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| The Joy of Six: drop goals in rugby union | The Joy of Six: drop goals in rugby union |
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| 1) John Peter Rhys Williams for the Lions v New Zealand (1971) | 1) John Peter Rhys Williams for the Lions v New Zealand (1971) |
| Despite the travel-induced exhaustion and some questionable refereeing, this was an embarrassing defeat for the Lions. They had stepped off a plane 58 hours earlier and now they were stepping off a pitch after losing 15-11 to Queensland. (They were in Australia to play two warm-up games before the tour of New Zealand.) Des Connor, the Queensland coach, was quick to apply salt to open wounds. “These Lions are hopeless,” he said. “They are undoubtedly the worst team ever to be sent to New Zealand.” Connor had spoken too soon. That same squad went on to win all bar one of their next 25 games. That single defeat came against New Zealand in the second Test, but Carwyn James’s Lions recorded victories over the All Blacks either side of that loss. Those two wins meant they went into the final match needing just a draw to do what no Lions side had ever done before, or indeed since: win a series in New Zealand. | |
| “It was not the greatest of games,” wrote Clem Thomas in his report for the Observer, “but, by heaven, it was one of the most exciting and excruciating games I have ever seen.” The All Blacks, with the wind and sun behind them, opened the scoring with a converted try after only four minutes. Nine minutes and a couple of punch-ups later, Gareth Edwards was penalised for a crooked put-in and Laurie Mains made it 8-0 from 37 yards out. With New Zealand dominant, especially up front, that dream of a series win seemed to be ebbing away. However, four minutes from half-time, hope was reeled in. Barry John scored a penalty and a converted try by Peter Dixon brought the Lions level when the whistle blew for half-time. After the restart, it was the away side who got off to the better start with John slotting over his second penalty of the game. But New Zealand, via Tom Lister, levelled the scores once more making it 11 apiece. | “It was not the greatest of games,” wrote Clem Thomas in his report for the Observer, “but, by heaven, it was one of the most exciting and excruciating games I have ever seen.” The All Blacks, with the wind and sun behind them, opened the scoring with a converted try after only four minutes. Nine minutes and a couple of punch-ups later, Gareth Edwards was penalised for a crooked put-in and Laurie Mains made it 8-0 from 37 yards out. With New Zealand dominant, especially up front, that dream of a series win seemed to be ebbing away. However, four minutes from half-time, hope was reeled in. Barry John scored a penalty and a converted try by Peter Dixon brought the Lions level when the whistle blew for half-time. After the restart, it was the away side who got off to the better start with John slotting over his second penalty of the game. But New Zealand, via Tom Lister, levelled the scores once more making it 11 apiece. |
| With the game delicately poised and so much at stake, the Lions had a lineout on the left of the field. They won that and did their best to work the ball down the wing. Some hard tackling from the All Blacks pushed them back and the ball landed in the hands of David Duckham via Edwards. His pass back was high and loose, flung like a skinny kid eager to escape the inevitable crushing tackle from the onrushing, on-field bully. Nonetheless, the Lions captain, John Dawes, managed to control it and hand possession to his full-back, John Peter Rhys Williams. | With the game delicately poised and so much at stake, the Lions had a lineout on the left of the field. They won that and did their best to work the ball down the wing. Some hard tackling from the All Blacks pushed them back and the ball landed in the hands of David Duckham via Edwards. His pass back was high and loose, flung like a skinny kid eager to escape the inevitable crushing tackle from the onrushing, on-field bully. Nonetheless, the Lions captain, John Dawes, managed to control it and hand possession to his full-back, John Peter Rhys Williams. |
| Off the pitch, Williams was the 1966 Junior Wimbledon title winner and would later qualify as an orthopaedic surgeon. On it, he was a tough tackling full-back, blessed with speed and skill and tremendous courage. However, as good as his game was, it had one major weakness: his kicking from hand. “In Lions terms,” he said, “I always felt my game benefited from not being a goal-kicker. I had to put absolutely everything into the rest of my game. On my two tours, Bob Hiller and Andy Irvine were really prolific goal-kicking fullbacks, so the rest of my game had to be razor sharp to hold them off.” | Off the pitch, Williams was the 1966 Junior Wimbledon title winner and would later qualify as an orthopaedic surgeon. On it, he was a tough tackling full-back, blessed with speed and skill and tremendous courage. However, as good as his game was, it had one major weakness: his kicking from hand. “In Lions terms,” he said, “I always felt my game benefited from not being a goal-kicker. I had to put absolutely everything into the rest of my game. On my two tours, Bob Hiller and Andy Irvine were really prolific goal-kicking fullbacks, so the rest of my game had to be razor sharp to hold them off.” |
