Wales under Wayne Pivac have developed into an innovative and forward thinking side. They have melded various strategies and tactics into a high skill, attack minded gameplan. The development however has not just been on the attack, with innovation also present in their kicking strategy, whether it being double footed scrum halves, 2 man chase teams, or kicking in the 15m channel. All these different strategies have created a great weapon in the Welsh game.
Welsh Exit Kicking
When breaking down their kicking game we can focus on two different areas, their defensive and attacking strategies. First, we will start with their defensive kicking strategy. Primarily Wales are an exit first team, with a strong focus on keeping the ball on the park. The best example of this is the welsh approach v England in the Six Nations. The strategy limited England to just five lineouts, four from penalties and one from a kick from Adams which bounced into touch. The strategy was much more in-depth than just kicking in or out. They varied their kicking strategies by opponent.
The above GIF shows a cornerstone of the Welsh kicking game, the 2 man kick chase. Each team will have their own variations on the kick chase, however there are two common attributes, a containment team and a headhunter. The containment runner, shown in the blue spotlight is responsible for protecting the edge of the welsh kick chase and connecting with the openside chase line. The headhunter, typically the winger, is responsible for firing after the ball and either hitting the catcher or challenging for the ball.
The chase here from Williams is a great example of the role of the head hunter. The Welsh Winger makes a strong tackle getting underneath Daly, allowing him to drive through English Full Back. The effective tackle allows Wales to attack the breakdown. Liam Williams makes a second effort driving at the breakdown. The effort disrupts the ball, and allows Tipuric to apply lots of pressure on the second phase winning the collision.
Wales did have a few struggles in their kicking game in the recent Six Nations, with some scrappy box kicks caused by high pressure, including the Maro Itoje charge down in Cardiff. While it wasn’t a major problem, it does allow us to examine how Wales protect their scrum halves when kicking and another example of a high skill approach being taken.
Let’s begin by examining the first Welsh box kick against England in this Six Nations. Wales are running a 3 man protection team. This gives Gareth Davies plenty of space to make the clearance. The 3 caterpillars give plenty of space and protection for Gareth Davies. It’s important to notice Itoje’s positioning, who sits in the guard position giving him a short distance to the Scrum Halves foot.
This scheme is not particularly innovative, with it being a common strategy used to protect the Scrum Half. However, it does exactly what is needed with plenty of protection for the Scrum Half. Crucially it also gives time for the team to set up for the kick. Notice the 2 man chase team on the blindside.
On this occasion Wales received the ball from an England restart in their own 22. Wales then take the ball ground just inside the 22. However, whereas in the previous example they use a 3 man protection group, Wales instead use just Justin Tipuric as a single extension. This leaves the ball significantly closer to Itoje standing yet again in the guard position. The launch from Itoje is explosive, and he gets onto one foot extending as high as he can. The extra height allows him to get a hand to the ball. Wales do manage to recover from this moment, but it goes to show how important the 3 man protection scheme is for the Welsh Scrum Half.
However, the Welsh Scrum Halves have developed another useful tool. A second foot.
The Two Footed Approach
Wales here again use a 3 man protection scheme, with Adam Beard and Alun Wyn Jones combining at the front to lengthen the caterpillar. Because the two second rows aren’t on their feet Davies is under some pressure from Gray but takes a step back to beat the Second Row. Gareth Davies uses his preferred right foot, driving the ball, finding good height which allows Louis Rees Zammit to headhunt Matt Fagerson. But later in the same game we see him switch to his left foot.
This time, Wales are exiting from a lineout maul. The lineout drive has tied up all of the Welsh forwards, close to the 5m line. This means Gareth Davies has to kick from barely one body length of protection. Worse still for the Welsh Scrum Half, Rory Sutherland and Scott Cummings are bound into the maul and are able to apply pressure on his favoured right side. The pressure forces Davies to switch foot. While the kick from Davies comes from a weaker foot, he still manages to drive it a decent distance. The ability to kick from his left foot gives Davies a quick way to escape pressure and is just another example of a high skill approach being taken by Wales.
