Concrete ball to crunch a good defence

As it says on the tin, a pick-and-go has a player gather the ball from the back of a ruck and then run to the side of the ruck. It’s deemed a safe method of going forward, and to counter this, defensive organisation starts at the edge of the ruck. The very nomenclature of these ruck defenders, “guard” or “pillar” suggests strength and aggression to stop this type of attack.

That doesn’t stop attacking teams using the tactic and with some success. Not unsurprisingly, it’s much used in the last 5m of the pitch to squeeze over the try line. With the forward picking up the ball from a crouching position and driving towards the line, it takes away the loss of ground and time that a pass from the base of a ruck to a waiting player takes up.

However, as we so often see, it’s not guaranteed that the forwards will get over the try line. There’s an element of risk and reward here. Do you keep hammering away at close range where the defence is at its thickest? Or do you pass the ball away from that congestion to where the defence is thinner?

It’s possible to say that if you are 2m short of the line, what’s the difference between that and being 5m short of the line with a pass. The advantage of a pass is that it take you away from the congestion around the ruck.

That’s one for your players to work out. It brings in all the elements of the referee, conditions and perhaps the situation of the game.

If they fail, then your players might feel that they have lost some momentum. That’s why they might keep going with the safest option, even if it’s not given them much joy.

Support players key

The key to creating a strong attacking platform from a pick-and-go is the role of the next two supporting players.

The ball carrier will drive forward, get tackled and go to ground. With all the defenders in close proximity, the next defender has a good chance to go for the ball. And two defenders make the task of the first supporting attacker even more difficult.

That’s why you need two supporting players. They must be active in the contact area, more so than in open play. Referees are acutely aware of players not presenting a positive picture over the ball. A player who flops over the ball is more likely to be penalised in this area of the pitch, especially because defenders will be going for the ball. In other areas of the pitch, with the defence more spread out and less likely to be competing, a momentary “flop” and then recover can be excused.

I’ve adopted the name “concrete” because it gives the sense of heavy duty protection around the ball.

The picker will have their supporters close by and well-aware of what’s going to happen next.

It’s a call that can be made to rally the players to the play. The better teams will know that it’s going to happen in advance and react quickly. And some players will be happier to pick up than others. Practise this with the session on page 4.