Lights, Camera, Action!

Getting your matches on video can bring a host of benefits, not just to the teams on film, but to the rugby community as a whole. Ruck Tales assesses why you should be aiming to record as much as possible.

Ruck Tales sat down to breakfast this morning and noticed that OYUS in Oulu has posted links to some of their games against Kuopio, one from last season and one game played this year. Given that the endeavours of rugby in the North have not received a huge amount of attention since the release of Mika Ronkainen's brilliant documentary film Freetime Machos, we eagerly hit the play button. What we saw was some very positive rugby on display. Though the general standard was below that seen in the Championship (as one would expect), the videos clearly showed some fantastic individual performances - players who we dare say would happily find places in Championship teams if they lived further South. It might be far-fetched to suggest that the National Team is missing out on untapped Northern talent, but certainly with the birth of the Finland A squad, the selectors should be keeping a close eye on talent North of Jyväskylä as well as the core clubs.

The main point of this is not to greatly inflate the egos of those players in Oulu and Kuopio, but rather we would like to highlight the importance of game films. Above, we touched on the benefit of allowing selectors to see existing and emerging talents around the country. Vaasa Wolves are a good example: a great season last year earned them a spot in the Cup final. Yet try as we might, we cannot find any videos of their games from 2011 or 2012 (except last year's final). It is hard enough for the men in charge to keep track of all the players around the country, and without the ability to watch individuals in game situations, selectors would be forced to rely purely on recommendations and word of mouth, something which we doubt would carry a great deal of weight when push comes to shove.

Perhaps more important is the benefit that the teams themselves gain from being able to watch their matches from a 3rd person perspective. Every aspect of the game can be assessed and replayed, with the opportunity to discuss decisions and determine improvements for next time. Having the audience view allows a team to see whether their defensive positioning is working, whether attackers are lining up in effective positions and, of course, who is playing well and who needs work. From a coach's perspective, the video provides a chance to make a proper assessment of his team's performance - a task prone to error when attempting to recall every play of the game simply from memory.

The SRL took a very positive step in creating a media database on it's website and some clubs have been excellent in passing on game films for sharing. The database can be accessed here:
http://rugby.fi/federation/media/domestic-games/domestic-games-from-the-clubs-through-the-years/

Recording has just as much benefit at trainings as well as matches. Giving individual players the chance to see their techniques on film allows for quicker improvements. It can also serve as a motivator: no player likes to be highlighted on film not giving 100% for their team - having a camera present may help get that extra performance out of players that might otherwise stay locked up. We suggest making use of injured players to man the the camera (perhaps with the added incentive of a few beverages.....).

To view the games between OYUS and Kuopio (2011), and Kuopio - OYUS (2012), use these links:
(2011 game)
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHSOtW_qxas&feature=related
(2012)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQ2cwotHpec&feature=plcp
Be prepared for some colourful language!