Backs to the wall

Apart from the dramatic role reversal of last weekend - England scores the tries, France knocks over the kicks - the alarmingly average standard of rugby in the Six Nations must be of serious concern to Sir Clive Woodward ahead of the Lions tour.

It was impossible to quell the rising opinion from England's 17-18 loss to France that Northern Hemisphere teams have become so bogged down with the contest for the ball that creative juices may have withered on the vine.

The Northern Hemisphere said New Zealand's forwards were made soft by the helter-skelter nature of the Super 12. They ridiculed the frothy rugby and the sinful marketing tendencies of those in charge of professional rugby in this part of the world. There was some truth in those allegations.

These days, the England strategy is mostly to win the ball, make the yards, kick for territory and feed off the mistakes. The focus on the battle for possession and growth of defence has left Northern Hemisphere sides - on the evidence of the Six Nations so far - with the unmistakable aura that, while they have plenty of willing blacksmiths, the horses they shoe are not capable of much of a gallop.

Where are the sublime attackers that took our breath away in 1971 when the Lions stood world rugby on its head? Where are those efficient English attackers - even if you couldn't call them sublime - of 2003?

The 1971 Lions not only beat the All Blacks up front, they produced glorious tries by the busload through the likes of Barry John, David Duckham, John Bevan, JPR Williams, Mike Gibson and Gerald Davies.

Somehow England is struggling to produce a coherent backline.

Wales have probably made the most backline strides in recent times and it's probably churlish to say that their previous two coaches were both New Zealanders.

Obviously injuries and the pressure of the British club season have an effect. But it seems that the relentless grind of the Premiership and the Heineken Cup do not lend themselves to the production of stylish back play.

Just as the Super 12 might not produce forward packs of test match credentials, so British club rugby might be stuck with backlines that can't win tests. One of the great truisms of rugby is that you can't play a running and passing game if it is not inherent in your training, your play and your very being. Witness the England team of 1991 trying to throw the ball around against the Australians in the World Cup final. They only managed only to throw the game to the Australians.

Witness the England vs France game last weekend. Neither team chanced their arm with running and passing. It was kick for the corners and kick the penalty goals or drop goal. Or, in England's case, not kicking them.

There's nothing wrong with winning games by forward grunt, efficient backlines and penalty goals. The All Blacks did it for years. But when you need a rabbit from the hat or, more importantly, when you want to imbue a team with the certain knowledge that it can win and win well, penetrative backs are essential.

If you want greatness, well, greatness comes from something much deeper and far more colourful than efficiency.

Which is not to say that the Lions do not have prospective game-breakers and match-winners. They do.

Jason Robinson would grace any backline anywhere. Brian O'Driscoll, Gordon D'Arcy, Shane Williams and Josh Lewsey are all punishing runners. And it would not be fair to examine Northern attacking stocks without acknowledging those injured, out of form or not being selected - including Jonny Wilkinson, Will Greenwood (so important in making space for England), Ben Cohen, Rhys Williams, Ian Balshaw, James Simpson-Daniel and more.

In New Zealand, the Lions will want to avoid the painful lessons of previous tours - 1977, 1983 and 1993 - where they were superior or, at worst, equal in the tight but lost out to New Zealand loose forwards and backs.

The Lions series might hang on a penalty goal or a dropped goal. But you get the feeling that to win against the All Blacks, they will need to score tries.

- HERALD ON SUNDAY