Rugby: In from the wings and back in the reckoning

Isaac Ross. Photo / Getty Images

The transformation of Isaac Ross is not complete. It is, at least, beginning; his cocoon in production even if the butterfly may be some way off.

Any apprehension the Chiefs may have felt at throwing Ross a career lifeline disappeared in the opening rounds. Reports of his demise have been greatly exaggerated and Ross has chugged along cheerfully so far without any of the clamouring that dogged him last year.

Ross became the most criticised player in the country during 2010; every flaw laid bare by provincial and national coaches to the extent it was hard for everyone to not draw conclusions that while Ross was a great athlete, he was also a bit of a girl when it came down to it.

From eight test caps in 2009, Ross couldn't get near the Crusaders 22 and was the unlucky man to be left behind when they had to cull someone on their trip to South Africa. It was a staggering fall from grace and with Ross allegedly so ineffective at the breakdown, weak at the scrum and unwilling to get stuck in everywhere else, the Chiefs were supposedly mad to sign him.

So much for perception, as the Chiefs' decision has been largely vindicated. Coach Ian Foster has been impressed.

"It is still early days but his attitude has been great," says Foster. "He has given us security with our lineout and he is surprising a number of people with the way he is influencing others and taking control."

The big step up for Ross, however, has been in his work at the contact areas. His aerial prominence has never been doubted; his athleticism and softer skills have always been apparent. What is new is his effectiveness at the breakdown where Foster says there is confidence that Ross can play a tighter game if required. His statistics around the cleanout are improving and the deeper analysis paints a picture of a player more willing to drop his shoulder and make his presence felt.

The Chiefs have encountered adverse weather in recent weeks that has forced them into tight grinding contests with both the Sharks and the Blues. In both games, the Chiefs pack held up, wasn't outclassed or obviously beaten up.

Ross didn't disappear; he stayed in the thick of it, close to the ball trying to smash the hard yards rather than look for the easier ones out in the backs.

What pleased Foster most was the work produced by the Chiefs in the scrum. Under tremendous pressure against the Blues in the 10 minutes before half-time, they enjoyed a much better period in the second half after prop Toby Smith came on and John Afoa had been forced off for the Blues.

The simplistic view is that the scrum is all about the front-row. But if there is no power from the second row, the best front-row in the world will be destroyed. For the Chiefs to have had the Blues in trouble, Ross must have contributed and Foster says the feedback from the props has been enthusiastic. Props have their reputations on the line every scrum and they don't want to go into battle with locks they don't trust to push.

"I think what people have to remember about Isaac is that when he played for Canterbury, and to a lesser extent the Crusaders, they both had a lot of wide-wide plays and he was asked to stay out on the wing," says Foster. "The unfortunate part of that was he became known as a wide lock and when he came into the test arena, he had to adjust his style to the more physical rugby at that level."

The true test of Ross will come in the next two months when grounds will soften, games will slow and the rugby will become more of a grind. It was in the back half of last year's Super 14 that Sam Whitelock emerged so strongly - eyeballing the big South African packs and taking his game to them.

It's a little fanciful to believe Ross can resurrect his test career in 2011. What he can do, and is indeed doing, is getting the world off his back by changing the perception of him as a wing trapped in lock's body.