EXPERT SESSIONS AND ADVICE FROM QUALIFIED AND EXPERIENCED GRASSROOTS RUGBY COACHES
It’s not always easy to get young players to embrace contact which is why we’ve spent so much time devising and testing contact drills that will help your players grow in confidence. Use them alongside our tackling drills to develop a team of players that are comfortable making and taking contact.
in Attack, Contact, Passing & Handling, Rugby drills
Use these activities on rotation, spending around 5 minutes on each station, then swapping twice (20 minutes in all). The first works on support roles at the ruck, the second on handling and getting into position to run onto the ball. MORE
in Contact, Core skills
Quick ruck ball starts with flawless presentation. In the latest in our technical series, we explain how to ensure your players are spot on with their technique so that the 9 gets the ball on a plate… MORE
in Contact, Core skills
Add extra bite to your players’ ball-placement technique by giving them these X-factor ideas. Every detail makes a difference to the speed and quality of your possession at the ruck. MORE
in Contact, Core skills, Rucking & Mauling, Rugby drills
Most ball placement drills are carried out without opposition – which isn’t realistic. To ensure your players learn the right shapes, use this low-impact session on the “jack knife” technique. MORE
in Attack, Contact, Practice plans
Continuity out of the tackle is one of the most powerful weapons to break down defences. Players have to decide whether they can offload or go to ground and wait for support. Players must either risk making a pass or keep the ball and present it safely. MORE
in Attack, Contact, Practice plans
Do your players have the guts to challenge for a 50:50 ball? Often this is all that separates teams in close encounters. When the ball is on the ground, players need to react aggressively to win it – be like Shakespeare’s “dogs of war” – before driving forward. MORE
It happens frequently – a ball carrier facing two defenders, isolated from team mates. Players in these situations need to work out how to protect the ball and wait for support. This session works on the roles of both ball carrier and the support player. It is complementary because it also develops the defenders’ roles. MORE
in Contact, Passing & Handling, Practice plans
Pocket support is a very simple style of support play. As a ball carrier moves towards contact, a support player runs in behind him and “into the pocket”. If the ball carrier cannot pass laterally, or takes contact, he can offload the ball to a player immediately behind him. MORE
in Attack, Contact, Practice plans
Sometimes your players will have no choice but to go through a defence because it is well organised or there is no time to pass the ball out. Your players will need to use good footwork, body positions and support players to win the ball back. This is a bread and butter session. MORE
Being aggressive in the tackle and presenting the ball well creates quicker ball at the ruck. This session focuses on how your players take contact if they can’t avoid it. Winning the contest at the breakdown is a fundamental piece of your core unit skills. MORE
