The information is revealed by The Telegraph.
In an interview with the English daily, scrum half Ben Youngs tells how Eddie Jones and his staff concocted specific and very intense training to counter Antoine Dupont.
The best player in the world is considered by the XV of the Rose as the most dangerous offensive threat, by his speed and his ground coverage.
This requires an adaptation of his opponents.
More accustomed to footwork than to great flights, the two English number 9s, Ben Youngs and Harry Randall were therefore asked to work on their weak point: the speed of execution while maintaining precision.
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“
If you go back 12 months, in the way the game was officiated, there was a lot more emphasis on defensive strategy.
Often so you were better off off the ball because you could collect a penalty if you tried to overplay
, Youngs told Telegraph Sport.
But there has been a sea change since then.
Teams, including ours, now have an 'attack first' mindset.
And the role of the scrum-half has totally changed.
»
The most capped player in the history of English rugby
The most capped player in the history of English rugby (115 caps) reveals that the emphasis is now on repeating short sequences at high speed rather than endurance.
As it is more complicated to tire the opposing defense over long periods of play, it is a question of making a difference quickly.
“
You have about 40 seconds for that
”, specifies Ben Youngs who, after having been a substitute since the start of this Tournament, was established for the Crunch against the XV of France this Saturday evening.
“
The game has become so choppy that you have to be able to play in short, crisp bursts.
And, when you go there, you have to bring real momentum, energy, move the ball in the right tempo, because afterwards you know you're going to get more recovery time.
»
“At the end of these exercises, your legs are like jelly…”
Ben Youngs
To cope with the threat of the dazzling races of Antoine Dupont in particular, the staff of the XV de la Rose has adapted its training program.
Short, intense exercises where the scrum-half must repeat runs and passes as quickly as possible.
And give a concrete example.
Five balls on the ground, two races of ten meters there and back, all in less than thirty seconds.
“
Passes need to be precise, not like paper bags blowing in the wind.
Harry and I do it twice, with a one minute break in between, at the end of the practice sessions.
Your legs are like jelly at the end…
”
Read alsoDiscover our list of the 10 best scrum halves in the history of the XV of France
But these “ violent
” sessions
bore fruit.
Ben Youngs reveals indeed equal to 32 years his highest speed, or 9.8 meters per second.
And now be able to cover an average distance of 140 meters per minute, compared to around 80 meters when he was first selected 12 years ago.
“
During this Tournament, we have increased the intensity even more.
Before facing Ireland, we managed to get six balls instead of five.
It might not seem like a lot, but that's an extra 20 meters covered in 30 seconds.
“The Blues, and Antoine Dupont, are warned…
