Spanish youngsters show how to tackle low

RUGBY MATTERS

I DON'T know if you caught any of Spain's game against Italy at the Junior World Cup last Sunday but it was an instructive contest.

Spain, newly promoted from the trophy last year, took Italy to the wire despite enjoying barely 20 per cent possession and making well over 300 tackles.

Spain's defence was endlessly brave, their discipline excellent and their attitudelike many top Spanish sports teams and individuals – excellent, but what struck me was their textbook low tackling under the most intense pressure as Italy battered away. Not once did they even hint at a high shot and in wet, slippery conditions with the Italians running hard and low that was nigh on miraculous. It can be doneof course it can be doneif the will is there and you have been coached to always tackle by the book.

But here's the kicker and the elephant in the room about pluperfect textbook tackling. At almost no time did their brave defensive efforts result in a turnover directly from the tackle. The young Italians retained possession with monotonous regularity and on another day would have made much better use of it.

And this is why tackle heights will remain stubbornly high in professional senior rugby. The Holy Grail is stopping the off-load as well the pass and absorbing the tackle without going to ground and being out of the game. And that involves going much higher. And when you aim at the upper torsostill just about legal in most people's mindsyou only need to be out by a few inches or fail to anticipate a late move and it's a headshot or a tackle that rides up.

It's a conundrum. But let it be noted here. Legal tackling for the full 80 is eminently possible, it's just that its reward is probably not what it should be.