Inside and Outside Center
#12, 13: The heart of the backline, the centers do a vast majority of
the dirty work required of backs, including the hard inside tackles placed
on runners coming full bore. They will also be expected to play a role not
unlike the back row player: clean up loose balls, ruck a ball loose from the
opposition, and generally insure the continuity of the game. An ideal
center is a thick and sturdy fellow with an aggressive temperament and a desire
to break holes in defenses. He will be a strong runner with a few moves,
but generally inclined to take the most direct path to the try-line. An
ideal center will develop a pop-kick, to be used when defenses come up too
fast, as well as a grubber to scatter the organization of the defense. He will
have an excellent and very quick pass, insuring that the ball flows through the
center to the wing quickly when the occasion arises. A center should be of
stable character and prone to very few mistakes: in the center, the smallest
hole cang ive the opposition all the attacking space it needs to find the
try-line. The two centers should work extremely well together. On defense, they form a
crucial barrier, and on offense, a good center pairing can mesmerizing
and confuse a defense through crossing and looping moves executed in tight
spaces. An ideal center will have an extremely high work rate, always looking
for small advantages to press home on an unsuspecting defense.
-- Walter Little (N.Z.), Scott Gibbs (Wales), Frank Bunce (N.Z.) Tim
Horan
(Austr.), Phillippe Sella (France)
Wingers
#11, #14: The wingers, often derided for the pretty-boy good-looks and
their aloof play, are the guys you love to hate. They should be burners, with
dazzling speed and a repertoire of moves to finish off defenders and put
the ball in-goal. When a winger gets the ball, which in a tough game may not
be that often, he is expected to finish with it, to use all of his wiles to
create enough space to score. He will need a good kick with both feet,
not necessarily for great distance, but certainly with great accuracy. He
will also need to be a sure tackler, as there will come those lonely
occasions where a winger is left one-on-one with yards of space on either side,
and he will need to step up to make a big tackle. A good winger will also have
an intuitive grasp of the space on the field, as he will be expected to
fill in the holes in the rear defense when the ball is away from his sideline.
He will chase and recover kicks in the back when necessary. A good winger adds
flash and filigree to a team, and even the forwards will overlook their
cockiness and easy life if they put the ball in the try zone on a consistent
basis. --Jonah Lomu (N.Z.), Joe Roff (Austr.) David Campese (Austr.)
Fullback
#15: The rugby fullback may be one of the loneliest positions in sport.
When penetrated deep and needs to be brought down, or when a fullback settles
under a high up-and-under kick with a rabble of snorting forwards bearing
down. Af ullback needs daring, fortitude, and a little bit of elan (style,
panache) for those times when a creative counter-attack can be formed on the fly.
The fullback needs a good, strong foot, both left and right, when he is
asked to clear the ball in response to a probing tactical kick form the
opposition. A creative fullback will finds ways to integrate himself into the offense,
but always his concern is to maintain the integrity of the space behind his
team. He will be a good communicator, letting his backs know what he sees from
his position of superior vision and organizing his wingers to cover holes
and anticipate play. The best fullback will capitalize on the space and time
he may have when fielding a kick to survey the field, gather support and
launch a counter-attacking run that fatally disorganizes the opposition.
--Andre Joubert (S.A.), Christian Cullen (N.Z.)Serge Blanco (France)