Learning the kicks and tricks of a fly-half from a pro

A fly-half with three decades' kicking experience, The Telegraph's Gareth Davies is put through his paces by Northampton's Fin Smith

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Kicking is often the difference in rugby. Had South Africa nailed their four goal kicks against Ireland, those 11 points could have won the match. George Ford proved the power of the drop goal with his heroics against Argentina. And it’s only a matter of time until the spiral bomb is wreaking havoc.

So where better to go than Franklin’s Gardens, home of Northampton Saints, to spend the day on the training pitch with one of the Premiership’s best – Fin Smith.

I’ve been kicking rugby balls for more than 30 years, and even though I was too fat, slow and frankly lazy to make it as a professional, when it comes to kicking, I know what I’m doing.

How will Gareth's kicking fare under the scrutiny and then instruction of Fin Smith? Credit: David Rose for The Telegraph

Or at least that’s what I thought until Smith coached me through the proper execution of three vital kicking skills and the kicking competitions that followed.

Drop goals

With his team-mates gasping for air, all eyes are on Fin Smith. In between conditioning sets, Saints attack coach Sam Vesty tosses him a ball. Make the drop goal, fatigued, and he and his team-mates are spared an extra round of sprints. Miss it, and they’re all running again.

The ball sails through the middle and, more importantly, Smith remains popular at the club.

Although drop goals have slowly gone out of fashion, especially in the Premiership, Northampton’s drilling of them in high pressure scenarios could be an indicator of a renaissance.

“It’s really hard to recreate any form of pressure that you feel on a match day but actually, if your team-mates have then got to go and run because you get it or you don’t get it – that’s an added little bit of pressure,” Vesty says after training is done.

“And that’s what we’re trying to do there – we create that mindset so that when it comes to a big game, you can go and still execute the skill.

“I think some teams will look to go after that. I think when the ball slows up I think teams will probably have a little look at knocking the three – and I think that’s probably the George Ford effect.”

“So it’s definitely something that we’re practising a little bit more this season.”

Smith has been working hard all summer despite the Saints’ reputation as an attacking team that prefers going for tries over everything else.

“It’s something we’re definitely having a look at,” Smith says. “Obviously George Ford’s attention has drawn some attention to it.

“But I think as defences are getting better, it’s something suddenly teams are going to look to more and more now,

“Defences are getting better and it’s going to be much harder, especially around the 22 area, where you’re going to have 14 defenders in that frontline.

“It’s going to be a really good option for teams to use.

“The attack might not be going anywhere, so you’re just going to get in that pocket and take some points.”

So, what makes the perfect drop goal? Smith says there are three things he’s looking to do:

  1. Get 10 metres back from the breakdown to give himself enough time as the chasers put pressure on him
  2. Get the drop right, meaning a perfect vertical drop to avoid the ball veering left or right
  3. Not get too square-on, so coming at a 45 degree angle allowing his body to carry through the kick

Smith’s effortless leg swing puts my snappy shanks to shame – and after he corrects my technique he still walks away with the glory in the drop goal competition after I manage 0 from 3.

Gareth's bad ball drop... Credit: David Rose for The Telegraph
... and the improved version Credit: David Rose for The Telegraph

A tricky skill to master, indeed. And there’s more humiliation to come.

Spiral bombs

The spiral bomb has long been a weapon in rugby league and it is now impacting union, primarily through the exploits of Ford and Owen Farrell.

It is a steepling kick that spins through the air and accelerates as it nosedives back to earth, leaving full-backs flailing at the unpredictable trajectory compared to the traditional end-over-end up-and-under or Garryowen.

“It is such a tough, tough catch to kick to catch,” Smith says.

“Once you get it spinning, the ball comes at you spinning and then it starts wobbling – so if you’re under it as a full-back, it’s an absolute nightmare to catch.

“You can’t attack it. It’s not positive and you’re not getting in the air to take it, so you’re taking it on the back foot, and getting smacked.”

But there’s a time and a place for a spiral bomb, as Vesty explains.

“You don’t really want to be kicking high balls in and around your halfway because if you lose that you’re under the pump.

“So most often you want to be kicking your high balls into their half and that’s why you’ll see that’s where most high balls are going to land.”

“I think we’ll probably see more,” Vesty adds. “I think the important thing is the people that do it, do it really well. So, George Ford can do it and execute that skill, so it works.

“I think if you’re going to go and do that, you have to have a good consistency in what you’re doing otherwise it’s a bit of a gimme to the opposition.”

Smith has been perfecting his spiral bomb over the course of pre-season and the key for him is ‘the clock system’:

  • Body at 1, ball at 11, Leg kicking through 12
Gareth had thought the art of a spiral kick came through straight lines... Credit: David Rose for The Telegraph
... but the better way to approach it is to have your body at 1, ball at 11 and your leg kicking through 12 Credit: David Rose for The Telegraph

I dabbled in spiral bombs when I played rugby league way, way back. And wrongly assumed it was all about straight lines.

So, using ‘the clock system’ as a reference, I was lining up straight at 12, kicking at 12 and the ball was almost at 9 but after Smith tweaked my set-up, they started coming out nicely.

But now, it was time for me to get under some of his. How tough could it really be?

Credit: David Rose for The Telegraph
Credit: David Rose for The Telegraph

Very.

Goal-kicking

If drop goals and spiral bombs dip in and out of fashion, goal-kicking remains a constant and vital cog in any team’s armoury.

It’s something Smith excels at, and something he practises a lot.

Fin Smith lines up a goal kick Credit: Getty Images/David Rogers

I’ve been kicking at the posts for more than 25 years, and thought my technique was quite solid.

But just one tweak from Smith, it opened up my body and allowed me to get more of my leg and hips through the ball and to the target.

Gareth's closed-off technique Credit: David Rose for The Telegraph
Gareth's improved, more open, high-shouldered technique Credit: David Rose for The Telegraph

Unfortunately for him, he corrected my technique too well.

Our final showdown was a kick-off. Three kicks, 35-40m out, from the left, centre and right.

Most kicks wins.

From the left, he pushes his first kick to the right and mine sails straight down the middle. From bang in front, the pressure gets to me and I slide my straightforward kick off to the right and Smith is back on target.

Down to the final kick it goes.

Smith fades it beautifully inside the far post. Davies steps up and levels it. We shake hands on a draw, and it brings the curtain down on a fascinating day at Northampton Saints.