Beat the rush: Draw then kick

With the increased use of aggressive rushing defences denying the attack space and time, new solutions are always being sought.

One of the most common at the top level is the short kick into the space behind the charging defensive line but just in front of the fullback. The rationale is that this space has become a more inviting target with the defence committed to moving forward into the tackle.

The risk is that you lose possession. But, if the chase is good, then the regathering team will not have quality possession because they will be chasing back to get into position.

Apart from your team regathering possession, it can slow down the defensive line speed or force the opposition to put more players into their backfield.

Key points are:

• Drag the defensive line up. The idea is to maximise the distance between the defensive line and fullback, so the kicker has to wait until the first-line defence is well across the advantage line [at least 5-7 metres] before making the chip or grubber kick (see picture 1).
  
  
• Be flexible – kick off either the first or second receiver. The chip or grubber can come off either first or second receiver depending on how far upfield the defence has committed.
  
  
• Normally, 10 kicks, but since this is expected, a pass to the next receiver (picture 2) can draw the defence further forward. In the picture, a left-footed kicker can find a little more time and space. So, you could swap around players to put the best kicking option in place.
  
  
• Check off the defensive 9. The main covering defender is invariably the 9, who tends to “sweep” in behind the line. Therefore, your potential kickers must check off the 9 to make sure they can’t cover the chip before they commit to it. If you don’t kick, what’s the next best option?
  
  
• Two-player chase. Ideally you want two players level with the kicker. They must be “on the same page” and ready to chase a chip or grubber with two players rather than one to cover the variables of the bounce.

They mustn’t give away the kick, so should look like passing options.