Get players managing the ball so it’s available to be ripped away by a team mate or passed
Set up a 5m square area. Put two attackers, one with a ball, on one side of the area (one on each corner) and two ruck pad holders together in the centre on the other side.
When you say “go”, the ball carrier runs at one of the ruck pad holders and, in the last 2m, passes to the other attacker who runs on to the ball at pace and tries to smash between the two ruck pad holders.
Players attack and defend in different partnerships, in 30-second sets.
Develop with the initial ball carrier following the supporter into contact and driving him from behind to add extra power.
Or develop with the initial ball carrier going round the pad holders to take a return pass from the support player once he has broken through the pads.
You will need
A 5m square area
1 ball
Cones
Ruck pads
Got more players?
Line up attacking players on the two corners so they can run through the activity quickly (remember to change the pad holders, too).
What to tell your players
“Stay on your feet”
“Take small, fast steps through the contact area”
Avoid slow ball at the tackle or even losing the ball by making every ball carrier far more active on the ground. Use these two exercises to build up players’ ball placement skills under pressure.
After the tackle is made, the farther away your player can place the ball from the defence, the harder it is for the opposition to disrupt it. Encourage good placement habits with these exercises. 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
Develop your players’ contact skills by creating a bottom-up approach to ensure they are accurate first and foremost and then able to apply the skills in different situations. We follow the approach of top NZ coach, Tony Hanks. MORE
Develop quick thinking under pressure to ensure the players make good and accurate decisions in contact. Once the first defender is beaten, the attacker has to decide whether they can offload the ball or have to take contact. MORE
Don’t teach falling over. Teach the players to bounce themselves and therefore the ball off the ground and back into the game. It reduces the fear of falling by making the players embrace the ground as part of a skill for continuity. MORE
Most controlled mauls are formed at lineouts. Open-field mauls carry more risks for the attacking team, but it’s still worth considering it as a tactic. Here’s how… MORE