| Williams’ kicking skills, or lack thereof, had never held him back but it borders on the astounding what followed from Dawes’ pass. A full 50 yards from goal, Williams decided to try something he had never done before. He put his head down and brought his boot to the ball. The connection could not have been sweeter. It cleared the bar with ease and put the Lions in front once more. Afterwards, he turned and ran back to his position with those trademark locks in full flow and his arm raised, surely as much in relief as in celebration. “I never hit a ball truer in my life,” he later admitted. He is right. He never hit a truer ball in his life as that kick – the one that would ensure the Lions won the series – was the first and last drop goal he would ever score in his entire career. | Williams’ kicking skills, or lack thereof, had never held him back but it borders on the astounding what followed from Dawes’ pass. A full 50 yards from goal, Williams decided to try something he had never done before. He put his head down and brought his boot to the ball. The connection could not have been sweeter. It cleared the bar with ease and put the Lions in front once more. Afterwards, he turned and ran back to his position with those trademark locks in full flow and his arm raised, surely as much in relief as in celebration. “I never hit a ball truer in my life,” he later admitted. He is right. He never hit a truer ball in his life as that kick – the one that would ensure the Lions won the series – was the first and last drop goal he would ever score in his entire career. |
| 2) François Steyn for Racing Métro v Clermont (2010) | 2) François Steyn for Racing Métro v Clermont (2010) |
| François Steyn does monster drop goals. That’s his thing. From any angle, from any distance, for any team, he clears bars and bisects posts, leaving fans and commentators speechless and keeping surgeons in work repairing dropped jaws. Type his name into YouTube and the search should bring up this one against Australia; this one against the Cheetahs; this one against the Blues; and this one against Western Force. They are all great, they are all worth watching on repeat and all worth the resulting medical bills. However, a personal favourite comes in the colours of Racing Métro against Clermont. | François Steyn does monster drop goals. That’s his thing. From any angle, from any distance, for any team, he clears bars and bisects posts, leaving fans and commentators speechless and keeping surgeons in work repairing dropped jaws. Type his name into YouTube and the search should bring up this one against Australia; this one against the Cheetahs; this one against the Blues; and this one against Western Force. They are all great, they are all worth watching on repeat and all worth the resulting medical bills. However, a personal favourite comes in the colours of Racing Métro against Clermont. |
| This choice is not so much based on the difficulty of the kick – given that he is under little real pressure from the Clermont players, it is one of the easier ones he has scored. Nor is this choice based on the fact that the ball makes an arc as beautiful as a rainbow before soaring over the bar as well as the grass behind the posts. Those aspects of the effort are all astounding and to be applauded. However, this choice is solely based on his reaction to the kick. Watch the second camera angle of the drop goal. Within mere seconds of the ball leaving his boot, you can see Steyn turning around and running back in the direction of his posts. He was so supremely confident in his kicking ability that he knew there was no need to look back and that there was no need to give the kick a second thought. Given that he had won a World Cup (the youngest player to ever do so), a Tri-Nations Series and been a key part in helping South Africa defeat the Lions by that stage in his fledgling career – he was 23 at the time of the drop goal – he had every right to be that confident. | This choice is not so much based on the difficulty of the kick – given that he is under little real pressure from the Clermont players, it is one of the easier ones he has scored. Nor is this choice based on the fact that the ball makes an arc as beautiful as a rainbow before soaring over