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England Rugby: What to Do About the Openside Flanker Spot After the World Cup
Published: October 15, 2011
For anyone who is unsure of what the role of the openside flanker is, he is usually the smaller, faster flanker, responsible for covering the larger side of the field at the scrum. He has to be a fearless defender and a solid ball carrier, as well as being talented at the breakdown.
This area is the most important of an openside's duties. A true openside is the one "competing" at the breakdown for the ball in a number of ways, not necessarily legally. New Zealand’s Richie McCaw is one of the best at this, not only turning the ball over, but not getting caught using all sorts of nefarious tricks to steal the ball back.
England currently lack this sort of player when Lewis Moody is injured. Moody is a player capable of doing all of these things, but he is too often injured to be relied upon as the primary option. For England to be capable of taking on the tougher northern hemisphere sides, let alone the tougher Tri-Nations sides, they need consistent play at this position.
There are a number of solutions to this. The first is to try other options at No. 7. The issue here is the number of players who play at a high enough level in order to play international rugby for England. Hendre Fourie has had a few games in an England shirt but is not really an international seven, having been hampered by injuries for much of his recent career, and at 32 he is not a long-term option either.
Tom Rees would have the job held down but has been beleaguered by injuries since breaking out onto the scene for London Wasps. One can only imagine the player he could have been, having gone almost toe to toe with Richie McCaw on the 2008 tour of New Zealand as well as being considered as a pot...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Rugby Union
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