Individual Kick Chase Skills
The Welsh Scrum Halves of course are not the only highly skilled players. One of the most important roles in the Welsh kicking game is the Head Hunter, typically performed by a winger. To be a headhunter, the Wingers need a variety of skills. Most importantly, they should be able to challenge the ball in the air. Using just one example we can break down how Louis Rees Zammit acted as the headhunter to help Wales reclaim the kick.
Wales have a really well organised chase line with 3 players outside Dan Biggar. Louis Rees Zammit is positioned second in from the touchline, ready to target the ball. This setup is very similar to their 2 man chase teams on box kicks. Wales have a headhunter chasing the ball, and targeting the catch zone. While a second layer offers protection from a counter attack.
Louis Rees Zammit as the head hunter is targeting the catch zone. The catch zone is simply the area where the ball is going to land, if a team can dominate this space then they are most likely to win the ball. The Louis Rees Zammit first beats the French escort runners who tried to obstruct his run into the catch zone and then positions with his back to Dulin. This positioning means that if Rees Zammit can slap the ball it is more likely to travel backwards. His positioning also makes it difficult for Dulin to make a clean catch.
The Welsh Winger is able to slap the ball back for Wales, into Navidi’s grateful clutches. This clip is just one example of how Wayne Pivac has optimised the Welsh kicking strategy for his stable of thoroughbreds. The Welsh regaining the ball, allows them to gain ground with less effort and less physical exertion leaving them fresher later in games. Once Wales do catch the ball, it also opens up the field for attack, and they are often able to exploit the space.
Welsh Kicking In The Wide Channels
Wales, as discussed in a previous blog, have played an attacking game based around width and attacking fringes of the defence. One of the key elements of this has been their use of a roaming back 3. This strategy has also been combined with the Welsh kicking game.
This example comes from the Welsh game against the French in Cardiff. Wales have played 2 phases since Halfpenny took the ball from a kick on the right hand side. With the game entering the final quarter, Wales spread the ball, beating the French defence. The first two phases contracted the French defence and enable Wales to play wide. An early pass from Biggar allows Adams to attack the outside shoulder of Virimi Vakatawa and free Tompkins in the outside channel. The Welsh pressure outwide forces Bouthier to come up from Full Back to stop Wales running. This opens up a channel in behind for Wales to kick into. The power of this kick is then shown as Tomos Williams is first to get to the ball, after running a great “cheat” line, and toes it on. The bouncing ball causes France some problems, and Ntmack is forced to come and shepherd the ball off the field.
This wasn’t just a once off tactic from Wales, with it becoming a powerful strategy in this year’s Six Nations. The power of this tactic comes from being able to expose the modern day defence. Most modern day defences prioritise line speed, and applying pressure in the immediate. This often leaves significant space in the backfield, usually covered by just one or two players. The lack of cover in the backfield is most prominent in the wide channels. As a result it leaves some luscious green space for good kickers to find.
Using the End On Angle from the Welsh trip to Murrayfield we can see how they expose this space. Wales start from a midfield scrum, splitting their backs across the field. The Scottish Scrum Half defends from the boot of the scrum, meaning there is no pressure on the Welsh Scrum Half. Wales spread the ball, forcing Scotland into an early drift. Biggar gives an early pass to Tompkins who gets to the outside of his opposite defender. The scottish winger, Duhan van der Merwe who had been holding his depth had to press forward and join the defensive line. This opens the space in behind into which Tompkins can kick.
This Welsh kicking strategy is designed to apply pressure once a defence is beginning to creak. In both examples above Wales have passed the ball early to the 15m channel. The ball carrier then closes on the defence, with space outwide forcing the defender to sit off. The aggression in the carry and threat of the overlap forces the backfield to readjust and leaves space uncovered for the kick. This tactic is particularly strong as it is built on cores of Pivac’s philosophy. Under Pivac, the Welsh have developed a ball flinging, edge finding attack. The kick in the 15m is simply another tool ready for them to use. The tactic also benefits from players with good awareness, a willingness to take risks, and high skill levels particularly under pressure.Wales have these characteristics in abundance, and it all came together for one of their more controversial scores.