the bar as well as the grass behind the posts. Those aspects of the effort are all astounding and to be applauded. However, this choice is solely based on his reaction to the kick. Watch the second camera angle of the drop goal. Within mere seconds of the ball leaving his boot, you can see Steyn turning around and running back in the direction of his posts. He was so supremely confident in his kicking ability that he knew there was no need to look back and that there was no need to give the kick a second thought. Given that he had won a World Cup (the youngest player to ever do so), a Tri-Nations Series and been a key part in helping South Africa defeat the Lions by that stage in his fledgling career – he was 23 at the time of the drop goal – he had every right to be that confident. |
| 3) Matt Dunning for New South Wales Waratahs v The Chiefs (2003) | 3) Matt Dunning for New South Wales Waratahs v The Chiefs (2003) |
| Plenty of front-rows have tried. Some have been successful (like this one), but most have failed (like this one, or this one, or this one). Matt Dunning, however, managed the rare feat of succeeding and failing at the same time. It was 2003 and he was playing for the Waratahs against the Chiefs. The Waratahs were aiming to make the last available semi-final spot of the season, but to do so they needed to score two more tries and thus claim the bonus point. With 12 minutes left on the clock, the Waratahs’ progress in the Chiefs’ half was checked by an offside. Dunning figured that should he pick up the loose pass from Chris Whittaker and miss a drop goal, the referee would call the game back, the Waratahs could kick for touch and move into a more dangerous position from which they would launch another attack. Except he does not miss. | Plenty of front-rows have tried. Some have been successful (like this one), but most have failed (like this one, or this one, or this one). Matt Dunning, however, managed the rare feat of succeeding and failing at the same time. It was 2003 and he was playing for the Waratahs against the Chiefs. The Waratahs were aiming to make the last available semi-final spot of the season, but to do so they needed to score two more tries and thus claim the bonus point. With 12 minutes left on the clock, the Waratahs’ progress in the Chiefs’ half was checked by an offside. Dunning figured that should he pick up the loose pass from Chris Whittaker and miss a drop goal, the referee would call the game back, the Waratahs could kick for touch and move into a more dangerous position from which they would launch another attack. Except he does not miss. |
| The ball leaves his hand 28 metres out, hits his boot and flies over the heads of all in front of him and the Waratahs’ score goes up by three points. The crowd whistle and his team-mates stare at him in disbelief. Dunning puts his hands behind his heads, unable to believe what has just happened, before apologising to all around him. “I don’t even know why I did it,” he said afterwards. “It was just heat of the moment.” The Waratahs won but missed out on the semi-finals on points. One headline in the Australian press read: “Dumb and Dunning”. The 20-stone prop did not cope too well with the opprobrium that came with his mistake. The day after the match, he and his team-mates were having their end-of-season drinks – an event titled Mad Monday – and the night ended with Dunning breaking a team-mate’s nose in a fight outside a nightclub. “I did punch Des [Tuiavii] and I have told him that I am sorry. I was trying to hail a cab, I was drunk, there was a bit of push and shove and then I hit him. We were on our Mad Monday and I had too much to drink like a few of the other players. I’m not making excuses for my behaviour at all,” he added. “It was my fault. I went through a lot after the game and I thought that I dealt with the press that I received on the Sunday. I think it all got to me. Judging by the way I behaved, I don’t think I handled things too well.” | The ball leaves his hand 28 metres out, hits his boot and flies over the heads of all in front of him and the Waratahs’ score goes up by three points. The crowd whistle and his team-mates stare at him in disbelief. Dunning puts his hands behind his heads, unable to believe what has just happened, before apologising to all around him. “I don’t even know why I did it,” he said afterwards. “It was just heat of the moment.” The Waratahs won but missed out on the semi-finals on points. One headline in the Australian press read: “Dumb and Dunning”. The 20-stone prop did not cope too well with the opprobrium that came with his mistake. The day after the match, he and his team-mates were having their end-of-season drinks – an event titled Mad Monday – and the night ended with Dunning breaking a team-mate’s nose in a fight outside a nightclub. “I did punch Des [Tuiavii] and I have told him that I am sorry. I was trying to hail a cab, I was drunk, there was a bit of push and shove and then I hit him. We were on our Mad Monday and I had too much to drink like a few of the other players. I’m not making excuses for my behaviour at all,” he added. “It was my fault. I went through a lot after the game and I thought that I dealt with the press that I received on the Sunday. I think it all got to me. Judging by the way I behaved, I don’t think I handled things too well.” |
