Develop ball carriers with some grit and determination to power through the tackle situation. If they don’t break the tackle, at least they provide a good target for their support players. This session creates ways to test their mettle.
Sometimes the attacker needs a bit of brute force to break through. The support players have to react to keep the continuity going.
ACTIVITY
Put two attackers at one end of a 10m x 5m box – a ball carrier and support player – with a defender at the other end.
Get the ball carrier to aim to make as much ground through the channel before being tackled or driven out.
The support player can help drive the ball carrier forward.
Note how far the ball carrier travels and award points. Swap players around.
DEVELOPMENT
Set up three-lettered 5m “power boxes”. Put five attackers behind the boxes and two defenders in front, with two more defenders at the far corners.
Shout out which box the attack must advance through.
One attacker takes the ball into the box and is not allowed to pass. If they do not make it to the far end, the ball is recycled and can be played from that ruck.
Once the attackers are through the box, the two furthest defenders can move forward to join in. Play normal rugby.
TECHNIQUE
Take on the defender by driving hard at their edges.
Keep the ball away from the defender.
Aim to win the collision contest before deciding how to use the ball.
“The supporting player starts in front of the ball carrier, while the defender has his back to the attack. When you shout play, with the supporting player walking forward and the defender out of position, the players will have to think quickly to come up with winning solutions.” MORE
Create a fatiguing decision-making exercise for your players. In this 4 v 2 game, the players have 90 seconds to score as many tries as possible but can choose which line to attack each time. MORE
Understand how to create then take advantage of 3 v 2s by isolating and splitting the two defenders. The chaotic starts mean more options and decisions for all the players involved. MORE
Create attacking shape, where forwards understand where they are supposed to run to support the next phase of play. The groups of forwards are called pods and need to work together. MORE