Offloading out of contact is “risk and reward” rugby. It maintains continuity and might get your attack behind the defence. Offloading the ball out of the tackle while still on your feet is often the quickest option, but the offload off the ground can be just as effective. The support runner can then attack the space where the tackler was.
Offloading out of contact is “risk and reward” rugby. It maintains continuity and might get your attack behind the defence. Offloading the ball out of the tackle while still on your feet is often the quickest option, but the offload off the ground can be just as effective. The support runner can then attack the space where the tackler was.
Warm up time: 7-10
Session time: 7-10
Development time: 7-10
Game time: 15-20
Warm down time: 7-10
What to think about
Offload rugby is a fast exciting style of play. It is especially effective for teams with smaller players, who find themselves outmuscled in the contact area.
It relies on players recognising the opportunities to offload and having support in the right positions to take advantage.
Spend time developing the players’ footwork skills just before they take contact. Ball carriers must be able to fix the defender and attack the space to the side. This forces tacklers to make weak side on tackles, which opens up opportunities for offload passes to close support runners.
set-up
Attack the space at the side of the defender.
Drive the legs and get beyond the tackler.
Twist the upper body and land on your back.
Give a soft pop pass straight up in the air.
Support player: get as close as possible to the tackled player on the ground.
What you get your players to do
Put four defenders in a line about 4m apart. Four players attack, with the ball carrier aiming for the side of the first tackler. He takes the tackle and lands on his back. He then offloads to the next support player, running close to him. The new ball carrier repeats the action with the next defender. Start off walking and slowly build up the speed of the exercise.
The ball carrier attacks the side of the defender, to force him to make a weak side on tackle.
Development
Build up the intensity of the exercise until it is full contact and the tackler is actively trying to stop the ball carrier offloading.
Play three against two in a small square. Make one attacker start 5m deeper than the other two.
Related Files
Core-123-off-the-ground.pdfPDF, 294 KB
The tackled player gets beyond the tackler and falls onto his back with the ball in two hands.
Game situation
Play one phase full contact rugby with two teams of five.
The attacking team is only allowed to take contact once in each attack. A second contact is a turnover. If and when they take a tackle, the ball carrier should look to offload to a close support runner to score. Encourage them to look at different ways to offload the ball and keep it alive.
Four players work through four separate tackles, offloading the ball from the ground.
What to call out
“Don’t pass until you are on the ground”
“Pop the pass off your fingers straight up in the air”
Dan is a practising RFU Level 3 coach and coach educator. He coaches with the Bristol Bears DPP programme, is the assistant coach with University of Bristol Women's team and is a coach mentor for Broad Plain RFC mini and juniors section.
He was Head Coach of Swansea Schools U15 and has previously held coaching roles with the Young Ospreys Academy and as Assistant Coach with the Wales Women's Team for the 2010 World Cup. He was director of rugby for Cranleigh School, Surrey. P...
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