| 4) Ronan O’Gara for Ireland v Wales (2009) | 4) Ronan O’Gara for Ireland v Wales (2009) |
| The Irish players walked off the pitch with plenty of reasons to be pleased with themselves. After a jittery start, they had just beaten a robust Italy 9-38. Two wins from two Six Nations games. The Grand Slam, the title that had eluded them for 61 years, was on. The two sides enjoyed the customary post-match dinner but the Italians drifted away from the proceedings early enough. With two weeks before the match against England, the Irish players decided to stay up. | The Irish players walked off the pitch with plenty of reasons to be pleased with themselves. After a jittery start, they had just beaten a robust Italy 9-38. Two wins from two Six Nations games. The Grand Slam, the title that had eluded them for 61 years, was on. The two sides enjoyed the customary post-match dinner but the Italians drifted away from the proceedings early enough. With two weeks before the match against England, the Irish players decided to stay up. |
| “The lads were allowed a few beers,” said Donncha O’Callaghan, “and after a while a sing-song started. The craic was good and everyone was comfortable in each other’s company.” A nightclub was found and the players decided to stay up a bit more. By 4am, Rob Kearney was worse for wear. His team-mates hailed a taxi. “He wasn’t feeling great so we had to roll down the window and he stuck his head out for a bit of air. He only joined us when he had something important to say.” When he did bring his head in, Kearney told them: “’Lads, we’re fucking going places.’” | “The lads were allowed a few beers,” said Donncha O’Callaghan, “and after a while a sing-song started. The craic was good and everyone was comfortable in each other’s company.” A nightclub was found and the players decided to stay up a bit more. By 4am, Rob Kearney was worse for wear. His team-mates hailed a taxi. “He wasn’t feeling great so we had to roll down the window and he stuck his head out for a bit of air. He only joined us when he had something important to say.” When he did bring his head in, Kearney told them: “’Lads, we’re fucking going places.’” |
| Fast forward to the final game of the series, Wales in the Millennium Stadium. With five minutes plus stoppage time left, Stephen Jones made it 15-14 to Wales with a drop goal. “What a climax to this game,” cried Eddie Butler after Jones’s kick crossed the bar, “what a climax to this Six Nations.” Neither he nor anyone else watching could have predicted that the climax had yet to come. A few moments after the restart, Jones put the ball out on the full, deep in his own half. Ireland had a lineout on the left-hand side and a chance for a late strike. They won the set-piece and a few moves later, Peter Stringer is digging for the ball under a mountain of bodies. He looks up once, he sees Ronan O’Gara in the pocket. He looks up twice, just to make sure. Then he releases the ball. | Fast forward to the final game of the series, Wales in the Millennium Stadium. With five minutes plus stoppage time left, Stephen Jones made it 15-14 to Wales with a drop goal. “What a climax to this game,” cried Eddie Butler after Jones’s kick crossed the bar, “what a climax to this Six Nations.” Neither he nor anyone else watching could have predicted that the climax had yet to come. A few moments after the restart, Jones put the ball out on the full, deep in his own half. Ireland had a lineout on the left-hand side and a chance for a late strike. They won the set-piece and a few moves later, Peter Stringer is digging for the ball under a mountain of bodies. He looks up once, he sees Ronan O’Gara in the pocket. He looks up twice, just to make sure. Then he releases the ball. |
