Joe Ford lending union expertise to Hull KR as Robins bid to solve glaring issue
Ex-Leicester fly-half Joe Ford reckons Hull KR can benefit from plenty of rugby union insight - not just his goal-kicking expertise.
The Doncaster Knights head coach is helping out the Robins on his day off. The Super League club’s three main goal-kickers have all left leaving a significant vacancy for next season. KR boss Willie Peters turned to Ford, elder brother of England kicking machine star George, to get some potential replacements up to speed.
The former Sale, Leeds and Northampton ace, 33, has taken England star Mikey Lewis, Jordan Abdull, Peta Hiku and James Batchelor under his wing at the Challenge Cup finalists. But Ford insisted: “It’s not just goal-kicking. We’ve not talked through it all yet - I’ve only been in once - and I need to chat with Willie.
“But I’m keen to give the union perspective on all aspects of kicking. Kicking to compete, for instance. League can jump on that. With kick-offs, in league, you kick it long and the opposition carries the ball back 20m. If you kicked it shorter, you might lose five metres but you have a chance of winning it.
“And if you kick it right, it doesn’t have to be that short. You can still get it 25m from the goal line so if you do lose it you’ve only given up five or ten metres. But if you win a couple of those back per game, it’s massive.”
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Although his entire senior playing career was in the 15-man game, Oldham-born Ford does have a rugby league background. His dad is ex-Wigan, Castleford and Great Britain scrum-half Mike and he played alongside former England second-row Elliott Whitehead in Bradford Bulls’ academy side before switching codes. League stars have often gone to union as coaches with great success, not least his own father, Andy Farrell, Shaun Edwards and Kevin Sinfield.
Doncaster Knights' chief Joe Ford is helping Hull KR with their kicking (Getty Images)But Ford - whose Doncaster side currently sit second in the Championship - feels there’s plenty to be mined the other way, too. He said: “I’ve obviously been brought up in league. I’ve been out of the game for a long time but I really do think there’s a lot league can take from union, too. Scrum plays are another one. I’m not doing that (for KR) but in union it’s big.
“In league, they don’t tend to use them. Sometimes defensively they put the full-back in the scrum. In union, if they saw that and there was no one in backfield, they’d kick it 100 times out of 100. I know you lose the ball but if it becomes a foot race then…Penalty kicks to touch is another. In league, they tend to be almost horizontal. But in union there’s a real emphasis on getting distance.”
And Ford is confident he can get Rovers’ potential kickers up to scratch in time for February’s Super League kick-off against derby rivals Hull - even though they don’t have much experience between them. He said: “That’s not the end of the world as I can really start from nothing with them. So it will actually help me when I’m trying to teach them some technique; they haven’t got many bad habits.
“They’re hopeful Mikey Lewis can be the kicker and Peta Hiku looks OK from the first session. James Batchelor, the second-row, is also there and Jordan Abdull. Looking back at Super League, so many Grand Finals and play-offs games come down to kicking. That’s why Leeds were so good for so long: Sinfield took the points every time. It’s going to be interesting. And it’ll be good to see what I can take from Willie back to Doncaster as well.”
Of KR’s kickers in 2023, Lachlan Coote was forced into early retirement, mid-season signing Brad Schneider headed back to Australia with Penrith and Rowan Milnes joined Super League rivals Castleford Tigers.
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