LONG READ ‘Props are awesome…so why don’t they win prizes?’

It’s cruel, almost to the point of persecution, that props never get to win individual awards in professional rugby.

It’s cruel on two fronts. Firstly, no rugby team can exist without at least two quality props – especially at Test level. Secondly, their name ‘props’ is actually contained within the phrase ‘give them their props’ (short for giving ‘proper respect’). Yet props are never given their props when it comes to end of year awards.

This month saw the South Africans name their URC player of the season, which went to Sacha Feinburg-Mngomezulu. SFM is an amazing player, a legit generational talent, and this columnist’s favourite player in the world – genuinely.

But even with this overwhelmingly overt bias towards SFM, it did seem a little unusual that a tighthead prop didn’t win the award – especially when you consider the contribution of a player like Wilco Louw in the URC this season.

Louw has helped turn the Bulls’ scrum into a piece of abattoir machinery that consumes all before it. In the semi-final of the URC, the Bulls’ scrum (with the help of Louw), processed more sharks than an illegal fishing vessel.

The situation of props not winning prizes in South Africa is even more perplexing, because, well, it’s South Africa. It is the land of the tighthead. Whilst most nations are looking down the back of the sofa to find a scrummaging monster, you need only be invited to a neighborhood braai in South Africa, and you’ll spot at least three men who can move a shipping container with one flick of their neck.

The ‘Bomb Squad’ gave the front row a new collective name and transformed their brand identity from being just another set of big lads (to replace the other big lads), into a squadron of targeted scrum killers.

As further evidence, last week the British and Irish Lions lost Zander Ferguson to injury and were keeping their fingers crossed about Tadhg Furlong’s fitness. Beneath Will Stuart and Finlay Bealham, the cupboard looks like a supermarket’s pasta shelf during Covid.

Whereas in South Africa they have heavyweight human pasta in abundance in Frans Malherbe, Vincent Koch, Wilco Louw, Thomas du Toit, Asenathi Ntlabakanye, Neethling Fouche etc.

Let’s also not forget that South Africa is a country which has arguably done more to glamorise the role of the front row than any other team in the history of the game. The Boks, through Rassie Erasmus and his genius, created the ‘Bomb Squad’.

It gave the front row a new collective name and transformed their brand identity from being just another set of big lads (to replace the other big lads), into a squadron of targeted scrum killers.

Whatever the reason, tightheads certainly are perceived as the ugly sisters, even within the propping family.

The persecution of props doesn’t quite end with their lack of awards either. There is a hierarchy of praise even amongst the props – with looseheads often getting more pats on their massive backs than tightheads.

It may be because looseheads occupy a slightly more open role in phase play and tend to be lighter and more mobile. Which leads to more carrying opportunities, and therefore more You Tube moments, than a traditional tighthead. But whatever the reason, tightheads certainly are perceived as the ugly sisters, even within the propping family.

This shabby treatment of props (especially tightheads) isn’t something new, of course. A prop has never won World Player of the Year in the men’s game. Here’s a list of the men’s winners since the award was first given – not a prop in sight.

2001 – Keith Wood – Runners-up: George Gregan, George Smith, Jonny Wilkinson, Brian O’Driscoll

2002 – Fabien Galthie – Runners-up: Jason Robinson, Brian O’Driscoll, Richie McCaw, Joe van Niekerk

2003 – Jonny Wilkinson – Runners-up: Phil Waugh, Steve Thompson, Imanol Harinordoquy, Richie McCaw

2004 – Schalk Burger – Runners-up: Matt Giteau, Serge Betsen, Gordon D’Arcy, Marius Joubert

2005 – Dan Carter – Runners-up: Richie McCaw, Tana Umaga, Bryan Habana, Victor Matfield

2006 – Richie McCaw – Runners-up: Chris Latham, Paul O’Connell, Dan Carter, Fourie du Preez

2007 – Bryan Habana – Runners-up: Felipe Contepomi, Juan Martín Hernández, Yannick Jauzion, Richie McCaw

2008 – Shane Williams – Runners-up: Sergio Parisse, Dan Carter, Mike Blair, Ryan Jones

2009 – Richie McCaw – Runners-up: Matt Giteau, Tom Croft, Jamie Heaslip, Brian O’Driscoll, Fourie du Preez, Frans Steyn

