A clearer at a ruck must look to go beyond the ball. This not only drives back defenders, it frees up the ball for your scrum half to grab and maintain continuity.
This activity helps players focus not only on clearing the ruck but encourages them to target the most important factor at the breakdown –the ball – and gets them driving beyond it.
Three attackers start on the first cone. Their aim is to clear the three rucks accurately and dynamically ensure they protect and drive beyond the ball. They work hard as a group of three so must approach the ruck at the same time.
Then it’s Bang! Bang! Bang!: BANG! An attacker clears out the left ruck pad. BANG! An attacker clears out the right ruck pad. BANG! An attacker stands over the ball but does not touch it.
Once completed, the attackers run around the next cone and repeat the sequence.
TECHNIQUE
Always focus on the ball.
Hit the pads low then stay low with dynamic leg drive, clearing the pads away from the ball. This ensures the ball is protected and any threatis removed.
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In essence, I wanted to create defensive games which would force attacking teams to realign with more depth. The rewards were aimed squarely at the defence. If they were successful, they would either gain the ball, or in the case of the overloaded game (where there were more attackers than defenders), they would move over into the attacking team. MORE
