Get players driving a maul from ball carrier to support players
Mark out a 5m square area using different coloured cones on each corner. Put a ball carrier and defender back-to-back about 1m apart in the area. Another attacker faces the ball carrier outside the square.
Shout which cone the ball carrier should attack, here “blue”. He turns and goes for that cone.
The defender tries to stop him either by grabbing the ball or tackling. The support player joins the contact situation.
The ball carrier cannot offload the ball but can have it ripped off him.
Play until the ball is lost, a tackle is completed and the support player has protected the ball or the ball carrier goes over the cone.
Develop by adding another defender. He and the support attacker run around the cones in front of them after you call a colour.
You will need
A 5m square area
1 ball
Coloured cones
Bibs
Got more players?
With more players, set up more boxes
What to tell your players
“Roll the upper body to make yourself more difficult to hold onto”
“Support player, tell the ball carrier what to do – stay on your feet, drive, my ball, go to ground”
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
The ball carrier uses a strong fend to create space and time to pass the ball to their supporting player while the defender aims to disrupt. They then turn the corner and repeat MORE
Retain possession in a two-man tackle, so your supporting players can help protect the ball. It should reduce the chances of the opposition using a choke tackle to hold up the ball carrier and create a maul. MORE
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. MORE