Winning a ruck with just one player is a great way to maximise numbers post contact. In open spaces, this is a top skill to develop to retain quick ball and play again.
Attacking away from congested areas, this is an ideal way to keep quick ball going. It’s also a good individual skill for normal rucks too.
Activity 1
Place ruck pads and players as in the picture. Players lie either side of the pad.
On your command, players contest a 1v1 ruck. The winner is the first player to drive over the ball.
Ensure players move from a prone position, to all fours, to a three-point stance to enable them to move quickly and powerfully.
Activity 2
Next, players face each other across the box.
Teams pass a ball between themselves until you call which ruck pad to run to.
When the letter is called, the players in possession of a ball drop it and contest a ruck at that pad.
Development
Two teams of three start by passing a ball between them. Give each team a colour.
When you call that colour, that team’s ball carrier enters the box with a team mate along with two of the other team.
If a tackle is made, then there is a 1v1 ruck. No passing is allowed. Once the ruck has finished, players leave the box and return to their starting positions.
Present the ball more effectively in the tackle and your supporting players will have an easier task to help to retain possession. It will also give your 9 cleaner ball to pass away from the base of the ruck. There’s a simple tactic for good attacking rugby: disorganise an organised defence. A defence is organised... MORE
Quick ball placement allows for quick rucks and chances to attack when the defence is at its most vulnerable. Use this activity to build up the essential skills. MORE
The maul is a dynamic contact situation which occurs mostly from lineouts. There are lots of “coach” theories on how to set up and drive forward from a maul, some of which you might use. Now add the science to help you work out what works best for you. MORE
Use this series of exercises to build up simple skills for rucking. It starts with low impact techniques before upping the level of contact in a breakdown contest.
Contact needs careful management. Skills should be honed before they are put into bone-on-bone situations. MORE
Plan for decision-making at rucks. First three sessions for technical, then a four-week planner and then four specific decision-making ruck attack sessions. MORE