Why rugby is a game of two (world) halves

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We have a faster game that requires more work. The POMs have a different work rate.

Why rugby is a game of two (world) halves

David Wilson, the England prop, routinely covers less ground than Australia’s Israel Folau

There has been a mystery as to why, with the occasional honourable exception, the southern hemisphere rugby teams have regularly subjected their northern counterparts to a thrashing.

The southern hemisphere heavyweights win most world cups and on their tours of Europe leave having conquered and, often, humiliated.

Now GPS technology has shed light on the southern superiority. And it all comes down to 30 metres. This is the extra distance per minute that southern hemisphere players are accustomed to covering in an 80-minute game.

In the southern hemisphere Super 15 competition, featuring teams from New Zealand, South Africa and Australia, players typically cover about 85 metres per minute. In the corresponding domestic competitions in the UK — the Aviva Premiership for English clubs and the Guinness Pro12 for teams in Wales, Scotland, Ireland and Italy — the average ground covered can be as low as 55 metres per minute. International matches tend to be played at around 80 metres per minute.

On Saturday, England will play Australia at Twickenham, having already been beaten earlier this month by New Zealand and South Africa.

Wales will play South Africa in Cardiff on Saturday, looking to end a miserable run of 27 consecutive defeats to the “big three” from down south.

Rob Howley, the Wales assistant coach, said: “The intensity and speed of the game goes up from 55 metres per minute to 75 or 80 against the southern hemisphere sides, which gives players less time and space to make decisions. It’s difficult for the players to step up over 25 metres per minute.”

The GPS calculations are made by devices that are sewn into the players’ shirts on the back of their necks.

With the 2015 World Cup in England only ten months away, New Zealand and South Africa remain the top two teams in the world rankings.
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/sport/rug ... 279610.ece