Hybrid Players

[Scrumhead]

I strongly suspect that Eddie’s latest soundbites re. ‘Hybrid Players’ and playing 9 forwards etc. are mostly for the journalists, but it is something he’s brought up in the past (Ben Curry at 9 for example) and allegedly Thorley has been playing as an additional flanker in training.

I’m generally of the view that a good specialist will out-perform a player ‘covering’ in a different position, but I wonder if there is more to this. Recently, we’ve seen Wasps use Barbeary and Oghre (who are both hookers) as flankers which was probably more to do with rotation necessities than anything else but it worked pretty well. I’m wondering if we’ll see more of this?

In amateur rugby it happens a lot - I’ve played 4 positions (hooker, flanker, centre and wing) in one season before which is probably more to do with the fact that I’ve always been the lightest and mostly fittest/quickest forward but I wonder if we might see players utilised in different ways. Rugby doesn’t really have the tactical flexibility of football from a formation POV but generally speaking, forwards are now expected to be much more capable from a passing/handling perspective, so positions are becoming more fluid. The ability to put a suitably skilled forward in to the backs later in a game or something like that, is a development I would be overly surprised to see more regularly.

I could also open the door for players who can offer that kind of potential - Sam Simmonds being one obvious example and Alfie Barbeary being an outrageous prospect who has played hooker, flanker and centre in junior rugby.

Thoughts?

[Oakboy]

I am all for innovation in line with several of the points you make. Maybe, Jones has drifted very slightly towards unconventional selection already (Daly at FB, Curry at 8).

Overall, though, might this 'hybrid' business just be all be about the bench? 6:2 or 5:3 might be too restrictive.

[Digby]

That for hybrid Eddie tends more to think auxiliary. So a player might step in to act at 9 to keep pace on the game, a back might clearout over a ruck in competent fashion when the forwards aren't there or are Lawes, that sort of thinking. And too as has also been mentioned before, coping with situations where injury or cards force us into some significant in game adjustments. And beyond that Eddie's just being Eddie for the press, any stories about this mean he's getting less coverage on who hasn't been picked, on how the team should play...

[fivepointer]

All players need to be multi skilled these days but there is a world of difference between the demands on a back row forward and a centre or wing.
There might be the odd player who could offer something a bit different. Some versatility to temporarily fill a gap shouldnt be beyond any player, say a wing moving to centre, or a lock to back row, or a prop going hooker. You might see the odd wing on a scrum, or even a No 8 positioned at FH but these are usually just one off plays.
in general i'd want players to play in their normal positions.

[Scrumhead]

On the whole, I agree, I’m taking Eddie’s comments with a significant pinch of salt I and think Digby is 100% correct re. the ‘auxiliary’ piece.

I do wonder though if the game is changing to favour teams of 15 multi-skilled athletes rather than being a game for all shapes and sizes. That’s not a development I’d want to see, just an observation.

Funny how in amateur rugby there are certain teams made up of fit 6 foot+ 20-somethings who regularly turn up without a front row and want to play uncontested scrums ...

[Mellsblue]

Is there a subsidy for the hybrid players? It may go some way to explaining why we suddenly need one/some.

[Raggs]

Keith Earls scoring after being in the lineout and receiving an inside pass:

It's Eddie getting the press to talk about what Eddie wants them to talk about.

[16th man]

I reckon there's some mileage in things like teaching a bigger winger to control the ball at the base of a scrum, so that if you're tight 5 are doing okay, you have the option of putting acceleration and pace off the back of a scrum rather than more traditional carrying.

If your winger's being run over by a Cokanasinga type opposite number, having a flanker who has a good idea of how to defend as a winger, as opposed to just standing on the end of a defensive line, probably has some merits too.

I don't know if that makes them Hybrid players, or simply just useful tactical extras though.

[Mikey Brown]

Is this like when Exeter deploy all their forwards as auxiliary sniping scrum-halves in the red zone?

[jngf]

I always quite like the idea of the Prop/Lock essentially a tight or loose head prop on the tall side (6’3” to 6’5”) who could move into the second row and scrum behind another tighthead making a very robust tight five unit. Would require lineout jumping to be covered by other lock and a Lawes type backrow player but it does bring something different. If he’d still been playing Andrew Sherridan would fit this role to a tee.

On a different tack the South African approach of picking an openside at eigthman with too jumbo flankers has been adopted by Toulon with Armitage and more recently by Exeter. Further players like Earl and Simmonds could cover 13 and wing if push came to shove and I still like the idea of Jack Nowell getting a run out at openside.

[jimKRFC]

Sherri started off at Bris as a lock/back row but was encouraged into the front row by Thorburn (I think it was). Just as he was getting decent Bris went bust (2nd time) and he buggered off to Sale....