Right, so everyone always bangs on about rugby players needing to be these absolute mountains of men. And don’t get me wrong, you see plenty of those big lads thundering about, and they’ve got their place, no doubt. But for ages, I sort of bought into that wholesale – bigger is better, end of story. It wasn’t until I got roped into helping out with a local club, more by accident than design, that I really started to see things differently. This was a few years back, just trying to fill some time, you know?
My First Glance at the Squad
So, I turn up, and the first thing that hits me is, well, we weren’t exactly blessed in the height department across the board. Especially in a few key spots. My first thought, honestly? “Uh oh. This is going to be tough.” I had these preconceived notions, you see. How are we going to make any headway when the other teams look like they’ve been bred for the game since birth, towering over our guys?
I spent the first couple of training sessions just observing, feeling a bit out of my depth, wondering how to even structure things. My old playing days, it was all about the big pack, dominate the set-piece, grind ’em down. That clearly wasn’t going to be our ace card here.
Then Things Started to Click
But then, I started properly watching individuals. We had this scrum-half, barely came up to my chest, but he was like greased lightning. His passes were flat, quick, and he could spot a gap the size of a mousehole and be through it. An absolute nightmare for bigger, slower defenders to handle around the rucks. He wasn’t “short,” he was “effective.”
And it wasn’t just him. Our wingers, not the tallest, but they had footwork that could make you dizzy and an acceleration that left opponents grabbing at thin air. In the back row, we had a couple of flankers who weren’t giants, but their lower centre of gravity made them incredibly hard to shift over the ball. They were absolute pests at the breakdown, winning us so much quick possession. They got under the bigger guys, used their leverage. It was brilliant to watch, actually.
Changing My Whole Approach
It forced me, and the rest of the coaching team, to chuck out the old playbook. We couldn’t rely on brute force. So, we started to build our game around what we did have:
- Pace: We drilled handling at speed, moving the ball wide quickly.
- Agility: We encouraged players to use their footwork, to be elusive.
- Low Tackles: Our guys could get in under the big ball carriers and chop them down effectively.
- Intelligence: We had to play smarter, identify mismatches, and exploit space, not just run into brick walls.
It was a real eye-opener. The game became faster, more dynamic. Instead of just seeing a “short” player, I started seeing a player with a specific set of skills – often skills that taller players might not have as naturally. That low centre of gravity, that quickness off the mark, that ability to change direction on a sixpence.
We started to win games, not by overpowering teams, but by outmaneuvering them, out-thinking them. And honestly, it was way more satisfying to watch and be a part of. Those lads played with so much heart and skill.
So yeah, that whole experience completely flipped my script on what makes a good rugby player. Size is a factor, sure, but it’s just one of many. What those so-called “short rugby players” taught me was that skill, determination, and playing to your unique strengths can make you a giant on the field, no matter what the tape measure says. It was a proper lesson, that was.