| Before the game there had been talk of Ireland’s mental weakness. The Irish players had watched England play France the week before. After the match, Jeremy Guscott was asked who he thought would win between Ireland and Wales. “Wales,” he said. “Ireland will choke.” O’Callaghan agreed with him – “there had been too many crunch games over the years where we had come up short” – but O’Gara reckoned he was made of sterner stuff. “There will always be people who crack under pressure but I won two European Cup finals under pressure,” he said. However, from his first-half performance, it seemed O’Gara was doing just that. His kicking was wayward, devoid of its usual clinical nature. Twice he kicked out on the full, the cardinal sin of the out-half. | Before the game there had been talk of Ireland’s mental weakness. The Irish players had watched England play France the week before. After the match, Jeremy Guscott was asked who he thought would win between Ireland and Wales. “Wales,” he said. “Ireland will choke.” O’Callaghan agreed with him – “there had been too many crunch games over the years where we had come up short” – but O’Gara reckoned he was made of sterner stuff. “There will always be people who crack under pressure but I won two European Cup finals under pressure,” he said. However, from his first-half performance, it seemed O’Gara was doing just that. His kicking was wayward, devoid of its usual clinical nature. Twice he kicked out on the full, the cardinal sin of the out-half. |
| He knew himself that he was not on top of things and something needed to be done. “I had a few errors in the first half,” he said. “I screwed one or two kicks over and took some banter but you expect that. I got my head down at half-time to figure out how I could make an impact and things worked out.” In the second half, he was a different beast, one whose canny kicking led Ireland back into the game and back into Grand Slam contention. And now with two minutes and 40 seconds left on the clock, here he was with the chance to end those decades of pain. | He knew himself that he was not on top of things and something needed to be done. “I had a few errors in the first half,” he said. “I screwed one or two kicks over and took some banter but you expect that. I got my head down at half-time to figure out how I could make an impact and things worked out.” In the second half, he was a different beast, one whose canny kicking led Ireland back into the game and back into Grand Slam contention. And now with two minutes and 40 seconds left on the clock, here he was with the chance to end those decades of pain. |
| Stringer’s pass was perfect. It came at speed and gave O’Gara the necessary time to weigh up the situation. There were five red-shirted players closing in on him, like hungry wild dogs chasing down dinner. O’Gara felt they were offside but reasoned that the referee, Wayne Barnes, would not make the call. To evade their charge down, he had to get the ball up and over them as quickly as possible. It was a perfectly good time to panic but O’Gara was not sweating it. “I was very confident – I had the right imagery and visualised the kick going over.” That it did, cleaving the posts with precision. Kearney’s prediction had come true. “It was ugly but it flew straight and that’s all that matters,” said O’Gara. | Stringer’s pass was perfect. It came at speed and gave O’Gara the necessary time to weigh up the situation. There were five red-shirted players closing in on him, like hungry wild dogs chasing down dinner. O’Gara felt they were offside but reasoned that the referee, Wayne Barnes, would not make the call. To evade their charge down, he had to get the ball up and over them as quickly as possible. It was a perfectly good time to panic but O’Gara was not sweating it. “I was very confident – I had the right imagery and visualised the kick going over.” That it did, cleaving the posts with precision. Kearney’s prediction had come true. “It was ugly but it flew straight and that’s all that matters,” said O’Gara. |
| 5) Zinzan Brooke for New Zealand v England (1995) | 5) Zinzan Brooke for New Zealand v England (1995) |
| A short list of things No8s are meant to do: | A short list of things No8s are meant to do: |
| A short list of things that No8s are not meant to do*: | A short list of things that No8s are not meant to do*: |
| *Does not apply if you are Zinzan Brooke. | *Does not apply if you are Zinzan Brooke. |
| 6) Jonny Wilkinson for England v Australia (2003) | 6) Jonny Wilkinson for England v Australia (2003) |
| “Ten years after I’ve retired when people are sitting around the pub discussing their dream XV of all time or whatever, I want to be in there,” Jonny Wilkinson told Jim White in January 2002. Wilkinson should have little to worry about on that score. There have been few more complete players, let alone fly-halves, but despite his all-round ability his career will always be defined by that drop goal. He may have never rewatched the kick – “I’d love to watch a load of those [2003 World Cup] games but I’ll only watch them when the emotional memories drop off a bit” – but reviewing it now, along with that final push from the England side, there are two aspects that still stand out. | “Ten years after I’ve retired when people are sitting around the pub discussing their dream XV of all time or whatever, I want to be in there,” Jonny Wilkinson told Jim White in January 2002. Wilkinson should have little to worry about on that score. There have been few more complete players, let alone fly-halves, but despite his all-round ability his career will always be defined by that drop goal. He may have never rewatched the kick – “I’d love to watch a load of those [2003 World Cup] games but I’ll only watch them when the emotional memories drop off a bit” – but reviewing it now, along with that final push from the England side, there are two aspects that still stand out. |