We join the play during a Welsh attack just inside the English half. After Wales have worked their way up to the edge of the England 22, playing from wide to wide. England have transitioned into a 14+1 defence, with just Daly defending the back field. Daly is positioned well, following the ball and sliding with the Welsh attack, however at each ruck he has to make a choice, whether to cover the blindside or the openside.
Daly is positioned to the openside for this Welsh breakdown, however he has to pay some attention to the Welsh blindside attack. The England Full Back has been working across the back field during the Welsh attack getting just beyond the left hand post. Ken Owens (Black Arrow) has begun shifting to the blindside, and this combined with the ruck helps drag Daly slightly to the left of the posts. This leads to a shift in Daly’s bodyweight, with the England Full Back working back across to the left before having to pivot again to track the Welsh openside attack.
Wales play to width on the openside, looking to stretch the English defence. The phase begins with a wide pass from scrum half, Kieran Hardy, skipping out Tomas Francis to George North. North has to wait a little for the pass, his initial depth gives him time to avoid the initial pressure from England and still pass the ball early for Adams. Adams has worked from his Wing, attacking on a curved line to get outside his opposite defender. This causes a drift in the English defence who end up on their heels. With England in a 14+1 defence there is plenty of space for the kick from Adams.
The kick is perfectly directed which allows Rees Zammit to win the foot race. The kickforces Daly to accelerate so he can cover the ground before trying to slow down and take the ball. Daly misses the ball, choosing to target Zammit. Instead the ball bounces fortuitously for the Welsh winger, hitting his leg and bouncing through for Williams to gather. Some will argue that the try is lucky. However it does act as a great example of a side making their own luck. The kick in the 15m channel has been a persistent tactic for the Welsh, and this try takes advantage of the havoc a bouncing ball can cause.
Kicking in the 15m was also profitable in the final Six Nations game against France. Again Wales are playing against a 14+1 defence, with only Dulin covering the French backfield. This passage also offers another insight into the Pivac philosophy, showing how even in the kicking game, there truly are no numbers on backs.
Wales again attack from a midfield ruck, and have split their attack accordingly. However, unlike the last clip, rather than all the back 3 roaming in the wide channels, Tipuric and Faletau have combined with Adams in the 15m channel. The simple objective of the play is to target the space behind the French line. France blitz hard in defence, especially Virimi Vakatawa who tries to target Tipuric, after a slightly high pass from Adam Beard. However Tipuric, transitions well from his catch to his kick. The kick is slightly wider, and Josh Adams has to use his own footballing skills. This try is incredibly similar to the Liam Williams score v England, with Wales again exposing a 14+1 backfield. This is clearly a powerful tactic introduced by Wayne Pivac, with the bouncing ball causing massive problems for the covering defenders. That the skill can be executed by the forwards, like Tipuric here or Faletau in the autumn, and the backs alike shows a clear example of the “no numbers on back” in the Welsh kicking game.
The advantages of this strategy are clear, especially with the highly skilled individuals. The fact this policy involves high skilled players, regardless of position is no mistake. Wayne Pivac has aimed to create a highly skilled team, which has threats across the field.
Overall, the Welsh kicking game both when exiting and attacking is predicated on individual skills, built around a solid structure and system. When Wales box kick they have a 2 man chase team, helping to protect against the touchline break and allow the headhunter to target man and ball. This strategy also benefits from Scrum Halves being able to kick off both feet. The Welsh use of attacking kicks is also built from individual skills within a structure and system. The clearest example though of individual skills, is the Welsh kick and regain strategy. Again it’s built into a structure with a clear head hunter, and containment team, but the high skill nature of taking a highball acts as a really great attacking weapon. The kicking in the 15m is a direct result of their general attack strategies, and their overloading of back three players. The tactic benefits from a back three all comfortable when kicking, and a team capable of distributing with pace. The forwards in the Welsh team are becoming threats even in the kicking game, an indication of the no numbers approach. In every aspect of their kicking game, Wales use both individual skill and solid structure to exploit defences. The blend that Wales have developed should help them prosper with kicking such an important part of the modern game.
The Analysis Guy 