The player who “steals” the ball at the tackle (sometimes known as the “jackal”) will often find that as he picks up the ball, the opposition support players arrive and try to knock him back off it.
To keep possession, he needs to stay in a strong, low position and pull the ball into his chest. As he is knocked back, he protects the ball by turning his body so he lands facing his own team and on his side.
Once on his side he has to make the decision whether to pop the ball up to a support player or present it on the ground as far back as he can reach.
This decision depends on how close his support players are and whether or not the opposition clearing player has stayed on his feet or gone to ground.
Set up lots of live scenarios in your rugby training sessions so your players get used to making these decisions in game-like situations.
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Click the link to see a London Irish training video showing two groups of six players continuously recreating the Jackal turnover.
I’ve been talking tackling to plenty of coaches in the last few weeks. That’s not unusual. Therefore, I wanted to share with you one of my favourite tackling “drills”: High pressure tackling reactions. I say drill because it’s a 1 v 1 exercise. MORE
Get your players used to making side-on or front-on tackles with this high-octane exercise. The tempo will keep the players moving quickly into position and making choices on which tackle to employ. MORE
Even the top teams recognise they don’t practise side-on tackling enough.
Use this session to work on quick-to-ground tackling, against a dynamic attacker. MORE
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The low chop tackle brings the ball carrier down quickly. It then offers the opportunity to turn the ball over. This type of tackle isolates the ball carrier from his support and also stops or delay offloads.
Learn the basics of a chop tackle by ensuring the players use it as a side-on tackle. MORE