Protection racket

Develop your players’ skills around the tackle area so they can retain possession if there’s no chance to offload the ball. It requires accurate execution and you have a chance to observe whether your players can achieve this.

Players react quickly to a tackle to protect the tackled player against the first threat. It focuses on the first support player being the player who last passed the ball.

ACTIVITY

1. Put three players (A, B and C) with the ball at one end of the channel.
2. Get them to walk up the channel, passing to each other in rotation.
3. When you shout “tackle”, the ball carrier passes to the next player. That player goes to ground and presents the ball.

1. The non-passer runs around and comes in to challenge for the ball on the ground as an opponent. In the meantime, the last passer gets over the ball to protect it.
2. Once you feel the ball has been won or lost, you shout “break” and the next three players come forward

DEVELOPMENT

1. Add two players, who run down either side of the box. When you shout “tackle”, one runs in to make the tackle, while the other challenges for the ball.
2. The ball carrier takes the tackle, with the other two players protecting the “tackle ball”.

TECHNIQUE

• A long, pencil placement from the tackled player.
• The supporting player coming square into the tackle situation and going over the ball.
• The challenging player getting his hands over the ball if he can.