadcast

partner and will show 12 matches,

including England v Ireland and the

finals weekend on December 5-6. The

deal was brokered by the Six Nations

and is reported to be worth £15 million.

It is Amazon’s first foray into inter-

national rugby. The streaming service

already has Premier League football

and US Open tennis in its sports rights

portfolio. The deal is a one-off but

indicates a willingness of the Six

Nations to consider taking the flagship

tournament behind a paywall when the

present broadcasting deal with the BBC

and ITV expires in 2021.

Channel 4 will also broadcast the

Champions Cup final on October 17.

Alex Lowe

Deputy Rugby Correspondent

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