Australian legend David Campese is concerned that rugby union is starting to mimic traditional rugby league and is a poorer sport as a result.
Campese, who was the second-ever player and first Australian to reach 100 test caps and retired as the then leading try scorer in test rugby, feels that the game’s adopting of rugby league laws, former league players as coaches and a focus on defence is making union appear like its sister sport.
“We’ve got rugby league laws in our game, but rugby league don’t care about us,” Campese said, appearing on The Rugby Paper Podcast.
“You’ve got Andy Farrell, an ex-rugby league player, who’s made Ireland all about defence. When they beat the All Blacks last year, in New Zealand, you have a look at the game and they did not commit one player to a defensive ruck. So with four All Blacks on the ground it’s 15 vs 11.
“The game is a very simple game these days but it’s all about defence, it’s not about attack, and unfortunately the game that my era used to play is a distant memory.
“I watch old videos with my son Jason, trying to teach him some of the ways we used to play but he plays with kids who don’t watch rugby anymore, which is very sad.”
Campese feels that the sports have swapped in their priorities, with league becoming a more offensively-tuned game while union has prioritised defending.
He believes that people on the wing, in the position he played, are being deprived of opportunities, using a short-ranged pick and go from Australian winger Marika Koroibete as evidence of this point.
“You look at the game of rugby now, and teams are constantly playing behind the advantage line,” he added. “The attacking team is actually going backwards, the defending team is going forwards. We’ve got it the wrong way round.
“That’s what rugby league used to be like. Rugby league in Australia is playing the sport that we used to which is attack, attack, attack. We’re playing what used to be rugby league which is all defence, defence, defence, and all people want to do is run through people.
“Koroibete has to pick from a ruck five metres out to dive over and score a try because no-one gives him the ball. Can you imagine me? I’d never go near a ruck.”
Campese’s main explanation for rugby union changing so much is the increased focus on shapes and gameplans in coaching.
He feels that there are only rare instances of instinctive players getting opportunities, as coaches are not interested in players that stray from the plan.
“That’s the way the game’s changed, it’s all about structure,” he continued. “Let the guys go out there and express themselves.
“I’ve recounted this story many times, one of the last times Danny Cipriani played for England at Twickenham was against Australia. England were in their 22, Danny gets the ball and he runs to the opposition 22 and there’s no-one there because they’re ready for the next phase. They can’t anticipate.
“That’s why Eddie Jones didn’t like him. Coaches hate people they cannot control, especially in the backs. It’s a fact of life.”
Jones has since gone on to coach Australia after he was let go by England at the end of last year.
He named his squad for the tournament last week, getting into a spat with Australian journalists on Thursday, many of whom had criticised that squad.
Campese has questioned Jones’ tactics since he began his second spell as Australia coach, but had yet to give public criticism of his selections for France.
But after joking at the start of the podcast that he didn’t know who any of the players in the squad were, he felt the choice of Will Skelton as captain and lack of combinations in the Australian team would prove costly.
He said: “My experience at World Cups is that you need someone who under pressure is going to take control. I’ve watched Skelton play and he’s not a leader. He doesn’t lead by example and will he last 80 minutes?
“Hooper hasn’t played his best rugby for a couple of years but should they have taken him as captain as he’s played 125 tests? Slipper was captain before and he’s going but not as captain.
“I don’t know what Eddie’s thought was, but he’s always like that. He always picks someone who’s a bit lazy as captain in the hope it will make them play better.
“If you look at the scrum there’s a lot of individuals, not a team. You’ve young number nines, a young ten, a backline who aren’t really connected and are all individuals in the way they play too.”
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