Analysts are rarely seen and infrequently heard, situated as they usually are on match day behind a bank of laptop screens or a camera high up in the gantry. But they are a crucial component in any professional sports team.
As a native of Barry who attended Ysgol Glantaf, it was through Cardiff Blues that Marc Carter got his break in the analysis game. A sports management degree at Swansea Met had entailed a year of football coaching in the USA, but no sooner had he returned to the UK than he’d been accepted onto an internship programme with the capital city region.
“I landed on the Saturday and started the internship on the Monday,” he recalls. In truth, he’s had little time to reflect since stepping off that plane. “I then started working with Phil Davies at Cardiff RFC, and he brought me along as an intern with Wales U20. Within six months I was offered a job in North Wales with RGC, so things moved very quickly.”
Things didn’t slow down for Carter. RGC’s strong North American ties at the time – they had no fewer than nine Canadian players in their squad in 2010 – meant he was soon helping the Canadian national side adapt to new analysis software on their European tour.
“I was only 23 at the time, so it was an incredible experience for me. An Academy role then came up at Scarlets so I moved back from North Wales. During my three seasons with the Academy I was assisting with Wales U18 – including three tours to South Africa – so it was really good for my progression.”
After two further years with Scarlets as an analyst for the senior team, Carter joined Wales U20 on a permanent basis last year. He confesses to being amazed at how much the analysis game has changed since his first day as an intern with the Blues.
“I remember Rhodri Manning [now Blues Head of Performance Analysis] called me in and showed me some of the equipment. We had one camera view and basic coding. I had absolutely no knowledge at the time, but because it all happened so fast, I had no choice but to learn quickly.”
“Now there’s so much academia behind analysis, with places like Cardiff Met and the University of Glamorgan offering full-time degrees, modules and Masters programmes. It’s a huge part of sport now. The depth in opposition analysis we do, the previews, training statistics and player tracking with Wales U20 is a very major part of our approach now.”
This weekend, an extended Wales U20 squad will convene at the National Centre of Excellence to put in place systems they hope will help them claim the Six Nations title they won in some style at their Parc Eirias home last season. Analysis will form a significant part of these three days, and Carter says the tech-savvy youngsters will be able to hit the ground running.
“Near enough every player will be in an academy system already, so they’ll be familiar with the analysis software. The most important part from my point of view is letting the players understand what they’re watching, not just watching it for the sake of it,” he explains, setting out how the players will need to understand the culture and plays required of them by head coach Strange and his staff.
“Some of them will be 18 years of age, but it’s amazing how they understand the game already. They’re already getting one-on-one sessions with S&C, analysts and coaches in the academy, so it’s not a new process to them, it’s just at international level with the added pressure that goes with that.”
Whilst some teams might look to follow trends in the way the sport is played – particularly by leading nations – Carter emphasises that the Wales U20 coaches are looking at what approach best fits the Six Nations squad they will finalise later this month. “From year to year, we could have 60-70% new faces in the squad because of the nature of age group rugby, so it’s really important for the coaches to understand what players are coming through and how they fit the way we want to play.”
“Overall, there’s a younger squad this year, so a few of those players will be here next year as well, which is great. Last year they had an older squad and won the Grand Slam, and that showed the benefit of being together for an extended period. The coaches are particularly excited because we had a good U18 team last year too, so we hope that talent can carry through.”
Carter is particularly excited about returning to Parc Eirias next month. “The buy-in from North Wales has been excellent. Seeing the children from the local rugby clubs clapping the boys out onto the pitch is brilliant,” he says. “Everyone in North Wales is supportive of the game and the team, which makes it a great home for the U20s.”
The atmosphere and quality of rugby on show will undoubtedly be of the highest order this year, what with Wales hosting both last year’s World Rugby U20 Championship finalists, England and Ireland, in Colwyn Bay.
Thanks to the work of Carter and co, they should be more than ready for the challenge.
Tickets for the Wales U20 Six Nations matches against England (Friday 10th February) and Ireland (Saturday 11th March) at Parc Eirias can be purchased here.
