Quote bellycouldtackle="bellycouldtackle"Bang on Brian Briggs Ghost, one of my main concerns with our game is just how poor, in general , defence has become. You see so many poor tackle attempts these days that is 100 % down to players not tackling round the legs. It the fault of coaches at all levels insisting that youngsters are coached not to tackle round the legs. Two exceptions, watch Rob Burrow and Danny Brough who are brilliant one on one defenders who tackle round the legs. [uNow when you watch RU it is obvious that they are now the game with the better defenders[/u. Its all down to the coaching.'"
That just isn't true. The techniques and impact in the tackle are completely different for a start.
You very rarely get a forward running at another forward from further than 3 steps so you can't compare that to a full on charge from a front rower.
Equally the fact that there is 2 extra players on the field gives less space
The players playing rugby Union are mostly just as capable as their rugby league counterparts, apart from the fact that they have been taught to play a different game.
Having played both codes in all three front row positions, I can tell you that apart from catching the ball, there are no other shared skills in those positions. What you do in the tackle is different because of the rules of the game.
