EXPERT SESSIONS AND ADVICE FROM QUALIFIED AND EXPERIENCED GRASSROOTS RUGBY COACHES
Use three main themes for the ball carrier so they can engage defenders, pass well and be able to support after they have made the pass.
Keep your ball carrier dangerous by following these three principles. Use them as reference points so they can review their own performance.
Players should have their “core to the try line” as they run with the ball. This engages the defenders because the ball carrier is running forwards. It also means the ball carrier can pass, run or kick at any given time.
Players should aim to keep their hands above their tummy button. The key is to finish off the pass with high hands. When I was at the Ospreys, we called it: “Throw the magic”. The fingers are pointing at the target as if a spell has been thrown to the receiver. I have found players respond well to this type of imagery.
Work hard on the players being balanced with the ball in hand. They are on their toes before receiving the ball and when they pass, they use the correct weight transference between the inside leg to the outside leg. This is linked to the support principles.
The ball carrier takes on the ball, with his core facing up the pitch. As he passes the ball, the core faces towards the corner flag as he releases the ball.
Crucially, he should not turn his body and move across the pitch until after he has passed the ball. As soon as the ball carrier moves across the pitch, the defence sees him as a reduced threat.
He cannot perform the run or kick functions so well either. We want the defender to think he will have to make the tackle at all times.
Handling the ball does not finish once the pass is made. Players need to work after the pass. There is a clear sequence for the ball carrier: catch, pass, follow. We tell the player to “get your second touch”.
In the words of the great Australian fly-half Mark Ella: “If I touch the ball once there’s a chance someone will score, if I touch it twice the chances are the person I pass it to will score, if I touch it a third time, then I will score”.
Therefore, in practices, players have to work once they have passed the ball. However, they cannot make that transition to follow the ball until they have made the pass itself. The ball carrier must engage the defender first.
Here are some activities to work on these skills:
in Passing & Handling, Small-sided games
Ged Hall challenges players to be effective in finding space and passing, either on their feet or from the ground (the deck!). Good for fitness as well as decision-making. Deck hands is seemingly a very simple game to play, but beneath its simple exterior is a game that challenges players physically, mentally, tactically and technically. MORE
in Attack, Passing & Handling, Small-sided games
Keep the players thinking about where to attack as the defence move around dynamically, adding in players as the attack becomes more successful. MORE
in Backs moves, Passing & Handling, Rugby drills
In Hard and Fast with the Miss Pass, we set up a “miss pass” training session. The miss pass is a long pass which skips one player, with the missed player drawing a defender in the process. MORE
in Attack, Passing & Handling, Rugby drills
A hard and fast flat miss pass can cut out defenders before they have a chance to change their running angles. It can lead to clean breaks as your attackers exploit the gaps. By scanning the line and hitting the ball at an angle towards a space, the ball carrier is going to be almost impossible to stop. MORE
Though it sounds obvious, the number one priority of any coach is to see a clear transfer of skills from practice ground to playing field. Australian skills coach Mick Byrne tells you how. MORE
In Minis rugby, especially in the younger age groups, putting together three successive passes in the same play is an outstanding achievement. Here’s how to make it easier. MORE
