Former Ireland lock says France using seven replacement forwards could alter direction of rugby

The sight of France sending on seven forwards has concerned former Irish lock Donncha O’Callaghan. The strategy comes with risk but it works if a team have enough versatility and an enviable depth in their ranks of power athletes.

Antoine Dupont of France passes the ball during the Six Nations clash with Ireland. Picture: Getty Images

Ireland are the only international team to have overcome a 7-1 bench.
Andy Farrell’s men met the ferocious challenge of South Africa’s so-called bomb squad at the 2023 World Cup and delivered one of their finest performances to win the pool match 13-8. As good as Ireland were that intoxicating night, they were helped by the Springboks missing some shots at goal.

Facing the challenge for a second time on Saturday, against a France team in a ruthless mood, Ireland had no answer to a performance of beauty and the beasts at the Aviva Stadium. They were overwhelmed by the power of the French forward pack. Upon that foundation Les Bleus unfurled some sizzling rugby.

Up in the stands at the Aviva Stadium, Donncha O’Callaghan was purring and fretting in equal measure. The former Ireland lock lavished praise on the audaciousness of France’s rugby, typified by the cross-kick on his own line from Louis Bielle-Biarrey to Damian Penaud. It was one of the most high-stakes exits ever seen in a rugby match.

“Some of the scores. The offloading. The ability to keep the ball alive. It is good for our game because you are seeing these incredible players with the most amazing touches,” said O’Callaghan on the BBC’s Rugby Union Weekly podcast.

France’s Louis Bielle-Biarrey runs the ball in open space against Ireland. Picture: Getty Images

But the sight of France sending on seven forwards also concerned O’Callaghan. The strategy comes with risk but it works if a team have enough versatility and an enviable depth in their ranks of power athletes. France have both.

Oscar Jegou, a flanker, had to spend most of the game at outside centre but slotted perfectly into a well-oiled machine, executing grubber-kicks, making 11 tackles and scoring one of France’s five tries. Meanwhile, France replaced their whole tight five and No8. Their raft of replacements included the 23-stone lock Emmanuel Meafou.

Ireland responded to France’s team selection by fielding a bench with six forwards for the first time in a year. They usually prefer the more classic 5-3 split, as do New Zealand. The All Blacks do not subscribe to the 7-1 strategy. Nor does O’Callaghan, who raised concerns about the direction of the sport.

“We [Ireland] were hoping we would have the answers,” O’Callaghan said. “We did against South Africa at the World Cup. Can a 6-2 bench beat a 7-1 bench any more? Today was a defining day for rugby. If you can generate these talented athletes, you can push on.”

Ireland’s Sam Prendergast is held by France’s Pierre-Louis Barassi. Picture: Getty Images

The Times revealed last week that Gregor Townsend, the Scotland coach, had raised concerns about 7-1 benches at World Rugby’s Shape of the Game conference in London. Townsend is on World Rugby’s men’s high-performance rugby committee. He was the spokesman for his table discussion and there were plenty of high-powered coaches and experts in the room who concurred with him.

Townsend put his thoughts on record after Scotland’s Six Nations win against Wales. “I don’t think the bench was set up to suddenly have a new forward pack coming on,” he said. “But that’s for World Rugby to decide what you do with the bench, and to make any changes. But just now you can put eight forwards on the bench if you want.

“Where do we think the game might end up? Is it going to be more a game where we need forwards in a 6-2 or 7-1? Or is it a game where we need backs because it’s going to be so open that we’ve got to make sure we’re bringing backs off the bench?

“The depth of French rugby, right throughout their team, their back line, their squad, if they go 7-1, you know you’re going to come up against some top, top players.”

France’s Maxime Lucu charges upfield. Picture: Getty Images

Scotland, who head to Paris on Saturday, played against the Springboks with a 7-1 bench last November and battled well against the world champions before losing 32-15 at Murrayfield.

Townsend did not rule out going 7-1 in the future. Scotland certainly have the back-line versatility, although it is questionable whether they boast enough power athletes to make it worth the risk. Scotland went 6-2 against Ireland, lost two backs early on to injury and were blown away.

The matter was not debated at length at the World Rugby conference. There was no real appetite to tinker with the game’s regulations immediately, given the most recent law changes are still bedding in.

But the issue is expected to return to the table for further discussion, given that critics believe the present regulations are being exploited by those teams blessed with power forwards. Rassie Erasmus and Fabien Galthie, the respective head coaches of South Africa and France, would both argue their selection decisions are reasonable and being made within the regulations to maximise the chance of their team winning.

France’s Antoine Dupont catches the ball. Picture: Getty Images

As reported by The Times last week, one source present at the World Rugby conference highlighted the importance of detaching national interest from any debate about what is best for the game overall. Those who would struggle to field a 7-1 bench may take a different view from those whose forward stocks are much deeper.

There was also a sense that the matter can only be discussed properly when potential solutions for dealing differently with an eight-man bench (this has not been a big issue yet in women’s rugby) are brought to the table for further exploration.

World Rugby is already conducting research into the impact of tactical replacements with regards to injury risk and how making eight changes reduces the amount of fatigue in a game.

“It is about what is best for South Africa within the laws so that we can win matches,” Erasmus said last week. “I can show you papers from Ross Tucker, [a sports scientist] who works for World Rugby, that it has never been shown that any fresh player who comes on to the field makes the game more dangerous.”

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Originally published on The Times and republished with permission

Originally published as Former Ireland lock says France using seven replacement forwards could alter direction of rugby