EVEN THE MOST inexperienced golfers among us can relate to the sublime feeling of connecting with the ball sweetly, witnessing that little white blur arc away to a distance that can seem disproportionate to our physical swing.
There’s a distinctly similar feeling available in rugby, but there are increasingly fewer practitioners of the oval ball game who are experiencing that simple pleasure.
“As a rugby player, there’s nothing better than unleashing a spiral punt,” says Dan Carter.
The problem is that the spiral kick is something of a forgotten art in modern rugby, where the ‘safer’ option of the end-over-end punt has become the norm when kicking from hand.
More reliable, requiring a little less practice, but often less effective that a spiral would be. Carter has been a master of the technique in recent times, but Ronan O’Gara is a man for whom many of his greatest tactical performances were built on the spiral.
He is deeply affected by the apparent lack of love for what he sees as an integral skill in any self-respecting out-half’s armoury.
“The biggest frustration for me now is why aren’t people spiralling the ball? I’m beginning to wonder,” says O’Gara. “I actually woke up the other night thinking about it. Who’s spiralling the ball now?”
It’s a good question. Handré Pollard unleashed a beauty of a spiral recently for South Africa, prompting one of the commentator to remark, “The likes of Naas Botha would be proud to see a good old torpedo kick back,” as if their viewers had never seen it before.
Perhaps they hadn’t.
A recent video of Gavin Henson firing a spiral over 60 metres for Bath has racked up almost 9,000 views on YouTube. “A good old-fashioned spiral,” the commentator terms the superb show of technique.
Ireland’s Johnny Sexton is another who pulls out the spiral kick from time to time, but the impression is that his best spirals are reserved for those games in which he is buzzing with confidence.
O’Gara works with the Ireland out-half at Racing Métro and explains that the pair do train the spiral kick. Using it on game day is a different matter though.
“Johnny practices it,” says O’Gara. “Yet for the amount of hours he’s doing, you don’t see it on a Saturday. For Ireland, when you’ve any bit of wet on the pitch, an end-over-end falls flat; a spiral goes like that [indicates a skidding motion off the table]. It’s impossible to defend.
“I know exactly why it’s not used, because it’s a confidence thing. They [players] don’t back their technique under pressure. It’s something that needs to be rekindled quickly. If you want to play out-half, it has to be your bread and butter.”
Jonny Wilkinson was one of of the leading proponents of the shift towards the end-over-end style of punting the ball in the early 2000s, but O’Gara is at pains to point out that the Englishman still worked hard on his spiralling.
England’s tactics and view of the percentages of rugby demanded that Wilkinson went for the safer option very often, although the spiral was still there to be used when necessary, even on the legend’s ‘bad’ foot.
“Jonny changed it a little bit behind that English pack in kicking end-over-end and being conservative in finding touch, but Jonny was well able to spiral off his right foot if he needed to.
“That’s the difference, whereas now people are just kicking end-over-end and hacking it into touch wherever they think.”
Perhaps the main issue is that the spiral is a difficult skill to carry out under intense pressure, given that the accurate release of the ball from the player’s hands is so crucial to its success.
While the action of the kicking leg is relatively similar to an end-over-end kick, there is perhaps greater demand on the follow-through. Like any skill, building unbreakable confidence in a player’s spiral kick can only really be achieved on the training ground.
With former masters like O’Gara bemoaning the rarity of the ancient art, who is going to take on the duty of keeping the spiral alive?
Do you practice the spiral kick? How difficult a skill is it and does it still have an important place in the game? Do you prefer your players to use the end-over-end technique? How have you coached the spiral?
I like Hoolahan, he is a decent player with a creative spark that can make things happen, but lets be honest at 32 years of age the height of his career was on and off the starting 11 for an average to poor Norwich team in the Premier league for a couple of seasons and now he is back as good player in the Championship. He is no more the saviour of Irish football than Andy Reid or Stephen Ireland before him (actually both had more potential but had other issues), The RTE lads like to go on like we are overlooking Messi or Xavi, and that if we had a midfield of that trio then we would be Barcelona in the green jerseys.
Absolutely agree with you. Gibson made the difference. Don’t want to knock Wes but he lost the ball virtually every time he got it. He overhit the cross and it was Hendrick’s recovery that made the goal. I like Wes but he couldn’t get a game last year at Norwich. Good attitude, offers something different but no genius.
Glen Whelan coming off injured is what changed the game, there is no masterful tactics here , we could have easily been down 2 or 3 before Germany scored thanks to Forde and bad German finishing . You cannot compare a team like how we handled Italy in 94 or Russia two years ago with that performance , you cannot say the tactics were right when Germany were hitting the bar within the first few minutes . Hendrick and Gibson made a huge difference , they are a better option than Whelan and Quinn , this belief that they don’t defend is ridiculous . You just simply cannot give the ball away like we did for the first 70 minutes and expect to get results . McCarthy will be back but we need to see Gibson beside him or Hendrick . McGeady and McClean / Brady with Hoolahan and Keane /( whoever you fancy ) up front . Ward needs to go as well Ild rather see someone like Clark or Duffy played out of position than Ward
Some valid points but we never ‘handled’ russia. They carved us open again and again . Dunne was inspired and we were poxed.
