Let’s consider planning our technical and tactical awareness to exploit a narrow defence. In other words, if there’s an opportunity to attack when the attack has more numbers than the defence. In the simplest terms, that might be a 2 v 1.
These sessions consider 3 v 2s and 4 v 3s and how and when to use the miss pass.
To enhance learning, you are better off focusing on an “arc” of learning for a specific area. This means spreading out the training over a number of weeks, rather than dedicating one session to this.
Here’s a four-week plan for exploiting a narrow defence, but you can split this up into more sections if you want.
Objective: Exploiting a 3 v 2 or 4 v 3, with the option to use a miss pass or dummy.
Week one: Developing miss/long passing skills
Week two: Exploiting a 3 v 2
Week three: Exploiting a 4 v 3
Week four: Alignment and tactical awareness for an overlap
Let’s say you dedicate 15 minutes each week to the activities and assuming you have warmed up, you could use a mix of games and drills.
Each session may include all of the skills from all of the weeks. However, each week focuses on the specific skill, the reasons why it is important and how the players could improve their own contributions.
The mix depends on the skills of your players. Here are four ideas to help.
Attackers often come around the corner of the ruck to attack on a second or third phase. This session works on their alignment, timing and passing skills to make sure they run straight and fix defenders. It builds towards a 4v3. MORE
The miss passer has to engage his defender before passing and then follow his line through to get into the defence. Here’s how to teach this skill from the very beginning. MORE
Bounce out is a term used to explain the action of the 9 when running away from a breakdown. Here’s how it works and how to practise it in a game-like situation. MORE
Eamonn Hogan chats with World Cup winning Graham Smith about the modern scrum. Graham, who is a level 5 coach, coached England Women to a World Cup in 2014 and six Grand Slams. He has coached with the Worcester Academy, CN Poble Nou in Spain, Stoke and Moseley RFC. Graham and Eamonn cover the following... MORE
A session ideal for pre-season or in-season if you need to reconnect your players with their handling skills and pace onto the ball. Accurate passing is essential to maintain a flowing attacking move capable of exploiting mismatches and space. Look at the detail as well as the outcomes. MORE
Develop your players’ ability to recognise and exploit opportunities to counter-attack from turned over possession. By driving into tackle tubes, the attackers are disorientated momentarily. They then have to recover to play what’s in front of them. MORE
Your approach to what you are looking for when you are coaching tackling will help you and your players focus on the right areas to improve their defensive capabilities. When I look at the tackle, I am predominantly outcome driven. If it works, then that is more important than if all the technical processes have been ticked off. MORE