Your team can win more ruck ball if the players get lower, earlier in the collision contest. Then, once at the “correct” height, they must stay on their feet. The game situation in this session isolates the decision on the “correct” height and angle required to win the ball, and win it quickly.

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

What to think about

The vertical targets in rucks are very small. Perhaps the would-be rucker can see a shoulder and a bit of the chest of the opponent he wants to clear away. There is little room for error if the player wants to make the biggest impact. We therefore have to be more inventive with the equipment we use to replicate a true ruck situation. We need to change the shapes and heights of the pads and tubes. In this session, the tackle tubes might well fall off the pads as they are driven. This is not a problem and may be more realistic, because if the players are not balanced and fall over with the tubes, then they will be out of the game for longer. You may want to increase the height of the tackle tubes, in which case stack two ruck pads on top of each other.

set-up

1. Get low early so you are driving up from a balanced position.
2. Keep your hips and shoulders in line through the contact area to maximise your effort.
3. Drive hard, but with balance, ready to react to different situations.

What you get your players to do

Set up two tackle tubes, each resting on two ruck pads, and with a ball between them (as in the top picture). Put a player two metres away from each end of the tubes. On your first signal, the players drive into the tubes, attempting to drive them over the ruck pad in front of them. On your second signal, the players break off and, in pairs, compete for the ball, perhaps with the added problem of the tubes lying in the way. The pair that has driven most effectively will be in the best position to win this contest.