The Rolling Maul II
When the perfect rolling maul is on the move it is almost impossible to stop. It is like discovering the secret of perpetual motion. You cannot tackle a player legally. You cannot get at the ball. There is not much of a front to drive against. The only option left is to…infringe.
That is why the opposition will come at you with such intensity. In the beginning is the creation and that is when the maul is at its most vulnerable. The other side will commit everything to destroying the first building blocks, but if you can hang tight, if you can take the heat, then the storm abates. Hold together and then go back at them.
The glory of a rolling maul on the move is a wonder to behold. There is nothing more likely to drive a coach insane than when you have built the front, repeled the intense initial heat of an opposition intent on destroying your setup and have a maul on the move. Only to see a loose forward or hooker peel off in isolation with the ball.
For a while Argentina became so good at the rolling maul that even France had a job destroying it. Building the platform is paramount. Make the ball winner responsible for initial ball security. Eventually the ball will be transferred to the back, but build the platform first, smuggle later. There are two men at the front, the point of the arrow, because the narrower the front, the less mass there is for the opposition to drive against.
Once the catcher is down and the initial platform is set, he has to get the ball back quickly. Get low, seal it off. The ball carrier at the back is the talker like the cox of an Olympic eight. Budge Pountney used to do the job for us at Northampton. Neil Back always took the role and was a prolific try scorer at Leicester. But with other teams it is often the hooker who is the carrier.
There is a school of thought that teaches sacking as a way of destroying the rolling maul. You give them two metres of go forward, your jumper goes in and pulls them over. But I don’t like the element of submission in sacking.
If you destroy a rolling maul properly by dismantling it before it gets set, you give the opposition nothing and win one of the toughest physical contests in the game. I like the mindset to be: “We will not submit.” If the opposition builds a platform, then they’ve won. They’ve beaten you in that contest.
But if your team builds the platform, then it is the most beautiful sight in rugby. It’s beauty is in an understanding of how hard it has been to create. If referees understood what a perfect bio-machine the rolling maul is, then they would award far more penalty tries. It is almost impossible to stop legally. The power and the glory. Sometimes even backs get so excited, they can’t help but rush in.
Posted under Breakdown
10 months ago
OK, for the sake of argument a rolling maul is all of the above. In fact I thought the best I have seen consistently were the Japan national side under Kirwan. You’ve correctly pointed out how it is rather easily defeated from its classic use, namely lineout. There are other ways. The only real time to use this to any discerniblebenefit is 10yds or less from opponent goal line. If it is done anywhere else you have to cover at least 10 yds just to negate the effect of the opponent backs now coming up and restricting your own backs’ forward momentum and advantage. And if you really could orchestrate it well in open play I would be amazed. No doubt some smart Alec will offer reasons and how to and we’ll deal with that another time. My biggest issue becomes one of; a) How many times in a game do you get a lineout at the right area of the field that could justify so much training time. Pros have that time, but I could find 10 more important things/skills to work on with forwards than mauls, and for that matter scrums these days with refs allowig feeding into 2nd row practically. At amateur level it is always about all body shapes etc, so there will be a large cadre of lets say stouter men. A maul as a recreational tool is certainly part of their toolkit. However when I see pro forwards who can barely pass correctly, let alone understand the dynamics of creating space or even when to pass, then I say we have more pressing issues to deal with that will take far more time to correct. Northern Hemisphere style is so pedantic. I think I saw for the first time a forward, I think Hartley, actually grubber a kick that was perfect and appropriate. In general our forwards are taught to run into opposition……no sorry, get past the gainline. What is far more dangerous is a group of forwards staying on their feet, offloading to continuous waves of support. That is poetry in motion, and I have seen it often in SH rugby.
10 months ago
Not sure i agree with all that, the driving maul from lineout can also be used effectively from defence, where the aim is to eventually kick, bringing the opposition backs up can then be an advantage for obvious reasons. Equally true if you have decided to put up a high ball to test the opposition back three. Effective mauling from lineout in attack from deeper areas, can also be effective, as the defence can at times capitulate, allowing forwards to rampage off the drive, drawing in defenders from wider positions creating space. Effective mauling can also have a intimidating and strong psychological effect on the opposition, creating domination in other areas, it also puts pressure on the opposition not to contest lineouts to attempt to make the setting of the maul more difficlt with a counter drive. The use of the driving maul will depend on many things, not least the weaknesses and strengths of the side you play. Personally i think it is a huge weapon in a sides armoury if done well.
10 months ago
It is really becoming a large part of the game , the problem some teams use to such a large extent especially in lower levels that it makes the rugby ugly , as the teams do not have many other skills and becomes the main weapon of a team lacking skills out wide. But a well drilled team , high skill levels is a pleasure to watch and is an effective weapon. Certainly has its pro and cons….
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