Blurring The Lines Between Forwards and Backs

We should really have seen this coming a few years ago. If we go back to the World Cup in 2011 when Wales reached the semi-finals, the game was lost when Captain Sam Warburton was sent off twenty minutes in. Jamie Roberts was forced to play flanker in the scrum for the rest of the game. The role was not familiar to the giant centre; however, his stature did look familiar in such a role. If you look at the size of the backline on that day four of them could have looked the part had they had a different number on their back.

I'm obviously not saying that that this current backline of giants could make a decent pack. I am saying that the historic strict divisions between backs and forwards are being blurred by Wales. Mike Phillips is a back with the power and size of a back rower and plays with the physicality. On the flipside of this Justin Tipuric is a talented back rower who has the pace of a back, which we saw in the six nations championship decider against England as he outran the international backs before having the skills to offload to Alex Cuthbert.

Wales have comfortably the heaviest average weight and height in their backs, with the backs only a few centre metres away from the height of the forwards average. It is only the giant Luke Charteris at 2.06 metres who drags the forwards average up. Wales' backs are the heaviest and tallest of the six nation’s championship, this is all out of the necessity of power. It is the game that has become known as 'warren-ball' that makes this power so important. The backs now need to do the work of forwards by running hard at the defensive line.

The sheer athleticism of players like Justin Tipuric is a huge bonus for a team like Wales. He is much like George North in that they have unbelievable talents for their size. North has pace, power, incredible feet and his obvious size. Tipuric has the same, in other teams he could be a centre comfortably.

I started this article by recalling how Roberts looked like he was a flanker when he played there simply due to his size. Roberts didn't have a great game at flanker, but if the situation arises where Tipuric has to play at centre then his skill set could compliment it.

What does this 'blurring of the lines' mean for Wales then, it means that Wales are tailor made to Warren Gatland's style of play in the backs. The forwards development means that they are becoming far more dangerous than historically they have been before. The pace and new found skills of the forwards should in theory allow the tries to come more freely. The All Blacks as always are the team that lead the world and their forwards have better skills than anybody else.

Therefore, the historic divide is something that Wales are right to move away from. Rugby purists will perhaps miss the days where rugby was a game for 'all shapes and sizes'. The new era of professionalism simply does not support the old days and the way forwards is by blurring the lines between forwards and backs. Positions are only a number after all...