Lineout recovery

by Dan Cottrell in Practice plans, Rucking & Mauling, Scrums & Lineouts

Not every lineout take is clean and your players will have to learn how to recover the ball (or chase through onto opposition ball). There are lots of complementary skills in this session such as ground work, rucking, body positions, communication.

Warm up time: 5-7
Session time: 8-10
Development time: 10-15
Game time: 10-15
Warm down time: 5-8

What to think about

A player must fall on the ball to recover it. He should land with his back to the opposition, to protect the ball. He should then get to his feet pushing himself up and into any opposition players coming towards him. This should provide a target for his support players to drive into.

Sometimes the 9 can do this, but he can find this difficult if he is moving forward because he might knock the ball on.

Set-up

Fall on the loose ball on the ground with your back to the opposition. Get up quickly and drive forward.
Supporting players must get in behind the player on the ground and clear threats.

What you get your players to do

Put four attackers and two ruck pads holders together (see picture 1). It will be in the shape of a two-man lineout.

Stand to the side of the lineout and throw a ball onto the ground behind the attackers. They have to, between them, fall on the ball, securing it while the ruck pad holders try to disrupt them (see picture 2).

Throwing the ball to the ground behind the attackers.

Development

Take away one of the ruck pads, so there is one defender challenging for the loose ball.

Add in attackers and defenders.

Have the “hooker” throw in the ball, but the lineout players can only play the ball with one hand (both teams).

The attackers fall on the ball to recover it, while the ruck pad holders provide pressure.

Game situation

Put a lineout together of four or five a side, with an attacking hooker, a scrum half on each team and an attacking and defending back (see picture 3).

Get the hooker to throw hard and low to the lineout. Either team can win the ball, but can only use one hand to deflect it. The scrum half has to pass the ball out to his back line either from the deflection, or after the ball has been secured. The back wins a point by kicking the ball over his opposite number. Failure to kick the ball cleanly means a point to the other team.

Where the ball is thrown flat and hard into the lineout, the lineout players can only use one hand. The teams have to try to recover the ball, with a success being the ball kicked cleanly by the back line player (not 9).