Fitting in the fight

Scott ’Razor’ Robertson, the breakdancing All Blacks head coach, is a shrewd operator.

As an uncompromising New Zealand back-rower, he knew how to win possession as a player. 

Now, as one of the premier coaches in world rugby, he also knows a thing or two about keeping his players fit.

One of his mantras, when he coached in the club game, was that you need to "save your ammo for the weekend". In other words, he doesn’t do much contact training during the week before a match. 

This is for two reasons. Firstly, it keeps players fit – less bone-on-bone contact certainly reduces injuries. 

Secondly, it keeps the players hungry. Their contact ammunition hasn’t been used up in a Tuesday contact session. 

I’m sure he would be the first to admit that he was using this with a professional and well-motivated team, that would happily knock seven bells out of each other during the week. 

With the sort of teams most of us coach, it’s a lot different. They need to spend time ’fighting’, and learning how to operate in more physical situations.

In my days of playing at a good level of rugby, a Tuesday session after a defeat was often very physical. And, even for a winger like me, extremely enjoyable. 

I’m not sure how much skill was involved, but there was plenty of frustration vented. It wasn’t unusual for the hookers to end up having a scuffle (why is it always them?!).

A ’fight’ is a good way to think about the contest, although I would advise you to keep that language to yourself.

Instead, create an environment where the players are keen to win contests, which then pushes them to use the right skills to overcome their opponent.

It’s a ’fight’ because, often, the initial contact skill doesn’t land the decisive blow. It might gain the advantage, but it still needs to be finished. 

For example, at the ruck, a defender might get their hands on the ball. They need to be strong and sturdy, so that they aren’t driven off. 

Alternatively, a tackler makes a good shoulder contact with the ball carrier. Continuing to drive their legs, tightening the grip, and then twisting in the finish gives the rest of the team a chance to turn over the ball.

The same is true when the situation is not so positive. Continued resilience can reduce the outcomes for the opposition, and, sometimes, even reverse the outcome in the favour of the better ’fighter’.

Instil this attitude in sessions like Stop defences spoiling.

The session and techniques are not all about ’blood and guts’, but do help reveal resilience.