Will Harry Kane become a rugby star?

When veteran NFL coach Mike Westhoff was informed that Tottenham striker Harry Kane was interested in pursuing American football after retiring from football, he made a pretty move. positive.

Will Harry Kane become a rugby star?

Westhoff is a 32-year rugby coach with extensive experience in the major teams of the league. According to him, these teams will wait until they see an athlete’s shooting performance before making a decision or commenting on whether he is suitable or not.
Looks the same but very different

Football players also have an advantage when it comes to shooting, such as Kane. But according to Westhoff, he won’t be in a hurry to comment. Instead, he would invite Kane to a training session. “I would put the ball and say: Kick it. Then I’ll see what he can do with that offer,” Westhoff told the Guardian.

Invite him to practice, ask him to kick the ball, watch him do it, all of this sounds simple enough. But here Westhoff meant: It wasn’t easy. He has coached soccer players who are good football players – Pete Stoyanovich and Olindo Mare at the Miami Dolphins .

Westhoff has found that footballers who want to be rugby players often don’t do well in their new roles. Recall, he shared that he once invited two very successful football players, one from the Middle East, and the other from South America, to the Dolphins training ground. “But both of them did not perform well. They’re not too bad. But also only a little good. They are not very effective,” Westhoff said.

Successful transitions from football to rugby are rare indeed. New Jersey-born Tony Meola, the American goalkeeper at the 1994 World Cup, was signed that summer by the New York Jets in the hopes of turning him into a football pro, because he produced shuttlecocks. explosive sport in football. However, Meola has never kicked a powerful rugby shot, and he hasn’t been able to create kicks important enough to buy time for his teammates to hit the field for tackles. As a result, Meola was suspended after just his third game of pre-season.

Although soccer is an important part of football and rugby, the two sports are quite different. The first challenge for a keeper in football, Westhoff said, is kicking the ball in tight conditions for 1.3 seconds – 1.25 seconds for very good kickers. He said footballers can control the ball very well in congested areas, but in rugby, when it comes to an extra point or a goal on the field, the player has to make the decision immediately. ie without any hesitation.

Kane is only 25 years old and his playing career is still very long and he still has many opportunities to shine. This is also emphasized by him in an interview with ESPN that his intention is to play football for another 10 to 12 years. But Kane is a huge fan of the NFL. He had been to Atlanta to watch the New England Patriots win Super Bowl LIII. Kane is particularly fond of New England midfielder Tom Brady, seeing him as an inspiration to success.

Chances for Kane?

Two years ago, when Tottenham Hotspur toured in the US, Kane once watched the New York “giant” at the training facility. It was here that he had a successful football kick more than 45 meters, but in complete freedom, without attack from any opponent, and in no hurry.

“I definitely appreciate football-related athletes,” Westhoff said. But I think it’s very different from rugby.” You have to be in great shape to compete in this sport. I think it’s very different from football.

Even so, Westhoff has said Kane’s success at Tottenham and also in the national team is an asset. So his enthusiasm for rugby can help him perfect his missing skills to be suitable for that sport in the future. Overall there is still a positive highlight. It sounds like it will still take a long time to convince a coach like Westhoff, who has spent 12 years with the New York team.