USA

Chris O’Brien earned 20 caps while competing for the United States from 1988 to 1994 and he remains 3rd on the all time Eagles points list.  The flyhalf was a triple threat that included an accurate kick.  He took a moment to speak to Rugby Rugby’s Tom Billups about kicking.

By Tom Billups, C.S.C.S.

Chris O’Brien was a natural athlete who could do it all. He was a record setting field goal kicker on the San Diego State football team and also a professional water skier.   O’Brien earned 20 caps while competing for the United States from 1988 to 1994 and he remains 3rd on the all time Eagles points list, he was that good.  Chris made his debut for the United States in 1988 scoring 13 points propelling the U.S. team to victory over Canada.  As a flyhalf, he was a true triple threat pivot, in that he could beat you by running, passing or kicking the ball with exacting precision.

A talented striker of the ball, O’Brien still has the second longest streak for consecutive field goals (25) in NCAA history.  In 1988, he kicked in every preseason game for the New York Jets, including kicking a game winner versus the Cleveland Browns.  Cut by the Jets on the last day of preseason, Chris was not able to unseat the Jet’s Pat Leahy, who kicked for the New York team for 17 years.   I sat down with one of my favorite old teammates to ask him about kicking strategies and his memories of kicking at goal.

Coach Tom Billups: What is the sequence the best kickers follow once the decision has been made to kick for goal?

Chris O’Brien:  All the best goal kickers in the world follow their own routine.  What I mean by routine is they set the ball up on the tee, they take steps straight back then to the side, check the target, then approach the ball.  Everyone is going to have a different routine, especially approaching the ball.  What makes kickers great is when they see every kick as a straight kick! It doesn’t matter if you’re on the touchline or not, it is all about staying in your routine!

TB: How do our young readers go about building their own kicking routine?

CO’B: New rugby kickers need to get out on the pitch and experiment.  Always start directly in front of the posts just get use to swinging your leg through the ball.  Use this positioning on the field to experiment with what works for you.  As you begin to build your own routine, use cones as markers to trace your steps back and to the side.  Place an additional cone a few meters in from of where your ball is teed up and after you have approached, and struck through the ball, continue forward and pick that cone up.  This will help teach you how to keep you head down, follow through, and not look to see where the ball is going.

TB: Are there drills that new kickers can train even if I don’t have access to a real set of goal posts?

CO’B: A great way to practice when you don’t have a set of posts to kick at is to find a soccer goal and kick into it’s net. You don’t have to chase down your kicks so you are able to perform lot of kicking repetitions during a short period of time.  Another great kicking activity to use is to place your tee on the touchline of the field, then put two cones down about 20-30 meters away, five meters either side of the touchline. This activity is really good when practicing kicking straight.

TB: What was your toughest kick in rugby or football?

CO’B: The toughest kick for me in either sport was the kick that decided the outcome of the contest.  The most important element of those kicks was to stay consistent with my routine.  I practiced those kicks hundreds of times in training and I always visualized the kick over and over in my head the night before matches.  This is what we kickers live for!

TB: Do you have a great memory of a kicking at goal?  When and where did it take place?

CO’B: My best memory of kicking at goal was at the 1994 Hong Kong 7’s.  I believe it was the first time that the US had ever defeated a home nation (Ireland) at any level.  Georgia football great Richard Tardits scored three tries in the left corner of the try zone in pretty much the same place each time.  This made the kicks similar and very difficult at the same time.  Remember, this was when you still place kicked conversions in Sevens. 

Being a left footed kicker and kicking from the left side can be a difficult task, but I was able to bring myself back to my routine and that allowed me to kick every kick straight, converting all three.  I pictured that kick in my mind for years leading up to that moment and being able to nail them when mattered is something I will never forget.

Read more articles from Tom Billups CLICK HERE

RugbyRugby.com columnist Tom Billups has been involved with rugby in the U.S. since picking up the game in college. He is currently the coach of University of California, Berkeley Rugby along side Cal head coach, Jack Clark.  Prior to joining California, Billups coached and played for the U.S national team, the Eagles.  In the club ranks, Billups has played with Old Blues from Berkeley, California as well as professionally for Wales’s Pontypridd and London’s Harlequins in the late 1990s. 

Visit the World Rugby Shop for the best online selection of rugby gear!