KEY POINTS:
For the All Blacks it began around 2005. They had ditched the flat backline concept but still found themselves exposed to rushing defences cutting down their space in midfield.
They had experimented with high crossfield bombs as an attacking ploy but wanted more.
When Daniel Carter shifted into
first five-eighths and took on extra tutelage from former AFL kick coach Mick Byrne, the range of kicking options increased.
There were dinks, chips, grubbers, banana kicks and low crossfield punts that were more like passes. These had great surprise value against the Lions when they visited in 2005.
And all the time Byrne was working on increasing the length of punting from Carter, Nick Evans, Luke McAlister and Aaron Mauger, while getting some better mileage from the kicking skills of the back four.
As defence has continued to dominate world rugby, the kick has increasingly become a weapon of choice.
Other sides, such as the Wallabies, have woken up to the threat, but ideas to use league legend Andrew Johns in that capacity were stymied by his Notting Hill festival activities.
England, Wales, Ireland and New Zealand have named kicking coaches in their squad details but a number of other teams have specialist coaches whose portfolio includes that responsibility.
Attacking kicks have brought strong results for World Cup sides. Carter's chipkicks and his crossfield kicks have brought tries, Frederic Michalak has used the banana kick to good effect, Pierre Hola has brought an array of left foot tonks for Tonga, Chris Latham is reproducing his chip and Jonny Wilkinson has slid in some nifty grubbers for England.
They are all ways of turning or holding defences, making them hesitate about rushing their tackling - giving the attacking side the precious time they need if they are going to spin possession.
If the kicks come early, midfield tacklers are unsure whether to charge, and wings know they must judge whether to sit in the pocket or flash up to deal with the long wipers.
Kicking variations rather than just the old-fashioned Garryowen, are slowly prising open defences.
But they have to be done well.
Watching McAlister and his popkick attempts against Italy was a flashback to him wasting good ball against the Lions at a time when he seemed to have a fixation with the tactic.
It can be overdone or, conversely, there are occasions when you need to listen to Bob Dwyer's plaintive cry during the 1999 World Cup final imploring Michael Lynagh to "kick it to the shithouse".
There were a couple of times against Italy and Portugal when the All Blacks were fortunate to escape near their own line when they ran the ball. Against better kick-chase sides that daring will be clobbered.
Meanwhile, former England kicking coach Dave Alred, who still gives personal tuition to Wilkinson, said the side's kickers have not kept pace with the Southern Hemisphere because of technical problems.
The key to punting, Alred said, was to eradicate a rotational C-shape swing of the leg and replace it with a straighter swing using the weight of the body and a stronger muscle group.
"It seems that quite a few England players are going back to the rotational C-shape," he told The Times.
"This is particularly challenging with the new Gilbert Synergy ball they are using at the World Cup.
"Because the C-shape kick uses a less effective muscle group, you tend to get muscle soreness, so you cannot practise for as long," Alred said.
"And if you cannot practise for as long, you won't build up these long distances."
Alred has, in recent seasons, worked with the Bulls in South Africa and in particular halfback Fourie du Preez and Bryan Habana while he has also assisted Berrick Barnes,now with the Wallabies, atthe Reds.
