Head to Head: Thorn v Nallet
The forward battle will be key in Sunday’s World Cup Final, and two old warhorses – Brad Thorn and Lionel Nallet – will be leading the charge for their respective teams at Eden Park.
This will be the last World Cup game for both veteran locks, and their physicality in the tight exchanges will be vital in getting some positive momentum going for their teams.
Their clash in the line-outs and the way they back up their front rows at scrum-time could prove decisive in the set-pieces and both will be determined to cap their illustrious international careers with one final flourish.
Both of these senior players provide the ‘heartbeat’ of their teams – Nallet was the first man to captain France under coach Marc Lievremont and former rugby league international Thorn provides plenty of inspiration for the younger members of the All Blacks team with his tireless commitment.
In terms of vital statistics the two senior enforcers appear to be evenly matched. Both players are over 35 years old and are at a startlingly similar height and weight. (Thorn at 114kg and 1,95m and Nallet at 115kg and 1,98m.)
But which of the two has been on top of their game at this tournament?
The All Blacks have hardly been challenged so far while the French have been on the back foot from the word go, and that is reflected in the overall statistics of the two second row old-timers. Nallet has made twice as many tackles per match as Thorn during the World Cup, most likely because the All Blacks have dominated possession while France have largely lived off scraps.
Statistical comparison – Brad Thorn v Lionel Nallet:
Thorn (36 years old):
Total minutes played: 381
Matches played: 6
Average tackles made per match: 5
Average off-loads per match: 0.2
Nallett (35 years old):
Total minutes played: 400
Matches played: 5
Average tackles made per match: 10.4
Average off-loads per match: 0.2
When the two sides met in the pool stage the All Blacks were dominant after weathering an early storm against France who started brightly but then rolled over and took a 20-point beating.
The statistics say that their performances were relatively similar, both making two runs and making a similar amount of tackles (Thorn eight; Nallet 11) but what cannot be measured statistically is the impetus each player provides for his pack.
It is here that Thorn’s true value lies; he couples a great technique (especially in the set-phases) with a seemingly insatiable hunger to dominate his opponents physically.
Their performances in the semifinals are also quite revealing, Thorn made more tackles and more metres with ball in hand than Nallet (11 tackles to nine; 34 metres to 10m), and he put the Wallabies under considerable pressure at set-piece time – stealing their line-out ball and shunting them backwards in the scrums.
Nallet made a nuisance of himself on Wales’ line-out throws and put in some big tackles, but he missed the one that mattered when he let Welsh scrumhalf Mike Phillips skip past him and over the line for the only try of the match.
Our verdict: “Nallet will work hard but Thorn is likely to have more of an impact on the game. He is a more dynamic player and will be fired up in front of his home crowd. Nallet has been a loyal servant for France but he will battle to impose himself on the contest in the same manner as Thorn.”
By Michael de Vries
