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'Akin to American football the way Leinster approach their attack'
By Josh Raisey
Leinster have laid down a marker in the first four rounds of the United Rugby Championship that they are more than capable of sweeping aside all before them this season, albeit that seems to be an annual occurrence.
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One of only three unbeaten teams in Europe’s top three leagues (the Lions and the Bulls have played one game fewer in the URC), last season’s Investec Champions Cup runners-up have gone from strength to strength with every week that has passed, boosted by the return of their sizeable Irish contingent in round three.
Their 26-12 victory over rivals Munster at Croke Park on Saturday rubber-stamped this early-season statement made by Leo Cullen’s side, particularly their first-half display, where they raced to a 26-5 lead at the break, looking untouchable in the process.
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In the wake of the victory, broadcaster Ryle Nugent described the URC as “outstanding to watch,” likening their attacking structure to American football.
Joining the Off the Ball podcast recently, Nugent highlighted the “chaos” that the province create, which was a term frequently used during Stuart Lancaster’s time in Dublin, pinpointing Hugo Keenan’s try as a prime example of this.
“No one should have been surprised at the pace that Leinster started at, but everybody seemed to be, including the crowd and most definitely Munster.
“It’s akin now to American football the way that Leinster approach their attack. There is a commitment from everybody to run lines and create that moment of chaos in the defender’s head that you just don’t know where it is going to go.
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“The Hugo Keenan try was a perfect example of that. It comes to [Jamison] Gibson-Park in jig time, and he’s then got [Ciaran] Frawley running one line, guys over on the left-hand side running lines, Liam Turner’s running towards the touchline, and Keenan goes straight up. You have no idea where the ball is going to go.
“It really is outstanding to watch when it is in full flow and I can’t imagine anything other than a nightmare to try and defend against.”
An American football attack consists of one pass
But the 3 or 4 seconds preceding the pass are mentally and physically intense, as receivers run routes, the OL runs complex blocks and screens, running backs create run options, and TEs make nuisances of themselves.
The QB has to run "progressions" in his head to decide what to do with the ball. The top QBs scan the field, read the defence, decide on a pass (or run), and throw the ball, in less than 3 seconds after the snap. And these guys can land the ball in a bucket at a distance of 50 yards.
Defending against this kind of choreographed mayhem is extremely challenging, and it's not for nothing that NFL cornerbacks are often the smartest and most athletic players on the field. It's no surprise that the most successful NFL coach of all time (Bill Belichick) is a defensive genius.
We don't have to like American football to appreciate how extraordinary it is. Nor should we dismiss the point of this article, namely that as rugby attacking strategies become more scripted they will inevitably incorporate some of these NFL ideas. Not sure if Leinster are learning from the NFL or reinventing the wheel, but for me its an interesting take that they are choreographing attacking options in an NFL-esque fashion.
Hardly worth an article is it?
Especially when the above commentor wrote a better article than the article.