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Barclay: 'You would never have seen giants like Paul O'Connell or Martin Johnson acting like that'

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I want to use this week’s column as a platform to address some embarrassing behaviour that has grown increasingly common during this Six Nations.

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In the opening three rounds of fixtures, I’ve seen referees being badgered relentlessly by top players; some captains, some very experienced internationals. The names are unimportant to me, and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out who I mean. At the weekend, there was constant whinging, gesticulating, throwing of arms in the air – a nonsensical carry-on that is not in keeping with how the game should be played.

Nobody asks to be a role model, but for sportspeople, it comes with the territory. Rightly or wrongly, these behaviours will have been imitated up and down the country – of that I am positive. Children copy their heroes; it’s as simple as that.

I have a lot of respect for the guys in question – they are hugely successful players – but the way they interact with referees has disappointed me. Rugby prides itself on its values but at times on the weekend, those values were wafer-thin. It is not a good look for rugby, particularly when the Six Nations is being projected into millions of homes across the world.

You would never have seen giants like Paul O’Connell or Martin Johnson acting like that – complaining and waving their arms about in disbelief – and it should not be tolerated. Here’s my suggestion: penalise the offenders immediately and I’d wager we’d see a swift decline in the heckling. Believe me, few things incur the wrath of coaches and team-mates like leaking such dull infringements.

Continue reading below…

WATCH: The guys round up all the Guinness Six Nations and Premiership action. They discuss the shenanigans at the breakdown in England v Ireland among others. We also hear from Brad Shields on his injury and his quest to get back into Eddie’s England squad.

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I do, though, empathise with players frustrated by the inconsistent refereeing of the breakdown. Wavering interpretations can be infuriating. Certain laws appear more in vogue and are refereed more stringently while others are just ignored.

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Against England on Saturday, Irish players were smashing into the breakdown from not even a 45-degree angle but at 25 degrees. For me, the art of jackaling not only involves impeccable technique but perhaps more pertinently, bravery and an element of disregard for your own body. Being cleared out from illegal angles has long been dangerous and a source of frustration for players as your search for a precious turnover disappears before your – and the referee’s ignoring – eyes.

And yet, clearing out at an angle is often how today’s players are coached. We are told not to hit the breakdown straight-on, because people are too strong in that jackal position. We’re taught to approach and ruck from 45 degrees – that way, players are much more unstable and can be wiped out, ideally leaving the ball on the proverbial platter to be stolen.

Six Nations

I’m not entirely sure how we can make the breakdown safer. As soon as laws are changed, coaches are so cute that they will find ways of exploiting them. Teams are sent weekly emails from the powers that be based on what happened in the weekend’s games and themes that have appeared across the tournament. Coaches and players then prepare accordingly. More often than not, this involves finding ways to circumnavigate the officiating. My point is, coaches are now so innovative that they will find a way around new laws.

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If you refereed every breakdown to the letter of the law, there’d be several penalties per ruck. If you want fast, flowing rugby, you may have to turn a blind eye to some things that are going on, but not at the expense of keeping players safe.

As far as Scotland are concerned, it’s fair to say the much-needed win over Italy will not live long in the memory. The 17-0 triumph in Rome was hugely important, but as a spectacle, perhaps not one for the annals.

Speaking to some of the boys and reading some of the post-match press, they do feel the pressure has eased and a weight lifted after losing to Ireland and England – and in the end, it was a comfortable victory. The pressure on a team can have dire implications to their performance, and both sides looked uncharacteristically nervous.

Despite that, I don’t think the result changes much. We didn’t learn a lot from the game. The pressure is still on Scotland to finish the Six Nations with more than one win from five.

I am not sure where the Italians go from here – nilled twice in three games, and a defence that is porous as the best of times. With the Ireland game now derailed by the outbreak of coronavirus, Italy are left with the less-than-tantalising prospect of a visit to Twickenham hoping to avoid the wooden spoon and a 26th consecutive Six Nations loss. Dare I say, they may not be too disappointed if the quarantine period is extended by another few weeks.

If we’re highlighting Scottish positives, let’s look no further than Stuart Hogg. In a climate where it’s too easy to pick apart mistakes and pay lip service to good play, I find it more important than ever to stress just how good the captain’s try and all-round performance was. Assured with the ball in hand, he offered Scotland scintillating entries through the ragged Italian defence. Hoggy was prickly after the game and rightly so. People are eager to jump on the bandwagon when things are looking rosy, but far quicker to throw someone under the bus when the internet experts decide a performance wasn’t good enough. You can’t have your cake and eat it too.

