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
Put your slow ball ruck plays into more game-like situations. This wrap play exercise is a good starting point, and you can then use it to develop other tactics.
A wrap play turns slow ball into quick ball and allows your 9 to recycle it at pace. MORE
“An attacker and defender run unusual running lines, which map out an R, to create a dynamic 1 v 1 which gives a chance for the attacker to attempt to step inside or outflank the defender” MORE
Expect higher standards from your players, no matter what level they are. Do this by creating one focus for the session, a principle of play they must keep to all the time. MORE
Improve your training sessions with behaviour ideas from top teachers. Jade Pearce, author of What Every Teacher Needs to Know and Dan Cottrell show you how in a rugby context. Doug Lemov, writing in Teach Like a Champion 3.0, says: “The purpose of [preventative and positive classroom behaviour management] techniques is not so much to... MORE
Use great footwork and leg drive to break through defences while ensuring support players are on hand to take a quick pass beyond the initial contact.
Get the ball carrier to run the right angles to attack the gap between defenders, smash through the tackle and then offload to their support players. The support players will learn the best lines to receive the offload. MORE