Get players used to changing their body position to improve ball placement after being tackled
Set out two cones, 8m apart. Put a feeder 5m back from the first cone with a pile of balls at his feet. Line your players up by the first cone.
When you say “go”, the first player comes forward and takes a pass from the feeder. You then shout out a ball placement shape – “jack knife”, “long” or “power roll”.
The player takes the pass, steps past the feeder and then goes to ground behind the rear cone to perform the required placement shape.
As soon as he is past the feeder, the next player comes forward and repeats, stepping to the other side.
Develop by having the previous placement player act as a tackler. In this case, work at 50% intensity so the players concentrate on good technique.
You will need
2 cones placed 8m apart
Lots of balls
Got more players?
You can line up as many players as you like, as long as you have enough balls.
What to tell your players
“Step hard round the feeder”
“Drop to the ground and get into position quickly”
A simple session to start with, but very intense, “pressure contact” works on reacting quickly to different contact situations and making good contacts.
The players need to be secure in their body positions in contact, so it works well after a technical session on body profiling in contact. MORE
Use this session to build players’ understanding of how to keep going forward in the tackle.
Collapsing in the tackle gives the defence more opportunity to steal or slow down the ball because it is more difficult for support players to get in behind the ball carrier. MORE
Improve the players’ mauling skills so that can keep going forward in contact and still retain the ball if they are held by a defender.
In contact, the ball carrier needs to stay on their feet because they will have to give up the ball if they go to ground. They also need to drive forward to make it easier for supporting players to drive in and support them. MORE
Attacking the space between two defenders in a close proximity means a good chance of a double tackle. Instead, attack one defender and beat just them.
In a tight defence, though the space between the defenders seems more attractive, it means that those two players step in to double team the ball carrier.
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"With the return to rugby, I’m really worried that my team (U13s) will have forgotten lots of things about rugby. In particular, I’m trying to work out when and how to introduce contact and tackling."
This question came from a coach in Gloucester and is typical of lots of concerns around this area of the game.
It is true that the players will have "forgotten" lots of skills.
Here's how I would approach this situation. On the next page are two tackling exercises to support training.
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