Agree on Clark, either as LB or with Wilson moving out. Might be struggling to get a look in at Villa at the minute and have the occasional (name and Irish defender who doesn’t) but at 25 has 3/4 years Premiership experience, is composed on the ball, can play his way out of trouble rather than lump it everytime, also a threat from set pieces. There are weaknesses in him game sure (he too nice for one, naive for another and can lose concentration) but we are not exactly overrun with defender with his Premier league experience, nevermind one who has a future, Delaney is solid but at his age he is already in decline, Clark can only get better and grow into his role.
occasional lapse of concentration
Like the RTE panel said, and I couldn’t agree more. Keane was completely ineffective as was McGeady mostly because he was played in central midfield and Whelan is done! He look sluggish and grumpy. Meyler, Hendrick, Hoolahan, Quinn and Gibson are all better then Whelan. The teams tactics were right but they could attack when the chance was presented because these players were on the pitch and not Hendrick, Gibson, Long or Hoolahan. That result made me feel pride in the squad again.
I absolutely agree, barry. Glenn whelan going off injured was the best thing that happened for us. I honestly dont remember him making a forward pass in the game
We? Didnt know ye were playing lads
Kieran, that is such a stupid comment.
True
Says a Liverpool supporter. Glory hunter!
I am going to say something mad but I am starting to think that one of the biggest problems with irish football is English football……we listen too much to English football media, we watch too much English football, our best players are sacrificed to English academies……we should recognise we are a different sporting culture. We produce a large amount of talented, diminutive midfielders ( Reid,Fahy, Sheridan,Hoolahan,Ireland,mcphail). If we had an FA that gave a crap about creating a footballing community, and created proper infrastructure, well maybe we would see that we do not need to ape English football and would be comfortable fielding a team of; 3-5-1 Forde, Clarke, O’Shea, Wilson, Coleman, Gibson, McCarthy,Hoolahan,McClean, Doyle……..with no hang ups on playing football, working hard on defence ( as all irish teams do) holding onto the ball when we have it, and using the flair of our wing backs and Hoolahan and then Doyle up front who has always been a tenacious, physical and good lone front man who can hold a ball up and bring in those around him. As a team the only weak point is goals , Doyle ain’t prolific but he should bring in those around him. So in short, for now who cares what dinosaurs like Harry redknapp or soccer Saturday think let’s pick players who can play football even if they aren’t starting in crap premiership teams and in the long term lets put pressure on the fai to sort out football IN ireland!! Christ that was a ramble and a half….
That’s a fair point. The talent is in the league but it’s often untapped and sold off for a quick buck. Look at Coleman and Doyle. Sold off for practically nothing. John Delaney earns more than the team that wins the league ffs. The FAI’s focus is always on the international scene. I was at a Q&A once with John Delaney and not one mention of the league. The fact that we’re competing against top countries with virtually no national league is a great achievement, alas something that will hamper football’s development in the long run.
A 351??? Thats some formation
Haha that’s hilarious ” obviously asleep last night, completely forgot ze captain mr Keane
Nice article Paul, some very clever points there well made. Do you read foot.ie much?
Cheers Paul. And no, I don’t to be honest. Will check it out.
Agreed, this is perhaps the best written football article I’ve ever read on the journal. Good work!
jog on Paul O’Gorman
sorry, i read into Mr O’Gormans comment as sarcasm and as if he was accusing Paul of plagiarizing from some site called foot.ie
Arthur , I took it that way too when I read his comment
Thats such a stupid comment arthur
Brilliant article Paul, well done.
We’ll done Paul on a superb piece … Must take ages to put this together
great article again Paul. keep it up.
Heard old man Gilesy on the radio tonight sayin Ireland should have played like Scotland did against Germany. Eh, Scotland lost 2-1
Is it true that grealish is about to commit to Ireland
Tldr!
Hi Miriam,
Fair enough if they’re not your cup of tea, but plenty of people enjoy long reads, particularly during the evenings or at weekends when they have the time.
McGeady is an Irish version of Ashley Young! He’ll try and beat his man 2 or 3 times then loose the ball.McClean had a great game and all though hes not by any means world class he does the basic things things you want a winger to do – cross a ball,McGeady should take note.
Gibson for Whelan and McCarthy for Quinn, McLean left side and Coleman RM. Meyler doing well at RB
Agree! Most reasoned people agree that would be the ideal lineup.
No such thing as luck..shit happens!! But thank f##k in our favour this time..
Its as good as we are at mo, the speed of the return cross for the goal was brilliant, didn’t give the Krauts, sorry Enda I meant Germany a chance to get in position, refreshing article Eamon would do well to read & stop promoting his column with deliberate sh** stirring.
Lot of reading!
The fear factor stymied Ireland as much as the defensive formation. However ineffective Mcgeady can be, as soon as he was back in his favoured position, Ireland were a new team.
Stokes – Keane
A.Reid – Gibson – McCarthy – McGeady
O’Shea – Wilson – Clarke/Delaney – Coleman
Westwood/Given …….not Forde, he can’t hold the ball he is a flapper