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When we talk about position-less rugby, we are usually talking about attacking shape. The expectation that a player, regardless of the number on their back, should know what to do in any situation on the pitch and have the skillset to execute it. But are we now moving beyond that? Rather than just the structures, are the players themselves becoming position-less?
The traditional blindside flanker is becoming a relic of the past. Nearly all teams now play either a 3rd lock or dual opensides. Some even play 3 opensides across the back row whilst France played a game with 4 locks in the starting pack. And still, it goes further…
As athletes, centres and flankers have been converging for some time. Flankers have always been the players with the widest skill sets, the jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none in the team. Justin Tipuric and Michael Hooper too were examples of flankers who were comfortable mixing it with the backs. How many times have we seen the likes of Jack Morgan or Ardie Savea join the backline? Kwagga Smith and James Davies played games on the wing when injuries dictated.
Now though, it going up a level. Ben Earl playing at 12 for England started as a joke, but has become a reality - to the point where he has covered the position for the Lions! Steve Borthwick is now looking at adopting the 7-1 split to make room for as many flankers in the 23 as possible, because they can cover multiple positions. France won the Six Nations title with a flanker, Jegou, playing 12. All Black Leicester Fianga’anuku recently gave an interview where he confirm that whilst at Toulon he would regularly play the first 40 minutes in the centres and then the second 40 amongst the loose forwards.
Meanwhile, examples of centres getting in amongst the forwards are becoming more and more common. When Rassie Erasmus deployed centre Andre Esterhuizen on the flank for the Springboks last month it took everyone by surprise, but should it? Esterhuizen certainly has the physicality of a flank forward and it’s not like a back joining the scrum is a totally new idea.
Several years ago, England used winger Jack Nowell as a flanker during a set move whilst Fiji’s Levani Botia made the permanent switch at La Rochelle to Champions Cup winning effect. The Ospreys have spoken about wanting to get their 12, Keiran Williams, into as many mauls as possible because they can statistically prove it makes them more likely to score.
To the flanker/centre love in we can also start to add hookers. Hookers and flankers have always had a crossover, with many a hooker starting their career as a flanker, but as flankers converge with centres so hookers are starting to follow suit. Playing hookers as wide forwards has been commonplace for years, pioneered by the All Blacks Dane Coles and Leinster’s Sean Cronin. Codie Taylor continued that tradition and these days the likes of Dan Sheehan and Peato Mauvaka really are starting to look like extra centres out there. The Ospreys even used Dewi Lake in the 13 channel this season, albeit with mixed results.
If we look elsewhere in the team, more and more fullbacks are expected to be able to play fly-half to the point where some teams are just shoe horning 10s into the 15 shirt. The specialised wing, like the specialised blindside, is becoming rarer with many teams, such as the all conquering Toulouse, fielding a full back 3 of fullbacks. 13s and wings have been swapping jerseys for year and as the 5-3 split gives way to 6-2s and 7-1s, it has become accepted that all 9s must be able to play wing.
We are seeing 10s getting bigger as more and more is asked of them in defence. Handre Pollard and Sacha Feinberg-Mgomezulu are both able to play 12 and the Scarlets have just signed a 12 with the intent of converting him to a 10 in the form of Joe Hawkins. This is not a case of 2nd playmaker 12s being returned to their natural position but genuine position changes. It' is not impossible that Jordie Barrett may move back to 10 some day, he certainly has the skills.
So where will it end? As long as the set piece retains its teeth, it is difficult to ever see props and halfbacks interchange. Their required skillsets are simply too divergents and you would never ideally want one to be in the other’s position in many, if any scenarios on the pitch. A 10’s skillset has always been as much about brains as brawn, whilst the smallest players will probably continue to have a 9 stuck on their back. The French will continue to insist all 9s can play 10, but no one else in the world really takes this seriously.
Rugby is in the era of versatility. The likes of South Africa, France and England base a great deal of their selection on versatility. As we see this trend continue we will see an athletic communisation between players. An ideal body type will emerge: a Ben Earl, an Ardie Savea, a Peato Mauvaka. All quick, all strong, all a wide skillset. The question is, is it just a trend or the start of rugby players becoming homogenised. The game for all shapes and sizes… for how long?