While the statistics from the first few Six Nations games might not show Tommy Bowe making a huge amount of carries, they do mask the important skills the Ireland winger has been contributing,
And the Ulster player is comfortable with his role in the current tactical setup under Joe Schmidt as he told Off The Ball.
"Obviously in the last two games I've done a lot of chasing kicks and making tackles to force turnovers by putting the ball behind other teams. That, in a way, has been a tactic for us. We want to put the pressure on teams like France who have big packs and don't like going backwards with the ball behind them," said Bowe, who turns 31 this Sunday.
Tommy Bowe catching a high ball against France ©INPHO/Billy Stickland
"I suppose, it shows that being a winger isn't just about carrying the ball, getting the ball in space and taking on defenders. To be in the backline in general, with the kick game being such a massive part of rugby, you have to have skills like catching the ball in the air. The part of rugby I love the most is getting the ball in my hands and run at defenders. But when the time comes that you have to come up and do these other areas, I think it's a strength of my game too so I'm more than happy to do it."
He also feels that the influence of Gaelic football has given Ireland an advantage when it comes to the kicking game, and does not feel criticism of the style is unwarranted.
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