In his first exclusive column for Pundit Arena, Bath player Max Lahiff thought he would – as a player who’s played in Australia, New Zealand and England – try to answer the age-old question – what separates southern hemisphere and northern hemisphere rugby?

I suppose it starts with the glaring differences in my experiences playing in the respective countries. The biggest deviations are probably not what you’d expect. When I first started playing in New Zealand for Hawkes Bay in the ITM Cup, what initially came to mind was the playing group. Upon my arrival the Super Rugby boys who played for Hawkes Bay hadn’t been released as the season was coming to an end.

I was in a pre-season of sorts with the young up-and-comers and the ITM regulars. What was so evidently clear to me was the total and real desperation to make it to Super Rugby for these guys. It was palpable. Not every single one of them was like this, some were just happy to do enough to get by and be in the squad and subsequently they became a squad player featuring regularly in the ITM, however the majority of guys worked incredibly hard.

In comparison to home it’s not quite the same. I’m not saying that all academy boys in the UK don’t work as hard but when you get into an academy at a Premiership team you don’t feel that same doggedness. It’s just not quite there, as it’s comparatively a bit easier, in my opinion, the way coaches treat you and the attention you get, facilities etc.

However, I think the structure of NZ domestic rugby lends itself well to developing this kind of hunger. ITM rugby is made up of Super Rugby regulars and the best club players in the respective province, so young guys coming through who play in the ITM rub shoulders and play against their heroes: ex-All Blacks and cult favourites on super teams – guys they’ve watched for years. It’s like a carrot on a stick.

Young guys in the UK get into academies generally straight out of school nowadays and unless they’re very gifted won’t be ready to play first team rugby properly for three years or more, on average. ITM is a very good stepping stone. There is a league below, but it’s not unreasonable to assume that the best schoolboys players in New Zealand can make an ITM Cup team a year out of school. It’s just a more attainable goal.

An academy player in the UK, in comparison, will be on loan for possibly three years at a very average club team in national two or something like that, then maybe at a Championship team, which can only be compared, if somewhat generously, to the ITM. And when I say Championship, I mean the top two teams in the division.

Then there is the basics of the game. The core skills the southern hemisphere guys possess are straight up superior. This stems from the grassroots, but it’s clear that the average 18 to 19-year-old in New Zealand compared to an academy player in the Premiership is quite different, especially understanding the game and real basic stuff.

I think this is what is so visibly exhibited by southern hemisphere teams on this big stage. The All Blacks and Australia at last year’s World Cup epitomised basic rugby with set-pieces that function enough to just get their own ball back. Just knowing when and how to play, not being rigidly clipped by a game plan, structure or being overly dependent on game-paralysing set-piece dominance. Recognition of momentum is the key.

Training is different too. Rugby is played at serious pace, the interpretation of the breakdown is quite loose and set-piece philosophy is different. The main difference in training, however, was the fitness. In my experiences in the Premiership I’d do one fitness session a week, sometimes none. In the ITM we’d do some kind of fitness top up most days after weights. Damn you Grant Dearns (conditioning coach at Hawkes Bay)!

Scrum time is ball in, ball out. No penalty-inducing melee, where one team just asserts its dominance until the ref has no choice but to award a penalty. Unless of course your pack has more reverse gears than an Italian tank. But so long as your competitive the ball is in and gone. General structure of your ordinary training day is really very similar to back home, as is the week leading up to a game.
The fan bases are naturally very strong in New Zealand. However, in the smaller provinces, especially because there is so much rugby available to the public, it seems to me that admission at stadiums for a lot of games is down, including Super Rugby. Crowds swell for the derbies in my experience but with other round robin type games it can appear underwhelming for the country which is the spiritual home of rugby.

The structure of the leagues and the economics are geared towards the national side, the famed All Blacks. Generally, the average player salary here is not as high as in the northern hemisphere club scene. However, the pride to wear the black, and the way they look after key All Blacks and key prospective All Blacks keeps the domestic game very strong.

Finally I also believe that, in New Zealand especially, the lifestyle goes a long way in preparing these guys for elite sport. To start with, it is the national game. You are bathed in the game as you exit your mother’s womb in that country. You cannot escape it. This is why the grassroots are so good.

On top of this there is the fact that New Zealand is called home by the most talented rugby playing countries on the planet, the Pacific Islands. Tonga, Samoa and Fiji are without doubt, in my mind, producers of the most gifted athletes to ever play the game. And a large majority want to play for the All Blacks, desperately.

Then there is the way of life for a lot of these young men. I really do believe that a lot of these guys go through real hardships and life experiences that your typical academy player in the UK simply wouldn’t. They are just tough. Now not all of them are this way but this kind of grit rubs off on you, it’s the culture.

When I spoke to some of my former teammates and heard what they’d be doing if they didn’t get a five-month ITM contract, I was impressed and it really made me appreciate my position and the opportunities that I’ve received.

Max Lahiff, Pundit Arena
http://www.punditarena.com/rugby/mlahiff/max-lahiff-column-the-primary-differences-between-northern-southern-hemisphere-rugby/