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LOGINKick switches
Use our two simple tactics to pull defences one way and then kick the other to surprise them and give your chasers a good chance of gathering the kick unopposed.
Defences have to gamble on what areas of the pitch they need to cover. They will shorten the odds by trying to read the movement of potential kickers. You can changes the odds in favour of the attacking side with these two tried and tested ploys.
The reverse
See picture 1: From a ruck near the middle of the pitch, the defensive full back (FB) tends to line up in the backfield opposite the kicker (K).
The defensive winger (DW) will be back, while the other winger might be up or back.
When the attacking team receives the ball going right, K takes the ball from 9, shimmies, then kicks in the opposite direction – to the left.
The defensive full back will have moved to their right to follow the pass. The defence will have moved up and right too. Now here is the clever bit – DW, who is on the side you are kicking to, will probably switch off for a second when they see the ball go away from them initially. That gives your winger on that side the chance to scoot past them and successfully chase the ball.
- The reverse kick aims to go behind the defending winger who thinks K will kick to the opposite side. This allows W to run past them
- The full back (FB) covers across thinking play is going to their left
- K draws up the defence
- 9 passes to the kicker (K)
- K changes their angle to take the kick the other way
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Chocolate kicks
Make your kicks all the sweeter by naming them after chocolate – and get players to shout what sort they will use either at a set piece or once they have got the ball and have had a chance to react to the defence.
You could name your kicks in the following way:
i) Chocolate – a cross kick to your winger.
ii) Milk chocolate – a banana kick over and behind the lineout.
iii) White chocolate – a chip by your 9 running from the lineout.
See picture 2: To practise chocolate kicks, the open side winger (W1) stands very wide. When 10 receives the ball from 9 running from the lineout and then passing, they shape to cross kick to their openside winger (W1).
If the defensive winger is out of position (too tight to their own try line) then 10 kicks into the space (“chocolate”).
However, they can also kick with the outside of their boot back over into the space behind the lineout (“milk chocolate”). The blindside winger (W2) races around the front of the lineout to take the ball as quite often the defending winger covers across and is out of position.
Finally, the 9 might take the ball and chip in behind the opposition centres (“white chocolate”).
- Target area for 9 to put kick if their midfield race up
- Target area if their blindside winger covers infield
- Cross kick to open side winger W1 target if defensive winger stays tight on their try line
- 10 looks up, and either cross kicks, or banana kicks to the blindside
- 9 takes the ball, runs and passes to 10 OR runs and chips behind their centres
- The blindside winger (W2) runs around the front of the lineout to chase the banana kick
Dan Cottrell
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