Divide the players into groups of four, of three attackers and one defender. The attackers have five goes to score a try. They can pass forward and use dodging to do this.
The defender can either tag or touch tackle the ball carrier to beat the attack. The defender also wins if an attacker steps out of bounds.
The attackers have to decide who to pass to score, and when. The defender has to decide who and when to tackle.
Rotate the attacking players after every attempt. Don’t allow the defenders to get demoralised if they’re unable to stop the attackers.
Set Up
Area: 5m x 5m.
Equipment: 1 ball per 4 players, tag belts (if used).
Players: 4 – 3 attackers and 1 defender.
Scoring
1 point for each try.
What to Call Out
“Look for space and move quickly”
“Pass to free players”
“Use evasion or a pass to beat the defender”
“Keep your hands up”
“Make your tackles”
“Pass quickly – keep the ball moving”
Coaching Tips
The narrower the channel, the more successful the defender should be. Only assist groups that are struggling to solve the problems.
Three attackers face one defender.
The attackers must beat the defender to score. They can pass forwards.
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
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
Thinking outside the box is currently the order of the day with Covid! So, I have used giant ladders to teach attacking shape and scanning with my players. The focus of this game is attack, but there is some defensive lessons that can be taken from this game too. SET UP If you have the... MORE
My “Find the bib” game is adapted from the game called “Drop-off touch”. It challenges the players to look for mismatches and also create them too. MORE