Barcelona football team are fantastic to watch in the way they pass the ball quickly to players in space. This style of play does not happen by chance – replicate it in your rugby training.
Especially with young players their focus is very much on the ball and not the space available. This is why players of all ages move towards the ball. This activity works on players moving away from the ball once it has been re-gained into space and creating width and options. By doing this and using quick accurate passing we can move the ball to players in space to go forward and gain ground or score.
Nominate two chasers and six passers.
The passers have to use passing only to keep the ball away from the two chasers.
The two chasers have to either intercept a pass or force a mistake or get a two handed touch on the ball carrier.
Then increase the number of chasers to six, increase the area size and to let everyone move.
The same rules apply.
The final stage is a six versus six game with no set piece, and tap pass re-starts after an infringement.
After a touch tackle, the attacking team must make two passes before being touched or scoring a try.
TECHNIQUE
Quickly pass the ball to someone in space.
Move away from the ball carrier into space.
In the game-situation, move away from the breakdown to create width.
I've been fortunate enough to have Eddie Jones deliver some sessions. This is the game he started with and it is excellent for reinforcing key messages around core skills or principles of play. MORE
Introduce players of mixed ability to contact by building up the skills through games and questioning.
I’ve found that using this progression of activity, the players develop contact skills together. You can adjust the pitch sizes and timings to suit your players. MORE
Build your team’s offloading skills in a game-related way so the passer and receiver can start to understand their options.
We know a simple offloading game can devastate defences. The players need the skills and the confidence to know how to offload and when to offload. MORE
Execute core skills under pressure in a competitive environment where players have to handle and support well when they are tired.
This will take time to work. Be patient! MORE
Use this unusual pitch set up to pose problems for your players to solve. As they work out ways to score they will begin to use handling and support to create width on their game. MORE
Encourage your ball carriers to run at pace, looking to avoid contact by anticipating where the spaces are.
This is a scanning exercise for just the ball carrier. They will make mistakes, yet start to become attuned to looking for gaps. MORE