And save some praise for the back-row. The trio of Jamie Ritchie, Hamish Watson and Magnus Bradbury has the makings of a unit that could endure for years to come. They have power, pace, skill, a relentless work-rate and are in my opinion the heartbeat of this team.

We also have to credit the Scottish defence under new specialist Steve Tandy. Last year, we shipped 11 tries against Italy, Ireland and England. Against the same opposition this time around, we have only conceded two. While stats can be produced to serve their intended purpose (there were never going to be as many tries in the horrific weather of this year’s Calcutta Cup fixture than there were in the madcap Twickenham draw of 2019) there is no denying the Scotland defence has looked more comfortable. We have lost the fewest points and the fewest tries in the tournament, although we are yet to come up against all-conquering France.

From what I hear, Tandy has simplified the defensive strategy a little.

Beforehand, the players had to stick to certain specifications – for instance, at times everyone had to tackle low, which didn’t suit certain guys and made them uncomfortable. There was a pressure on everyone to make a nuisance of themselves and jackal for the ball. Now, instead of investing in the ruck, they’re investing more in filling the pitch and having more numbers in defence.

The boys enjoyed defending under Matt Taylor, but Tandy has provided a different voice and a new stimulus. The biggest test of the new system will come when France rock up at BT Murrayfield next Sunday. They’ve got bruising power and individual flair; they are fearless and flying under some fantastic new coaches. They will present Scotland with their greatest defensive challenge, one I am sure Hoggy, the back-row, and the rest of the squad are relishing the chance to tackle head-on.

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SK 23 minutes ago
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That fighting Aussie spirit really served them well last week when they were down 24-5 early in the second, to rally back to 27-19 and dominate the last quarter was really impressive. I dont subscribe to the thought that the Lions took their foot off the gas. The Lions are not flawless. This group goes through periods in matches where they run riot and then through other periods where their game almost devolves as they try to play too much and lose all momentum falling flat. The strongest most consistent part of their game is their defence. I feel like the weakest part could be their set piece especially that creaky scrum which really should be doing better against Australia. If this Lions side was playing against the Springboks or All Blacks they would not be winning collisions and their set piece would be under serious scrutiny. Australia must try to do better in the collisions and put more pressure on the Lions set piece. They must bring line speed and power to their defence. They cannot afford to give up any soft tries and they must bring urgency at the start of the game. They need to force the Lions to play on their terms and to play from behind. If the Lions race out to an early lead all bets are off, if they keep momentum for a protracted period the game will be up. Australia must spoil, harass, frustrate and compete in every ruck, maul, scrum and lineout. Its time to face the Lions head on.

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H
Hellhound 45 minutes ago
Steve Hansen: The Boks are 'rolling the dice and so far they’ve got away with it'

As I said, always blame the ref. The Boks can't win unless the ref helped. It was a hooker and not a prop. You don't even have your facts straight. You just confirmed what I said idiot. Blame the ref for the try😂As for hate? I don't hate the AB's, just some of their fans like you. You don't look at the whole picture. All you see is AB's players. You don't look at the opposition. No, you see what you want to see and then open your mouth, spew drivel and then get heated up about it screaming hate. Yes, the Boks haven't won in NZ in awhile. Boo hoo, cry me a river. That will change. A very strong AB's side barely beat a weak C French team and you think they are in such a good place. I would not bleat such prowess if I were you. The Boks played against much weaker opposition and they were very disappointing. Lots to work on. However, we know what these Boks are capable of. We know what the youngsters are capable of. We know the depth we have and that depth is extreme. Lots of new youngsters bleeding through too. Better than most of the current AB's. Have you watched the URC? No. Japan league? No. English Premiership? No. You watch SR and you are awed by what you see. You think the world will fall at the AB's feet, that they will smash everyone in front of them(couldn't do it to a C French team). You are blind. Foolish. Big mouth and overhyping a team that is already out of time for the WC. At the most 17 Tests left to give players time to shine. Razor doesn't even have a full A team yet. Prospects yes. Possible future stars, yes. The Boks have about 3 teams, and about 3 teams with star studded youngsters that can shift up. What will the AB's do when there is injuries? Red card bans? AB's are good. They always will be. However, they are wafer thin in the talent department. As I said, I love the AB's, just not all its arrogant supporters of which you are one. You get good supporters, not you, and then bad woke idiots, that's you!

31 Go to comments
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