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Attack

Rugby attack patterns are used to get your players to make the most of the attacking opportunities that come their way during a game. In these attacking drills I look at ways to create chances for your attackers, rugby games that will sharpen their reactions near the try line, and tips on how to coach your attackers to be try-machines.

Persuade your players to run straight

Persuade your players to run straight

Attack

By Paul Tyler, Scottish Rugby Union level 3 qualified coach, former SRU rugby development officer and a qualified referee Create a team of players who go forward with the ball and find space rather than run backwards or sideways which is a common trait among very young players. Why use it Develop understanding of the […]

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Skills, drills, tips and advice for rugby coaches Issue number: 998 23rd of May, 2017 Make More Impact in the Ruck Hi {sForename}, Many matches are littered with what some top contact coaches call "wasted bullets". That's a player who arrives at a ruck and makes no impact at all. It means they're not available for the next ruck either. Inside this newsletter: Ruck decision making (Ending Soon) Rugby Positions Made Simple Phil Larder's Iron Curtain Defence DVD Fixing defenders to create space (Ending soon) £5 off The Lineout and How to Win It Warm-up with the lawnmower Quote: The Rugby Players' Association Boost your coaching with my rugby coaching manuals We've all seen it happen, and some players seem to become expert wasters. It's not that they can't ruck, or even don't want to. They just don't seem to know how to choose the correct moment - at all. Create dynamic scenarios in training to help players gain a better sense of when to go into the ruck. In small-sided situations it's obvious when these players make the wrong decisions. Whereas in the game, they can rely on weight of numbers to muddle through, these ever-changing rucks (or non-rucks) need a player to either protect the ball carrier or clear the ball away. The simple exercise below should give you an idea how to use this set up, and then you can easily develop this by adding in more elements and players to customize it for your team. Also in this newsletter... I've recently stopped asking players in training "Where's the space?". I've become more interested in getting my players to create space. They do that by attacking one weak spot and then, if that spot is filled with defenders, attacking another. 2 v 1 exercises are the simplest way to work on that. But players need to understand the principle of fixing defenders. Use Colin Ireland's guide to "fixing defenders" to help players develop their ability to create space for their team mates. And in today's fitness section get your players to warm-up with the lawnmower. Yours in rugby, Dan Cottrell's signature Dan Cottrell, Head Coach, Rugby Coach Weekly P.S. For skills, drills and coaching advice you can trust from Rugby Coach Weekly's qualified coaches, subscribe now. Free Rugby Positions Made Simple with Rugby Coach Weekly Rugby Coach Weekly doesn't just do proven, easy to use drills, it also provides tips and advice on how to coach for the benefit of the players. Every week we want to help you push the boundaries with your players, make them think, give them problems and focus their minds on improving as a whole. In this week's issue of Rugby Coach Weekly, we have sessions on passing tricks, breaking through with slower players, reacting late to make tackles, quicker realignment and mauling from rucks. Sign up today, and as well as receiving weekly issues, you'll also get a free copy of my Rugby Positions Made Simple report. And, if you subscribe for 12 months, you can also choose £54 of rugby coaching manuals - free with your subscription. If you decide Rugby Coach Weekly is not for you, email us at customerservices@greenstarmedia.net within 30 days of the start of your subscription and we will refund you for unserved issues, no questions asked. Please be aware a subscription cannot be refunded if it started more than 30 days ago. Get your trial or subscription to Rugby Coach Weekly now. Subscribe now Better ruck decision making From Rugby Coach Weekly Don't waste your ruck bullets. Make sure your players know when to "shoot" at the ruck, and when to leave it alone. Start the process by making them understand when and where the threat to the ruck is going to happen, so they can judge what the best action is. Why use it You want enough players to win quick ball without compromising your chances to launch effective counter attacks. Set up A 10m square, two ruck pads and a ball. Ruck decision making How to do it Put a feeder (F) and receiver (BC) 5m apart, with a tackler (T) 2m in front of BC. Put support players A1 and A2 inside and outside BC and a ruck pad holder either side of T, acting as inside and outside defenders. F passes to BC who takes on T (see picture 1). Indicate whether you want one, two or no ruck pad holders to come in over the ball. A1 and A2 then decide whether they need to come in to take out their respective defender (see picture 2). If no defender comes in, then A1 comes in to clear the ball to A2 (see picture 3). Develop by changing the starting points of defenders and supporters and removing one or both of the ruck pads from the holders. Technique Good placement essential from BC. Ideally he falls and presents away from the inside defender (so his backside is facing that defender). A1 and A2 run "L-shaped" lines to be able to square up to go through the tackle gate to clear out any defender £5 off The Lineout and How to Win It The Lineout and How to Win It There are around 30 lineouts a game. So even a 10% improvement in your lineout will win you more clean ball and provide you with more opportunities to disrupt the opposition and steal possession. So if your lineout game is lacking you are missing out on valuable opportunities, now is the time to fix any issues with The Lineout and How to Win It available with £5 off for a limited time. If you need to boost your players' lineout skills and tactics, then The Lineout and How to Win It is for you. With over 100 pages of skills, practices and tactical plays, covering every aspect of the lineout, it is the most comprehensive lineout coaching book ever published. Get £5 off when you order - but only for a few more days! Buy it now Get your motivational patches Fixing defenders to create space

