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George Ford caught out by Cheslin Kolbe-style charge down
By Josh Raisey
When South Africa winger Cheslin Kolbe charged down a Thomas Ramos conversion to save a precious two points in the World Cup quarter-final last year as the Springboks won 29-28, it seemed inevitable that it would become more common.
Fast forward a matter of months and it happened against in the Guinness Six Nations, this time it was England fly-half George Ford having his conversion charged down by Wales at Twickenham.
Kolbe was of course not the first person to charge down a conversion, but it was nonetheless the most high-pressure charge down in rugby's history and he may have started a trend.
Teams that have conceded a try will always be alert now to the kicker's routine, pouncing on any slight movement to suggest they have started their run-up- as Wales' Rio Dyer and Elliot Dee did to prevent Ford from kicking.
The conversion attempt came shortly after a Ben Earl try, but the failed conversion meant Wales held onto a 7-5 lead in the first half.
Take a look at the conversion attempt:
Kolbe's charge down will go down in Rugby World Cup folklore as the Springboks went on to lift the Webb Ellis Cup. In terms of crucial moments in the tournament, that was probably the most pivotal, and proved to be decisive in a one-point victory.
Extra spice was added to the charge down by the fact that Kolbe and Ramos were teammates at Toulouse, and the Springbok said that he had inside knowledge about the Frenchman's kicking routine which afforded him the time to sprint from his line and charge the kick down. With that said, Ramos has questioned the legality of what Ramos did.
Regarding charging down conversions, World Rugby state: "All players retire to their goal line and do not overstep that line until the kicker moves in any direction to begin their approach to kick. When the kicker does this, they may charge or jump to prevent a goal but must not be physically supported by other players in these actions."
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Which country do you think was instrumental in developing rugby in Argentina which then spun off into the rest of Latin South America? South Africa was touring Argentine in the 50's with their Junior Bok side on three months development tours. And they didn't do it to cultivare players for the Boks. Regarding Africa you are not taking into account that South Africa itself is an emerging nation. The rugby union has prioritised the development of rugby in South African rural communities with outstanding success.
It has taken 15 years to build the participation of rugby both in playing and watching. For South Africa on its own to build a viable international rugby competition in africa will take generations - not decades. New Zealanders seem to resent the fact that SA has doubled the income of the URC since their inclusion. If New Zealand Rugby hadn't insisted on have a disproportionate slice of the pie in Super Rugby, SA might not have fled the coop.
Go to commentsDon't think you've watched enough. I'll take him over anything I's seen so far. But let's see how the future pans out. I'm quietly confident we have a row of 10's lined uo who would each start in many really good teams.
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