Randomise your 1 v 1, 1 v 2 and 2 v 2 tackle training with this exercise. Its quick-fire nature gives players little chance to think and makes for an active session.
Because the players come from a low position, it reduces the impact. Also, you can double up tacklers, so give weaker tacklers more of a chance.
Put a defender on each coloured cone spaced about 2m apart back from the box.
Other defenders line up behind ready to fill in.
Do the same with attackers on the other side of the box.
Stand at the side of the box, and call out a number and one or two colours. The number says how many attackers are going to come forward (mostly one).
The colour says which defender is coming forward.
You can have one or two defenders coming forward at a time.
Pass the ball to the attacker once he is on his feet.
You can feed it to him in any way, perhaps throwing it on the ground or behind him.
The defenders aim to stop the ball carrier before he gets to the end of the box, but should aim to tackle him to ground if not.
As soon as the tackle is completed, shout “clear”, and the players remove themselves and join the back of the line (attackers become defenders and vice versa).
Call forward more players, so sometimes you can mix weak and strong tacklers.
Use up to three attackers. With more than one attacker, they are allowed to pass or offload.
One player goads another, then touches the line and races to the other end to avoid being touched by the chaser. It’s a like smaller version of the Bangladeshi game of Kabadd MORE
Create attacking shape, where forwards understand where they are supposed to run to support the next phase of play. The groups of forwards are called pods and need to work together. MORE
Should an attack be successful at a 2 v 1 every time? At the top level, most of the time you would have thought, yet you would be surprised how often they fail.
Add in another attacker and defender, or even two attackers and one defender, and that ratio of success drops very quickly.
But it is still a golden opportunity to make ground and even score. So, you need to increase the success rate, and you do this by creating as many scenarios as you can. MORE
Dropped balls or loose kicks mean that the ball is on the ground and needs recovering. Use this session to work on the skills and decision-making around this situation.
It’s not a natural action to fall on the ball. Help the players understand how to develop this technique as smoothly as they can. MORE
Get your players in place quickly to attack at pace from the next ruck in this simple realignment activity.
Creating and keeping depth in an attacking line running onto the ball at pace and still have space and time to pass. MORE
Improve your players’ footwork and ability to evade contact. The “hot box” means your players will need to use their peripheral vision and their ability to see where defenders are. MORE
