It’s been 12 months since World Rugby’s campaign to create more of a contest in the air for high kicks.
In the past, contestable box-kicks were so in name only, with teams mastering the art of creating a shield of players to protect their wingers or full-backs as they rose to take clean possession.
Since November 2024, players now have to actively remove themselves from the kicking channel, to allow kick-chasers a clear path to contest for the ball.
With more genuine contests in the air, the knock-on effect has been a greater number of deflected and breaking balls, which in turn has crested opportunities to attack in transition against unstructured defences.
The evidence would suggest that Ireland are behind the curve right now in how they have cut their cloth to suit the way the game is now being played, although attack coach Andrew Goodman did admit last week that he and the Ireland management team are taking “a deep look” at how they can exploit the greater opportunities to attack that extra space.
There are two elements to it. First, as Ireland’s current full-back Jamie Osborne (below) points out, work has to be done by the kick-chasers on becoming better at either winning clean ball in the air, or at the very least making sure it gets back on their side.
“Anyone really in the backfield, we’d spend a good bit of time during the week trying to win, get up and catch the ball at the highest point,” he said this week.
“As a team, we’re definitely working more on the players in and around the contests and what they can do to ensure that the ball comes back on our side, because a lot of the time, a good contest, they’re basically 50:50s all the time now.
“It’s rare enough that you’re able to get clean catches.”
From Johnny Sexton’s point of view, there’s no reason why Ireland shouldn’t be among the best in the world in this area.
“It’s a massive part of the game now with the rule changes, in terms of not being allowed to escort back. You’ve got to clear a good pathway for people to have a real contest,” the kicking coach said.
“I think that will suit us because with Gaelic football, you know.
“I look back at probably 2019 when we were probably the best in the world at kicking the ball, and teams combated a way to stop us getting up after it and that was partly how the escorting came in.
“Eddie Jones seemed like he came up with it to play against us. But now it’s back in as a contest and I think that will that will suit us going forward.
“But we have a little bit of work to do on it at the moment.”
Jamie Osborne starts at full-back for Ireland against Japan
The second element is how what to do with the ball that has been won back.
Defences have never been more sophisticated in rugby, but even the greatest coaches in the game can’t predict the bounce of a rugby ball.
And that unpredictability leads to huge attacking opportunities against a retreating and scrambling defence.
“We want to be able to attack the space with good bodies in motion, if you know what I mean,” Osborne said, as he reflected on Ireland’s lack of attacking edge in last week’s defeat to New Zealand in Chicago.
“We do work on that a lot. It is unstructured, but there’s probably – I don’t want to say structure to it – but there’s a framework that we have.
“I’d say a lot of what happened on Saturday we need to do better.
“I suppose we’re all pretty disappointed with how the game went. We probably felt like we didn’t really impose our game on them. It was probably the opposite.
“We definitely felt like we missed a few opportunities, even just to pull the trigger and get the ball into space.
“That’s something that, as backs, as a collective, we’re probably really disappointed with. Also, being able to take the opportunities when they come is important. So we’ll try and work on that.”
“The reality is if they don’t perform against South Africa or Australia, he’ll have no choice…”
How much will Andy Farrell’s loyalty to his frontline players be tested this month?
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Osborne continues at full-back for Ireland this weekend against Japan, one of seven players to retain their place in the starting XV.
The Leinster back, who turns 24 next week, has played primarily as a centre for Leinster, but made his debut for Ireland in 2024 in the 15 shirt, and has played the majority of his Test rugby in the backfield.
Injury to Hugo Keenan has given him a clear run of appearances at full-back, and he’s likely to be first choice there for province and country until Keenan returns in the new year.
“At the moment I’m at 15, so I’m happy enough at the moment.
“I’ve been enjoying it, obviously. Two games at Leinster and then one there [against New Zealand]. Although there are different systems, it’s very much the same. There’s similarities as well, so yeah, I’m enjoying it.
“Any time you lose a game, I think the next game is you just want to get back on the pitch as soon as possible and try and right a few wrongs.
“I think everyone’s looking forward to getting back out in front of a home crowd for the first time in a while as well,” he added.
Watch Ireland v Japan in the Quilter Nations Series on Saturday from 12pm on RTÉ2 and the RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on the RTÉ News App and on rte.ie/sport. Listen to live commentary on RTÉ Radio 1 Extra.