"Malcolm Marx scored about 30 tries for the Lions one year and we went from doing nothing to getting all the tries - happy days. "It's funny, because the Africans used to do it a bit," he reflects. New Zealand needed a bread-and-butter play and they dialled Coles' number. When Coles crossed for his first five-pointer, the All Blacks were just 7-0 up after an error-ridden half hour that must have had the 14th-ranked Azzurri dreaming of their first-ever win over the world's top-ranked side. On Sunday, Coles emerged as the two-try hero of New Zealand's unconvincing 47-9 win over Italy in Rome, nailing his lineout throw and riding momentum across the line.Īfter he left the contest in the 52nd minute, understudy Asafo Aumua duplicated the feat in identical fashion. "I wouldn't say no to a try," he insists.
While flashy wingers used to take all the glory from the hard grind done up front, these days, forwards are less likely to spread the love, with hookers emerging as unlikely cult heroes.Īll Blacks veteran philosopher Dane Coles chuckles at the unexpected development in his repertoire. Yes, that's you, Sean Fitzpatrick.īut with the trend towards attacking lineouts and mauls close to the goal-line, wearers of the No.2 jersey have become unlikely scoring machines, as they fall over the tryline at the back of a dominant forward pack. Previously, hooker were most likely to score by lurking out on the flanks, probably catching their breath a few phases behind play. More recently, they've been charged with throwing the ball into lineouts - a tricky enough task, as competing forwards are thrown high into the air. and occasionally stealing it off the opposition feed. Not quite big enough to be a prop, not quite fast enough to be a loose forward, for the longest time, their most important role was simply securing possession at scrums. Dane Coles about to score for the All Blacks.Īnyone tracing the far-fetched evolution of rugby's hooker position can only chuckle at how important they have become in the modern game.
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