Maul effect?
The return of the maul will suit………well, what are the ingredients of good mauling?
Team spirit, big men, good hands and, in many cases, a little chap who knows how to keep his cool. Think Neil Back rumbling along behind the big England pack of the early 2000s.
The big man is for throwing the ball to and holding on to. Ideally, he won’t mind being pinched, having his toes stepped on, being up-ended every now and again or any of the other nasty stuff that goes with putting yourself at the fore of a dangerous attacking weapon. He will be also be a leader; a player who has the physique to dambust and the personality that makes other players want to follow him through the gap
Put a structure on that player, feed the ball to the back and from there and push – but not too quickly – and you have either yardage, a penalty or both. Close to the line, it can be a relatively simple way of scoring tries.
Looking at Munster and Leinster’s attacking mauls, both sides tick a lot of the right boxes. Leinster in particular have made signings that should make them a better mauling side.
Munster have traditionally been one and have arguably suffered from the ELVs more than most. Paul O’Connell and John Hayes are an excellent combination in the air and they also have a good understanding on the ground and can lead a maul about as well as anyone. O’Connell has exactly the forceful leader qualities that make for good mauling. They also have the power to drive the maul on and the heart and mental strength to use it to apply real pressure to the opposition. Think David Wallace and Alan Quinlan. The only caveat is that Jerry Flannery – often the controlling player – has been known to makes bad decisions and plays with the ball in his hands there though his excellent throwing is a big asset to the lineout attack as a whole.
Leinster have tended to struggle with both the delivery and delivering a good base on the ground. This year may prove a different story. The negative for them is that the backrow mix – the best trio is arguably Sean O’Brien, Shane Jennings and Jamie Heaslip – looks like it will prosper in open field situations but struggle to make an impact in the tight as they are small and relatively light.
However, Nathan Hines, a possible blindside but more likely to be seen at second row, may prove a trump card. Hines’ height and weight – he is just over 18 stone and 6 and a half feet, not to mention his excellent handling, make him a promising prospect as the cornerstone.
Alongside him, Mike Ross is a similarly useful looking prospect. Leinster’s props have typically been on the short and stocky side compared to the likes of Hayes. Like Hines, Mike Ross – 19 stone and 6’2 – is significantly beefier. The delivery may also improve with new signing Richardt Strauss rumoured to be a solid thrower in.
Strauss has also scored 16 tries for the Free State Cheetahs and Cheetahs (Currie Cup and Super 14); an impressive record for a 23-year-old. He could be the right man to steer things from the back.
All told, the omens suggest that Leinster may use the maul in much the same way Wasps did during their dominant spell prior to the ELVs – back then, Wasps used it brilliantly as a device for tiring defenders both mentally and physically and creating space for their hard running creative players up the middle; the signing of Eoin Reddan, who really knows how to direct and work the ball in the tight, only adds to that suspicion.
On the betting front, it may pay to take a look at Strauss, O’Brien and possibly Jennings and Bernard Jackman for Leinster and Wallace and Flannery – although note that he is rumoured to be struggling with injury at this stage – for Munster in the tryscorer (any time) lists, particularly against weaker opposition.