| The first is the intelligence of Martin Johnson and Neil Back and how instrumental they were in setting up the opportunity. England had a lineout wide on the right, Lewis Moody was lifted high and won it, before the ball was swung to the far side. The move broke down and, with Wilkinson in place, most expected the fly-half to strike. The Australians certainly did and that is why there was a gap for Matt Dawson to dart through and gain a few vital metres. Dawson was soon hauled down and pinned to the bottom of the ruck. With Wilkinson still in place and a World Cup trophy at stake, Johnson and Back realise that the fly-half needs the right pass from the right person. They need Dawson back on his feet. So Back passes to Johnson, who carries it a yard or two. On the face of it, it is a seemingly innocuous move. However, its purpose was to afford Dawson time to regroup and reposition and it created the correct conditions for Wilkinson’s winning effort. | The first is the intelligence of Martin Johnson and Neil Back and how instrumental they were in setting up the opportunity. England had a lineout wide on the right, Lewis Moody was lifted high and won it, before the ball was swung to the far side. The move broke down and, with Wilkinson in place, most expected the fly-half to strike. The Australians certainly did and that is why there was a gap for Matt Dawson to dart through and gain a few vital metres. Dawson was soon hauled down and pinned to the bottom of the ruck. With Wilkinson still in place and a World Cup trophy at stake, Johnson and Back realise that the fly-half needs the right pass from the right person. They need Dawson back on his feet. So Back passes to Johnson, who carries it a yard or two. On the face of it, it is a seemingly innocuous move. However, its purpose was to afford Dawson time to regroup and reposition and it created the correct conditions for Wilkinson’s winning effort. |
| The second aspect, and perhaps this the most staggering, is that Wilkinson hit that drop goal with his right foot … His weak foot. That’s right. With just 20 seconds on the clock, with the pressure at its peak, with Australia bearing down on him, with the hope of his nation resting on his foot, he kicked a World Cup winning drop goal with his weak foot. And he nailed it. It was something Wilkinson had practised a thousand times before – the tales of Wilkinson’s practice sessions are the stuff of legend; even now, though retired, he still spends hours working on his kicking and in the time between the final whistle and the beginning of extra-time, instead of going into the huddle with the rest of his team-mates, he went down the pitch with a tee and ball and practised his kicking – but to be so calm, so clinical and so correct at that stage of the game when fatigue, both mental and physical, had kicked in highlights what an immense player Wilkinson was in his pomp. | The second aspect, and perhaps this the most staggering, is that Wilkinson hit that drop goal with his right foot … His weak foot. That’s right. With just 20 seconds on the clock, with the pressure at its peak, with Australia bearing down on him, with the hope of his nation resting on his foot, he kicked a World Cup winning drop goal with his weak foot. And he nailed it. It was something Wilkinson had practised a thousand times before – the tales of Wilkinson’s practice sessions are the stuff of legend; even now, though retired, he still spends hours working on his kicking and in the time between the final whistle and the beginning of extra-time, instead of going into the huddle with the rest of his team-mates, he went down the pitch with a tee and ball and practised his kicking – but to be so calm, so clinical and so correct at that stage of the game when fatigue, both mental and physical, had kicked in highlights what an immense player Wilkinson was in his pomp. |
| “If not in the final line-up,” Wilkinson added to White, “I want to be in the deliberations. You want your reputation to carry on after you’ve finished.” With that kick, he is most certainly assured of that. | “If not in the final line-up,” Wilkinson added to White, “I want to be in the deliberations. You want your reputation to carry on after you’ve finished.” With that kick, he is most certainly assured of that. |
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