Need for Speed: Is bigger always better?

So popular was James Duward-Akhurst's article on the great Charlie Hodgson, he's done another one for your pleasure, about the odd shapes and sizes modern day wingers come in:

No one likes discussing size and certainly not comparing, but for this article I want to look at wingers in the world game today.

It must be argued that up until the late 2000’s the idea of a big winger was more of a myth than a reality with Lomu being an abnormality on the world stage. At 6ft 5 and 19st, Lomu could run the 100m in 10.8 seconds which is staggering! He is officially the RWC all-time top try scorer with 15 tries and proved in his glittering career that bigger IS better.

Fast forward to today and the scene painted is very different. A study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine has confirmed that ‘success at the top echelon of the game revolves around height and weight – with a little bit of experience thrown in for good measure.’ Borne from Wales’ success at the 2011 World Cup, the study confirmed that more successful teams had players which were 2kg heavier and 2cm taller than their less successful counterparts. This statistic was exemplified when England hosted Wales in last year’s 6 Nations. Wales boasted a back line which included Mike Phillips (6ft 3in), Jamie Roberts (6ft 3in), George North (6ft 4in) and Alex Cuthbert (6ft 6in).  A close fought 19-12 victory for Wales didn’t dispel the idea that bigger is better, but certainly didn’t confirm it either.

Former Wales wing Adrian Hadley said: “You can be big and strong but not be as much of a ball carrier as someone like Shane Williams.“But, if you put 15 Shane Williams and 15 George Norths against each other, I’d probably put my money on the George Norths.’ Whilst a match up of this magnitude is intriguing (North at 6ft 4in and Williams at 5ft 7in) could it not be claimed that we are entering back into Simon Shaw’s argument that rugby players are turning into “gym monkeys.” Shaw argued that “we should be looking more at the skill side of the game rather than the physical.” With this in mind is it possible to do a straight comparison, big wingers vs. small wingers.

In my mind small wingers have always held the edge over the bigger winger. Scanning through copious archives on the world’s best wingers, the usual suspects are thrown up; Shane Williams (5ft 7in), Bryan Habana (5ft 11in), Jason Robinson (5ft 8in), Rupeni Caucauibuca (5ft 11in), David Campese (5ft 9in) Jeff Wilson (5ft 9in), Rory Underwood (5ft 8in), and of course Daisuke Ohata who, standing tall at 5ft 9in has scored 69 tries in 58 tests for Japan! Whilst I would never disagree with a journal packed with extensive research, I might query the article’s bias to the Welsh rugby team. Remembering their ideologies that bigger was generally better, we witnessed a World Cup Final boasting Vincent Clerc, Alexis Palisson and Cory Jane all standing under 6ft tall.

Whilst I stand firm on my stance on the smaller winger, centres are a different matter and it is in this position the big boys stand up tall! Matt Banahan is a prime example of this. Used as a battering ram for Bath and England on the wing, his game was limited and his international career faltered. Since his move to the centres, his game has improved and his name is once again being banded around the international circuit. Sonny Bill Williams and Richard Kahui are two other examples of players who have thrived in the centres rather than out wide. Both standing over 6ft 4, their direct running and in Williams’ case his offloading have caused many teams problems time after time.

It is now that I would ask Warren Gatland (if I had his number) to consider his backline selection very carefully for the Lions Tour. I think George North is a very talented rugby player as is Tim Visser who recently qualified for Scotland. If we are to get the best out of the Lions I think we need a back 3 of Ashton, Halfpenny and Kearney! With this in mind, I would stick George North in the centres with Roberts and try to create the Nonu/Williams axis that was so successful for the All Blacks. Rob Howley stated that “Skill in international rugby is so important, ultimately international rugby is about creating space and being able to put the ball into that space.“Rugby is a passing game and one thing we stress to the players is that while having the physicality, you have to create that space.” Under Howley’s tutelage (certainly at a Welsh level) this could be a key element to the Lions success in Australia. Let Roberts and North dominate the midfield battle and with improved offloading ability we could set free a back 3 which has the potential to be world beaters.