Nolann Le Garrec's spectacular 40-metre reverse pass to Thomas Ramos just after the half-hour in France's 45-24 win over Wales last Sunday in Cardiff went viral on social media for all the right reasons.
It was a cameo of exceptional individual skill and perception by a gifted young scrum-half, whose decision to fire the ball from near the right tramline across the width of the field was as bold as it was brilliant.
A close look at the replay shows that it was a calculated decision by the 21-year-old Racing star, and it sparked a raid down the left wing which came very close to creating a try for Louis Bielle-Biarrey.
It was a pass that did not appear to take fly-half Ramos by surprise, indicating that there had been a dress rehearsal in training.
The key was that Le Garrec had put up a box-kick just before his moment of magic, and knew that it had forced the Welsh defensive line to drop back. When his kick was knocked-on by Wales, and bounced straight back into his hands, Le Garrec therefore took the calculated risk that it would not be intercepted as he gathered the ball and fired the pass in an instant.
Tommy Reffell was the only Welsh defender in sight, and was trying to pressure Ramos. However, the accuracy and length of the pass was such that it allowed the French fly-half to slide away from the Welsh flanker, gathering it on the full to launch the attack.
Le Garrec's man-of-thematch performance, which included scoring a sniping try, suggested he is fit to not just lace Antoine Dupont's boots, but also push him hard for the France No.9 jersey over the coming seasons.
The French are riding the crest of a wave in having two scrum-halves of such talent. However, one bugbear I have with the current laws is that they give scrum-halves an armchair ride. The “caterpillar ruck” gives them the chance to box-kick the ball to death virtually unchallenged, while the law change stating that No.9s cannot be tackled until they lift the ball – rather than the old ruling of put their hands on it – offers them even more protection.
Scrum-halves should be fair game as soon as they touch the ball at the base of a ruck/breakdown – although it's likely that Le Garrec, like Dupont, would be too elusive and sharp to be snared easily under any laws.
