The role hasn't changed much over the years, a blind-side flanker still has to make sure that the opposition ... The All Blacks, for example, play a high-risk level of rugby these days, punching holes ...

Think of the open-side flanker as your 'rat-up-a-drainpipe' type player, if you will, or the 'groveller'. Because defensive lines are so tight in the modern game, the open-side's role is turning rucks ...