The evolution of the kicking tee
Remember the days when goal-kickers also had to be fairly adept at building sand-castles if their attempt at goal was to have any chance of success? Heaped mounds of sand dotted playing fields as players went in search of two points is no longer.
Some players preferred beach sand, others preferred soil or sawdust, while others added an extra element to proceedings by mixing their sand with water on-field in an attempt to get the perfect consistency that would give the mound the sufficient structural integrity to have the ball raised enough for the kicker.
The widespread acceptance of the kicking tee in the late 90s and early 2000s saw the death of the engineering marvel that was the kicking mound, as well as the young lads whose job it was to deliver sand to the players – the sand boys.
In terms of kicking tees, rugby has come a long way since players would take a lump of sand out a bucket, and shove a ball on top of it. Tees are now created to suit different kicking techniques.
Current law still states that goal-kickers can place the ball “directly on the ground or on sand, sawdust, or a kicking tee.”
But when was the last time sand was the preferred option for a goal kicker.
One player that made the most of his sand heap was former Springbok Andre Pretorius, who used to form a line of sand which he believed helped him with his aim. He has always had two noticeable characteristics when kicking – the use of sand instead of a tee and a gunslinger’s squint before kicking.
When Pretorius joined the Western Force in Perth in 2010, he had adapted to using a tee instead of his famous sand routine.
“There are too many variables when using sand in different places around the world,” Pretorius told TimesLIVE back then.
“When you get to some grounds they haven’t got sand, or haven’t got enough and it can throw you off. While sand is still my first choice, it’s not practical.
“One of the biggest changes brought through using a tee is that your pre-kick routine changes considerably. I was used to building the ‘sand-castle’, which formed part of the mental preparation process before the kick.”
But where did it all start? To find out how things were done in the early days of the game, we turned to the World Rugby Museum for some answers.
It was once the case that a teammate had to hold the ball in place for a kicker to make his shot at goal. And all place-kicks at goal had to be taken in that manner, without a kicking tee. Whether a conversion attempt after a try, a penalty goal shot, or opting for a place-kick from a ‘fair catch’ taken in general play (which was allowed to be claimed anywhere on the field), the kicking process had to involve two players from the team – the kicker, and the ‘holder’ or ‘placer’. Rugby’s laws in the 19th century and well into the 20th specified that the ball was ‘live’ once it touched the ground, even if it was fumbled in error.
As can still be seen in American football (which began in the 1870s by using the RFU’s playing laws), the kicker’s boot connects with the ball moments after it has been held in place by his trusted team mate. The opposing team was free to charge at the ball, the holder, and the kicker, in the hope of tumbling one or all of them over and disrupting the shot at goal, or even gaining possession.
In the case of conversion or penalty goal attempts, any player could be chosen by the skipper to undertake each of the kicking and placing roles. Most teams had two trained players who were usually assigned these tasks. In the case of a player claiming a ‘fair catch’, if a place-kick at goal was to be attempted, he had to be the placer. The slow evolution towards today’s rugby goal kicking laws, where kicking tees are the norm and the only ‘charging’ allowed is from post try conversions, began just after WW1.
In 1925, to upscale the severity of punishment of a penalty, it was decided that charging would be banned for penalty kicks at goal, and the kicker could now place the ball freely, without any assistance from a team mate, nor worry about having to time his approach and kick the ball just as it was being put on the ground.
In 1958 the need for a player to be the ‘placer’ for post try conversions was also abolished, however, charging continued to be allowed, the moment the kicker began his approach to the ball. Today, a manufactured kicking tee mutely serves its purpose, the untroubled kicker can move in to the ball when ready, and if overly enthusiastic defenders ‘charge’ early, an unsuccessful conversion attempt can be re-taken.
In 1964, the laws indicating intention to kick at goal changed a little: “The indication of intention to kick at goal may be given either orally or by action of the kicker which conveys such an intention, e.g. by commencing to make a hole for a place kick. The referee may ask the kicker to state his intention.”
In those days sand and tee were not allowed. But their use started to get into the works: “The law does not allow the use of sand or sawdust for placing the ball on hard playing field when taking a place kick at goal, but in exceptional local conditions such a variation from normal practice might be permitted.”
In the 1970s this variation was permitted in South Africa. Not all parts of the country have exceptionally hard fields but then its difficult to work out which hardnesses qualify and have different laws/regulations applying in different parts of the country. And so there was a general allowance to use sand, and the boy with the bucket of sand became common.
There were objections during the 1976 All Black tour till the first test when Bryan Williams kicked the first kick at goal and placed the ball on a mound of sand.
Sand was allowed at the 1987 World Cup and in 1990 the law stated: “The use of sand or sawdust is permitted for placing the ball.”
In the late 1950s the Canadian Don Burgess wanted to introduce the kicking tee, common in gridiron, into rugby, but it took untill 1988 for it to be allowed and then only in Canada. But in 1992 the law read: ” The use of sand, sawdust or an approved kicking tee is permitted for placing the ball.”
The idea hit him to create a rubber-moulded tee and it became one of the great success stories in the world of rugby business, with hundreds of thousands of the tees sold worldwide. Almost all of the rugby kickers in the world now use a plastic tee of some sort.
The first use of the tee is attributed to Arda Bowser, a member of the Canton Bulldogs NFL championship team of 1922.
The use of the rugby kicking tee is to give a rugby ball some clearance from the ground and allows a secure holding of it for a player to kick conversions. Given a tee is only used for extra points there are no World Rugby regulations presently as to what constitutes a tee as there is no safety risk to other players. Historically everything from turf to sand was used as a tee so you have a lot of leeway to figure out what works best for you!
Traditionally kicking tees have been made of hard rubber all through, but newer tees are beginning to incorporate or be entirely constructed of softer rubbers. The rationale is that hard materials can potentially alter the flight path of the ball if the foot strike causes the tee to interfere with the ball as it leaves the tee. Softer tees in theory provide more flush contact with the ball and can absorb (as opposed to transfer into the ball) more force from the strike. Some players also feel they can follow through the kick better when the tee is softer which is critical to accurate and consistent kicking.
As kicking is a highly individualised endeavour and one that requires controlling many variables through repetition and predictable movements, it is important that kickers find a routine and technique that works for them both physically and psychologically. As such, there is no best type of kicking tee for everyone.
It is said that approximately 45% of the points scored in international Rugby Union matches are the result of place kicks.
Players all have their favourite tee and there will often be an extra one in the managers’ bag, just in case the special one got left behind in the bus or hotel.
Interestingly, former Wallaby Quade Cooper opts not to use a kicking tee when he trains. His reasoning behind this is to get momentum off the ground.
Former All Black helped with the design of the tee he often used, called the Can Carter Supertee.
And sometimes, someone forgot to pack the kicking tee. Players have made all sorts of plans in instances like this and it has been recorded that rugby boots, water bottles and even T-shirts have been converted into a kicking tee at some stage.
