The Six Nations may have transfixed many European rugby fans over the last seven weeks, but it is worth remembering that it is not the continent’s only international competition occurring at this time. Outside of the top tier, those involved in the Rugby Europe Championship have also been engaging in fierce competition, and it too has provided plenty of entertainment for those who have followed its progress.
Whilst Georgia and Portugal once again scrapped it out to secure the title in the final, with the former prevailing to win their seventh straight crown, every team has had moments of positivity and players who have caught the eye. In the case of Spain, who defeated Romania to win the bronze medal, a lot of what they have done well has come through 22-year-old winger Martiniano Cian, with him playing a key part in Los Leones implementing their front-footed tactics, and this tactical analysis will take a closer look at his role in their game plan and why he is one to look out for the future.
A lot of what Spain do well comes through the positional rotations and quick thinking that they demonstrate whenever they have the ball, with it clear that they have tried to implement aspects of the famous tiki-taka brand that has been so prevalent in the tactics of the nation’s football team in a bid to be as tough an opponent to come up against as possible.
With that in mind, a constant feature of their matches has been to see players move into areas that their positions would not normally be associated with, with analysis of their matches indicating that the back rowers are sometimes in the wide channels, the full-backs get into spaces inside them and the wingers play in closer proximity to the breakdowns and often act as the first receivers for the scrum-half to look for.
It is that that explains why Cian has been constantly seen in positions such as this, and playing in these areas has really aided Spain over the last weeks as they have been able to benefit from his ability to recognise gaps early in opposing lines and to build up speed in his bid to exploit them. In this case, he has run between Netherlands lock Dennis van Dijken and tighthead Gabor Besuijen without a moment’s hesitation, with the result being that he manages to take the ball over the Oranges’ goal line and scores what was in the end a relatively simple try.
This is not the only time that Cian has been spotted in these inside channels, showing how it is a key demand of their game plan and is not simply a happy coincidence. In this case, he had started off on the wing and has now found himself behind the ball as a result of full-back John-Wessel Bell running forward to regather his own kick up the field, with him beating Romania’s Tevita Manumua in the air in the process of doing so.
However, it is what happens next that really stands out, with Cian recognising that his teammate is now on course to drift into his channel and so averting his own run so that he cuts behind him and occupies area inside him. By doing so, he ensures that, should Bell find his route blocked off at any point, he will have a way of shifting the ball into open space and Spain can keep their attack alive.
On this occasion, Cian’s awareness didn’t lead to anything as Bell was able to evade the clutches of Stejarii fly-half Hinckley Vaovasa and managed to score a try on his own. However, the option was there if he had needed it, and that is the key point to note here.
The other thing that has led to Cian catching the eye so much is his individual strength, with him constantly taking players on and gaining a significant amount of territory for his side whenever he has the ball in hand.
In this case, he has once again got infield and has looked to drive through the line in the same manner as he did at the beginning of the scout report, but has slipped in the process of gathering the ball and has been forced to go to ground as a result.
Despite the best efforts of Germany though, he was not held and so was entitled to get back up and to keep going, which is exactly what he does and which proves so costly for the Black Eagles here. Again, it is the speed that he can build up that really aids him, with it enabling him to stay low and to successfully push substitute Henrick Hees back as he carries the ball deep into their 22m area.
When considering that Spain scored a try in the corner just a few phases after this, with Bell once again finishing the move off, it shows again how vital Cian has been to his side building momentum and causing their opponents constant problems, with the try unlikely to happen if he had stayed on the ground and had not identified the opportunity to keep going and to try and gain more ground for his side before releasing the ball.
The mercurial winger has contributed to Spain’s fortunes in other ways though, with him proving to be not only a useful asset whenever they have the ball but when they are out of possession too. Here, he had once again got into the middle of the pitch but had seen how Georgia had shifted the ball back out towards the wing, which is where the Lelos’ key weapons have been as the Championship has gone on.
In this case, it is Alexander Todua who is now looking to run up the pitch and to score what on paper looked like a simple try due to the open space ahead of him, but what hadn’t been factored in here was the speed and desire of Cian, who managed to get back across here and to put Todua off at the last moment, forcing the Black Lion winger to release the ball in a scrappier manner than he might have originally liked to.
It didn’t matter on this occasion from Georgia’s point of view, with the ball still being grounded by former Gloucester centre Giorgi Kveseladze, but the impact of Cian’s presence here was clear to see and certainly helped to create a moment of uncertainty in the Georgian ranks. Therefore, again, he has been a crucial player for Spain to have on the pitch and will continue to be in the future, with those who have watched him now aware of what he offers around the field and why he is quickly becoming a star talent to look out for in the European game.