Fixing defenders to create space

Attack

By Colin Ireland, Physical Education teacher with sixteen years’ experience working for the Scottish Rugby Union Creating space for other players by attracting and fixing defenders is a basic skill – but it’s not easy. Defenders want to chase the ball carrier and their mind is split 50/50 on whether to stay on him or […]

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Keep the ball alive

Keep the ball alive

Attack

By Colin Ireland, Physical Education teacher with sixteen years’ experience working for the Scottish Rugby Union Overview Being able to keep the ball alive is important when trying to break down well-organised defences and moving the ball forward from A to B can be done much quicker if it’s kept off the ground. Set up […]

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Possession under pressure

Possession under pressure

Attack

By Mark Calverley, RFU Level 3 and IRB Level 4 qualified coach, and owner of the NZRFU Practicum award – the highest coaching award in New Zealand Simply put, the best way to keep possession in Sevens is to avoid going into contact. In reality however, the opposition will press you and aim to make […]

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Finish off every line break

Finish off every line break

Attack

From Rugby Coach Weekly The inside pass is an effective weapon against a sliding defence. The receiver hits a flat pass and a gap in the defensive line to break through. This activity finishes the break with a try. Why use it Breaking through the initial defensive line is good but make sure your team […]

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Create depth in attack

Create depth in attack

Attack

From EasiCoach Rugby Skills Activities U9 & U10 Use this session to get your players ready to run onto the ball. 1. Put two blue cones 6m apart then a green cone another 2m on and a red cone 2m after that (you can choose your own colours). Put a feeder just outside the first […]

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Get players into the support zone

Get players into the support zone

Attack

By Paul Tyler, Scottish Rugby Union level 3 qualified coach, former SRU rugby development officer and a qualified referee Overview Improve support play and awareness of how and when to arrive in the “Support Zone”. Develop the ability to change pace to provide the most effective support (see picture 1). Set up Set out six […]

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Clever tricks to power up smaller players

Clever tricks to power up smaller players

Attack

By Eamonn Hogan, experienced rugby coach working with representative teams in the UK and the US Don’t worry about size when you can use clever tricks to power up even your smallest players and make them get over and beyond the gain line and then get creative. When I was a kid, one of my […]

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Don't let 3v1s become 1v1s

Don’t let 3v1s become 1v1s

Attack

By Colin Ireland, Physical Education teacher with sixteen years’ experience working for the Scottish Rugby Union How often have you seen a 3v1 become a 1v1? No wonder coaches get exasperated. A 3v1 should be successful every time – so use our checklist to make sure it is. Points to get right: Always practise the […]

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