Lion Leigh Halfpenny ‘could be explosive like Israel Folau’

The man who gave George North his scything sidestep and Israel Folau his kangaroo kick believes Leigh Halfpenny combines the best both of both, claiming the pocket rocket is ready to explode with ball in hand.
World-renowned sprinting expert Frans Bosch, a Dutch biomechanics professor, can take most of the credit for last weekend’s fireworks in Brisbane and his phone has been ringing off the hook since Warren Gatland let the secret out after the match.
Having worked with Wales in the build-up to the 2011 World Cup, Bosch taught North to sidestep rather than run in rampaging straight lines, while in 2009 he turned Folau from ‘Bambi on ice’ to thoroughbred.
So far on the Lions tour, it’s Halfpenny’s metronomic right boot that has caught the eye but Bosch believes he has quicksilver in his feet, urging the full-back to believe in himself.
“Leigh would be a very good 60metre sprinter, I’m really quite interested in how he will develop because I’ve been working with him and he’s just as good as George North,” said Bosch.
“From my point of view he is a phenomenal athlete. He is very diligent and has fantastic control in his sprinting.
“He has an excellent sidestep, too, that I have been working on with him.
“We haven’t seen that much of it because the opportunities have not been there but I think he just needs to have more confidence because I am convinced it will be very effective.
“Like George, Leigh is very quick to learn. It didn’t take George long to learn his sidestep. Before he was very powerful but his running style was poor.
“It was the same with Israel who now has a similar style of sprinting to George. When I first saw him he had no control over what he was doing and his movements.
“I analysed him a lot and his style was appalling, but now he is much more rhythmical and has a lot of control.”
Folau’s previous incarnation as a Rugby League star ensured his public profile was already high before he made his Wallabies debut last weekend – former Australia international Ben Cross told The Rugby Paper he was their very own Sonny Bill Williams earlier this year.
But it is his spell in Aussie Rules in 2012 that gives him the edge under the high ball and adds another potent weapon to his game.
During Wales’ tour of Australia last year, North and Halfpenny trained with AFL team Sydney Swans and manager Peter Berbakov agrees they both left an impression.
He said: “I clearly remember them. We were well aware Leigh Halfpenny was a ‘gun’ after watching the Six Nations, and of the power of George North.
“I discussed with them the catching techniques we train our AFL players with. It involves protecting the ball with your body, what we call protecting the ‘drop zone’, and trying to make any contest for the ball a 60:40 contest based on body position to negate any size or strength advantage of your opponent.
“You are trying to keep your head behind the line of the ball to improve judgment, which may mean using an arc to run and jump through the flight of the ball to avoid catching the ball off-centre.
“I think they saw the benefit and now we’re seeing some of the small ball handling drills and skills of the AFL players running, kicking and catching at speed.”
Prior to working with Wales – at the request of their fitness guru Adam Beard – Bosch was recruited by Martin Johnson’s England but the Red Rose were not as receptive as Warren Gatland‘s side.
England’s loss has been Wales’ gain but Bosch believes rugby players all over the world could do with some work on their sprinting skills.
“The standard and technique of sprinting used in rugby is very, very poor,” he added.
“They have a saying in Australia that if you’re going to play water polo, you have to learn to swim first and it’s the same with rugby, you have to be able to run properly.
“There really is no idea about the skills of sprinting and I think there are so many improvements to be made.”
GERARD MEAGHER