Gerry Thornley: The day of the jackaller should not be ended just like that

It has become one of the great modern skills in rugby union; a player identifying when a tackler has been brought to ground, positioning himself over the ball, withstanding clear-outs and earning a clean turnover or a penalty for his team.

Cue the cheers and roars of appreciative supporters and team-mates alike. Then, having survived the attempted clear-outs, depending on the importance of the successful turnover, the player in question then usually endures death by backslapping.

Aside from tackling themselves to a standstill, it is one of the last vestiges of hope left for a defending team as they are being taken through multiple phases, with 30-plus, 40-plus or even 50-phase drives now not uncommon.

Time was when there were just a few specialists, such as Neil Back and Martyn Williams. Now, with players such as David Pocock, Tadhg Beirne and others, many more have perfected the art, be they hookers, props, back-rowers or midfielders. With clean turnover ball, a team has a chance to attack when the opposition’s defensive system is not set, and so can reward teams best equipped at transitioning from defence to attack.

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For a while, jackallers were probably given too much largesse, being rewarded with penalties when in many instances their elbows first hit the ground, not supporting their own body weight or feigning to win a turnover when in fact holding the ball in to the tackled player with the specific aim of winning a penalty.

Crept up

This has been compounded by officials no longer enforcing the hindmost foot offside line, which – as Matt Williams highlighted in these pages recently – in turn has crept up to a line from the tackled player.

Afforded two metres less space off almost every recycle, and mindful of the opposition’s jackallers, cue the preponderance of one-off runners, and with that a more likely recycle and those 30-plus, 40-plus (insert yawns where necessary) or even 50-phase drives. It also stands to reason that no teams can go through that many phases without one player going off their feet or coming in from the side.

Properly policing the hindmost offside line, rewarding long-range touchfinders in the opposition 22 from one’s half with the ensuing throw-in (a variation on League’s 60-40 rule), while also fairly adjudicating on legitimate poaches or turnovers by jackallers, would encourage teams to be more ambitious in attack while also rewarding the skill of winning turnovers at the breakdown. It would afford referees more scope to trust their instincts, but that would sort out the very good ones from the merely good ones.

The breakdown has become such a dangerous skill for the player in the 'jackal' that he is now an endangered species

Instead, to reduce the impact of the jackal in the cause of continuity, referees have allowed players clearing to launch themselves at the breakdown without “joining” the ruck, as the laws state they must do. Messrs Back and Williams wouldn’t survive in the modern game.

Now the breakdown has become such an increasingly dangerous skill for the player in the “jackal” that he is now an endangered species, for the day of the jackal may soon be no more. World Rugby’s latest proposed law changes to outlaw the “jackal”, and reduce the number of replacements from eight to six or five, were announced earlier this month and, pending a successful trial, are designed to enhance the game’s flow and reduce the risk of injuries.

Well-intentioned

Removing the “jackaller” from the game is well-intentioned. The horrific knee injury which Dan Leavy suffered in Leinster’s Heineken Champions Cup quarter-final win over Ulster highlighted the dangers contained for those exposed in the jackal.

It was in attempting a jackal towards the end of the first-half in Ireland’s pool-deciding win over France in Cardiff that Paul O’Connell suffered the hamstring injury which ended his career.

Sam Warburton had to retire at the age of 29 following a career full of serious injuries not entirely unrelated to the punishment he withstood in the jackal.

He says the game’s law-makers need to identify the breakdown and protect the jackallers, primarily by looking at the clear-outs, and restricting the attacking team to no more than two players at a ruck. That would be worth considering, albeit it may be hard to police given the pace of the modern game.

The consequence of World Rugby’s proposal would, in theory, ensure more players stay on their feet and revive the art of rucking. But would it not also reduce the contest for the ball at the breakdown, for it is the contest for the ball that separates Union from League more than anything?

In the Six Nations, it seemed as if referees were less inclined to reward jackallers

This could be further achieved at the set-piece by actually applying existing laws regarding crooked scrum feeds, a la Rugby League, and crooked line-out throws, the latter having become almost as prevalent as the former.

But, in this year’s Six Nations, the chances of a team retaining possession at a breakdown were 94 per cent, which was actually slightly higher even than the return for teams at set-pieces; and, of course, rucks have become increasingly more commonplace than scrums or line-outs.

Full-on shots

In the Six Nations, it seemed as if referees were less inclined to reward jackallers. This in turn has meant them being exposed to more and more full-on shots from those clearing out at ruck time. Rather than “joining” rucks, and attempting to wrestle jackallers off the ball, players use it illegally as a free shot.

Another way of protecting the jackaller would be to prohibit players clearing out from going off their feet, ie hurling themselves like human missiles.

Furthermore, no less than ensuring the jackaller comes through the gate, this should also be applied to his opponents, rather than allowing them to clear out from the side.

All in all, wouldn’t it be preferable to enforce existing laws, or trial changes, that might protect the jackaller rather than outlaw him from the game completely?

The jackaller has become one of rugby union’s most skilful. It would be a shame to banish him altogether.

[ gthornley@irishtimes.com ]