Wither the American playing style?

Graham Henry, the 2011 World Cup-winning coach, recently asked 'why are we all looking to play the same game?'

One of the clear disappointments of modern rugby is that in the main we have lost our innovation. There are a number of different ways and styles to play, but [teams copy New Zealand] even though it probably doesn’t suit the DNA of players or the development environment they grow up in.

Henry suggests video analysis is driving imitation, but in America, the lack of distinctive purpose can't be ascribed solely to the national team.

In the late 20th century, US coaches and officials constantly discussed refining an ideal playing style. For example, Eagle coach Dennis Storer studied how body types contribute to success in contact sports, and his master's thesis addressed adapting American athletes to rugby. His teams emphasized the counterattack and broken-field running as well as tackling skills brought over from football, the international stereotype that persists to this day.

Each of USARFU's four territories also sought to develop their own approach. They were particularly conscious of regional geography -- the influence of weather on strategy and tactics. Some of the conversation, however, came to be conflated with the question of a unified playing season, a Gordian knot of fairness.

Also contributing to the lapsed quest for an American style is the latter-day abandonment of representative rugby. At the Inter-Territorial Tournament, the national team transmitted knowledge and planning to the competitors. The modern USARFU, believing competition inefficient and preferring to rely on scouting combines, has effectively reduced the scope to the coaches and players within the national team's immediate orbit. This is Henry's echo chamber.

One can argue the American playing base has changed dramatically. Most now come into rugby a decade earlier, in their teens, and there are probably proportionally less crossover athletes. Moreover, over the past two decades, players at every levels have been able to watch increasing amounts of rugby, with the best heading overseas and conversely, the union recruiting 'America qualified' elites from abroad. But athletes do not drive playing style: they are a resource in its formation.

In the wake of another winless World Cup, the conversation is worth renewing. No matter the importance of daily training environments, if America is practicing to play the same way as everyone else, we are unlikely to surpass our rivals.

Comments

[PAURIC Devine]

I can't agree more, the US National team try to play other countries rugby. The need to play there own game. I have watched rugby being played from U13 schoolboys to collage level here in the us and there is no concistancey in the way it is taught and played. Some clubs put there focus on forward play and fail to teach forwards handling skills and passing skills. Yet they reduce the backs to the parifery of the game and never kick for field position ever. Others depend on the speed of their backs and do little development with the forwards. They run the ball as if they were playing American Football. In most of the teir one rugby countries every player is taught to handle the ball and pass, kicking is also encouraged to develop the skill in more players. But the way rugby is taught the Philosophy of the game, is the same through out the country which is not the case here in the US. There is east coast rugby and west coast rugby and then we have the teams where the coaches are trying to play like the South Africains or the New Zealanders. This won't work because the players have not been grown in that system. Part of the reason the Argentinian national team are so good is every player in Argentina learns the fundamentals of the game the same way. This carries over to club and Interional level.

[Alan Whelan]

When American coaches concentrate on teaching our youngsters basic passing,handling and kicking skills perhaps the overall standard of rugby stateside will start to improve. 90% of our younger players use the two handed spiral pass regardless of wether they are two yards or fifteen yards from their target. They have major problems doing a lateral floating pass and pass very poorly to their weak sides.
Switches, Loops, skips. tunnels and dummies or any combination of these are hard to find. Kicking skills are only pathetic. If you care to check this out take any two players at random from your squad, put them 20 yards apart and see how many can kick and catch a ball from one to the other 9 out of 10 times. In Europe we call this simple little game Kick and Catch in the great USA it has to be called KICK and FETCH.