2010 – Richie McCaw – Runners-up: Kurtley Beale, David Pocock, Imanol Harinordoquy, Mils Muliaina, Victor Matfield

2011 – Thierry Dusautoir – Runners-up: Will Genia, David Pocock, Jerome Kaino, Ma’a Nonu, Piri Weepu

2012 – Dan Carter – Runners-up: Owen Farrell, Frédéric Michalak, Richie McCaw

2013 – Kieran Read – Runners-up: Sergio Parisse, Eben Etzebeth, Ben Smith, Leigh Halfpenny

2014 – Brodie Retallick – Runners-up: Julian Savea, Willie le Roux, Johnny Sexton, Duane Vermeulen, Johnny Sexton

2015 – Dan Carter – Runners-up: Michael Hooper, David Pocock, Julian Savea, Greig Laidlaw, Alun Wyn Jones

2016 – Beauden Barrett – Runners-up: Owen Farrell, Maro Itoje, Billy Vunipola, Jamie Heaslip, Dane Coles

2017 – Beauden Barrett – Runners-up: Israel Folau, Owen Farrell, Maro Itoje, Rieko Ioane

2018 – Johnny Sexton – Runners-up: Beauden Barrett, Rieko Ioane, Faf de Klerk, Malcolm Marx

2019 – Pieter-Steph du Toit – Runners-up: Tom Curry, Ardie Savea, Cheslin Kolbe, Joe Taufete’e, Alun Wyn Jones

2020 – Not awarded

2021 – Antoine Dupont – Runners-up: Michael Hooper, Maro Itoje, Samu Kerevi

2022 – Josh van der Flier – Runners-up: Lukhanyo Am, Antoine Dupont, Johnny Sexton

2023 – Ardie Savea – Runners-up: Eben Etzebeth, Bundee Aki, Antoine Dupont

2024 – Pieter-Steph du Toit – Runners-up: Caelan Doris, Eben Etzebeth, Cheslin Kolbe

What’s particularly weird about props being excluded from awards, is that anyone who watches a lot of rugby knows just how important props are – especially tightheads.

Without a Test-level tighthead, you simply cannot win Test matches. Your team’s scrum just becomes a vending machine for penalties. The opposition scrum-half merely slots the ball into the scrum and out clunks a penalty.

You could potentially argue that much of this apathy towards props (especially tightheads) is a phenomenon that has only appeared in the professional era, where the number of scrums in a game has dropped significantly.

The reality is that most young men would rather fit into a pair of jeans from Stone Island, than be the same size as a stone island.

For example, in the 1987 Rugby World Cup, there were an average of 32 scrums per game, compared to just 15 per game in the 2023 RWC. Yet even when scrums were taking up a far bigger percentage of the game, props still weren’t exactly dripping in praise.

Perhaps the most perplexing aspect of the lack of respect for tightheads is that they are such a rare breed physically – everywhere except perhaps South Africa.

In essence, there aren’t many people who are up to 6ft 4in tall (max), weigh 20 stone-ish and can move caravans on their own. Something which is especially true in the modern day, where body images have changed hugely.

This is purely anecdotal and has no scientific citations that would stand up in academia (an approach you will be familiar with if you’ve read this column often enough), but the author of this column once met a student who was writing a research paper on rugby in South Wales. One of the observations was that young people simply don’t want to be 18 stone. Many would be quite happy to be 18 stone on the pitch, but not off it. The reality is that most young men would rather fit into a pair of jeans from Stone Island, than be the same size as a stone island.

The rarity of tighthead props is also obvious when you see the wages they earn when compared to hookers and even loosehead props.

In the Top 14 for example, tighthead props earn on average £50,000 a season more than both hookers and looseheads – yet it’s hookers who always get the nominations in World Player of the Year.

World Prop Day/Week would be a good starting point – if soil can have its own designated ‘day’, then so should props

Of course, the massive elephant in the room, even bigger than a Test-level tighthead, is that some of the more casual supporters don’t seem to like scrums at the moment.

Whenever a debate erupts about why modern rugby isn’t as good as it was in the past (which is nonsense), it’s always blamed on the fact that scrums are ruining the game (even though there are half as many scrums now than in 1987).

Whatever the reasons for props being excluded from major awards, it needs rectifying. ‘World Prop Day/Week’, would be a good starting point – if soil can have its own designated ‘day’, then so should props.

Props are awesome and rugby needs to recognise that.