This session concentrates on attacking the space behind the defence. The players will work on bursting through the gaps and then popping off to the supporting players. It shouldn’t just be seen as an attacking session though, because you can improve tackling and defensive skills at the same time.
Warm up time: 7-10 Session time: 5-7 Development time: 5-7 Game time: 10-15 Warm down time: 7-10
What to think about
How can the ball carrier improve his bursting through the two defending shields?
The ball carrier must accelerate into the gap between the pads and tense his body as contact is made. An aggressive mental attitude plus a low body position are essential for it to be really effective.
The support runners are getting too flat and taking the pop pass at only half pace.
As the ball carrier makes contact he will always be slowed down to a certain extent. It’s crucial that the support players delay their runs and arrive late. If
they think they won’t get there in time, it’s probably the perfect approach.
Set-up
Target the middle of the pads making contact with each shoulder. Make sure the
ball is held securely in two hands.
Burst the pads open and go through the gap immediately popping the ball to one of your support players.
As a support player time your run to arrive just after the ball carrier has burst through. Hit the ball at pace and practise scoring.
What you get your players to do
Split your squad into groups of three with a ball. Put two defenders half a metre apart holding contact shields opposite a ball carrier approximately three to four metres away.
The ball carrier runs for the small gap between the pads and as he gets closer, lowers his body into a driving position, makes contact with the pads, bursts through and immediately pops the ball to one of his supporting team mates, who scores on a line marked five metres beyond the defenders.
A low driving body position will help the ball carrier burst through the pads.
Development
Add a third defender who starts five metres further back. This will create a two versus one situation after the pop pass.
Allow the defenders with the contact shields to move forward and meet the ball carrier early.
Both defenders are burst out the way before the ball carrier pops to a support player.
Game situation
Set up an eight versus eight game. The pitch is long but narrow so there is plenty of contact. Encourage the players to look for gaps and offload before, during and after contact. All restarts are a tap and pass.
The attacking team will tend to get a bit flat. Tell them that when a player decides to break through the defence the two players on either side of the ball carrier must funnel into his slipstream and support him.
By adding a third defender, the receiver of the pop pass is put under pressure in a 2 v 1 situation.
Avoid slow ball at the tackle or even losing the ball by making every ball carrier far more active on the ground. Use these two exercises to build up players’ ball placement skills under pressure.
After the tackle is made, the farther away your player can place the ball from the defence, the harder it is for the opposition to disrupt it. Encourage good placement habits with these exercises. MORE
Use great footwork and leg drive to break through defences while ensuring support players are on hand to take a quick pass beyond the initial contact.
Get the ball carrier to run the right angles to attack the gap between defenders, smash through the tackle and then offload to their support players. The support players will learn the best lines to receive the offload. MORE
Develop your players’ contact skills by creating a bottom-up approach to ensure they are accurate first and foremost and then able to apply the skills in different situations. We follow the approach of top NZ coach, Tony Hanks. MORE
Develop quick thinking under pressure to ensure the players make good and accurate decisions in contact. Once the first defender is beaten, the attacker has to decide whether they can offload the ball or have to take contact. MORE