Now we have Miller. How she is playing flanker is redefining the role on the rugby field.
We’ve been moving towards this for a while. It started with the Crusaders, who gained tremendous success with the use of the 2-4-2 split of their forwards. Gone were the days of pistons, where you used a one-two punch to grind the ball up the paddock. Now going wide wasn’t something you earned, it was something you set up for.
The 2-4-2 led to a 1-3-3-1 and then further iterations on how you might split the pack. All of which meant a further spread of your forwards to cause trouble. Embracing a rugby league style attack with not one, but two, backlines.
Crucial to the success and adoption of all of this was the ticker of another famous No 7, Richie McCaw. His relentlessness helped make the shape stick and soon everyone, from school kids up, had adopted the style of play. No longer were hookers and loose forwards only found on the edge during lineouts. They now owned the outside channel alongside their backs.
The power of these carries out wide allowed for more mismatches in defence. If double tackles were required to pull these forwards down, then more space opened up.
When they weren’t crashing the ball they were securing it. Their physicality again here allowed for overlaps. They were able to secure rucks alone, freeing up the backs to have fun. There were, of course, forwards who have displayed an aptitude for the edge. The pace of Dane Coles ending up on many a highlight reel and freedom underpinning Ardie Savea’s rise to the top.
What Miller offers, though, is the next step up. When she announced her intention to pursue inclusion in the Black Ferns World Cup squad, the comments section lit up. Fullback, flanker, centre or wing? The fans debated the merits of her playing each position. For Miller though, it was only ever going to be flanker. And with that choice, she’s changed the game.
Now the edge forward in the shape we deploy won’t just crash and secure, she will create. Miller’s footwork, pace, ball skills and all-important x-factor make her not just a loose forward but a loose back as well.
We have been moving towards this moment. The evolution of forwards into the backline leading to the blurring of lines between the role of forwards and backs. But never has there been a player with such a complete skillset to merge the two. Jorja Miller is that player. The embodiment of where rugby is going next. It only looks like more fun from here.
Alice Soper is a sports columnist for the Herald on Sunday. A former provincial rugby player and current club coach, she has a particular interest in telling stories of the emerging world of women’s sports.