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.
The “jack knife” – with the player bending in the middle – is the placement that occurs most regularly in a game. In all cases, the carrier must be in control of the ball and push it back to his team as far as he can.
A ball carrier and a defender lie on their fronts 1m apart – use cones to show the distance.
The defender indicates which shoulder the attacker should aim at.
The carrier gets up and goes for that shoulder (he shouldn’t step out any further).
The defender jumps up and tackles him, and the attacker places the ball back.
Check that he has made a good placement.
To develop, put a cone 5m behind each player and add another attacker and defender behind their team-mates.
They support once the tackle is made.
Again, the tackler dictates which shoulder the carrier runs at and the two support players compete for the ball after the tackle.
Develop further by altering the starting positions of the support players.
Reduce the impact by giving the support defender a ruck pad.
The switch pass is notoriously difficult to coach. Try out this activity to let your players develop the right sort of skill. There are lots of moving parts in a switch pass which mean, even at the top level, they can be difficult to execute. This activity gives the players more awareness of their running lines and potential passes. MORE
Using an inverted backline shape, your runners from a ruck can give the 9 more options to pick up the best-placed player to break the defensive line. An inverted three is a group of three players that line up so the furthest player is in front. All but the first player in the line can take the ball with a player in support to drive them out and away from the previous breakdown. It’s easy for the outside players to adjust their timing to support the first player if he’s the receiver. MORE
How to take the ball close to the gain line in attack to put the defence under more pressure. It will exploit quick ball from rucks by putting attackers flat, running angles and offloading before or after the tackle. MORE
Create pace onto the ball from a “free pass” to a static player by encouraging your players to organise themselves quickly and work in threes. When the rules state that a free pass has to be to a static player, your players have to be at ease with repositioning themselves to be able to generate some pace onto the ball. MORE
To create continuity, your players need to understand their support roles at the tackle contest. They also need to practise being innovative for when it goes wrong. MORE
