The Back Row
How 'One Position' in a Sport Can Demonstrate 3 Separate Superstrengths
Rugby: Kick, pass and catch, right?
Wrong.
Rugby is the ultimate contradiction of having to be multi-skilled at many things yet also super-skilled at one thing. Take the position of back row - those that ‘lean at the back of the scrum’. It is one position (technically, like ‘midfielder’ or ‘striker’ in football) but rather like Irish rugby fan Liam Neeson, the positions of 6, 7 and 8 need to have very special sets of skills. And these skills need to work together.
There is no better example of the synergy and synchronicity of three super strengths combining than the Welsh back row in the late 2010s of Dan Lydiate (6), Sam Warburton (7) and Taulupe Faletau (8).
Dan Lydiate
Lydiate had one special superstrength - the chop tackle. He would dive at an opponent’s ankles and stop them in their tracks instantly. He was so good at this that the sheer number of tackles and their effect in games led him to being the Six Nations player of the tournament in 2012.
“If it was up to me, he’d be man of the match in every game - his tackling ability are second to none. (France coach Shaun Edwards on Dan Lydiate)
This is also an interesting case study in when the misreading of a superstrength can be problematic. Racing 92, the glamorous Parisian extravaganza masquerading as a rugby team were to sign ‘The Six Nations Player of The Tournament 2012’ thinking he would fit into their style of play of scoring breathtaking tries and linking plays all over the park. To their surprise (and their fault essentially for not doing their homework or understanding what Lydiate truly brought as a player) they failed to use his strengths, or indeed, failed to understand how he could be used within their team. He was a great player, but a phenomenal chop tackler. He left the French club scratching their heads.
Sam Warburton
British Lions Captain Sam Warburton was the number 7 alongside Lydiate in the Welsh back row. A fantastically skilled player, and a wonderful captain, he had a special trick up his sleeve that could change the course of games. Where Lydiate tackled, Warburton jackled.
He did what? Jackled?
Let’s explain. In rugby if you are on the floor, you are out of the game, and if tackled you have to leave the ball, or within microseconds of hitting the floor, place it for someone else to move it on. To counteract this, there is a skill called ‘jackling’ where once a tackle is made, a defender pounces on the person on the floor targeting the ball before he or she can release it to their teammate. This either gets you the ball, or even better, a penalty for the player on the floor not releasing. Warburton’s bread and butter was jackling. He could run and tackle, of course, but why do that when Faletau (8) ran all day and Lydiate (6) tackled from first whistle to last.
“Warburton was the master jackler.” (Rugby World Magazine)
So what do you do if you are the world’s best jackler? You follow the world’s best tackler (Lydiate, number 6) around the field and pounce as often as you can. You’ll get penalties, and often get the ball. Warburton made a career out of it, he was like a cheat code on the field.
Taulupe Faletau
Once you get the ball, you need to go forward, and Taulupe Faletau was consistently the best in his position for years. Once again, he could also tackle and jackle if needed, but going forward he was like a modern-day Barry Sanders.
Among some ball-carrying heavyweights Faletau is head and shoulders above the rest. Many of those carries from Faletau have been telling carries whether around the fringes of the breakdown or from the base of a Welsh scrummage. Is there any better No.8 in world rugby is tidying up sloppy set-piece scrummage ball?
These three not only worked well together, but brought skills to the game that had real-life scoreboard effect.
Here was a trio of individuals not only of the highest quality as players and people, but with certain complementary skillsets that made the other better at their job.
They were all competent at many things, but absolutely superb at one thing. When they worked together, it was like an orchestra following a manuscript.
Superstrengths multiplied, if you will.