Archive for the ‘Tactics’ Category

Attacking The White Zone

Friday, November 25th, 2011

The “White Zone” is the attacking zone where the team is still inside it’s own half. Because of field position there is an inherent risk in running with the ball as a turnover will give the opposition a premium attacking position to work from. There is also a lot of space in the defensive back-field which can offer kicking options to advance the ball and gain territory. But because defending teams are aware of the space in the back-field they often leave 3 or possibly even 4 defenders in the back-field to cover attacking kicks.

This leaves the attack with a decision to either take the risk of running with the ball inside their own half or making a difficult kick to gain territory. Most teams work on the basis of possibly achieving both objectives.

With defenders in the back-field to cover kicks the defence will have less defenders on the gain-line to defend against the attack running. This should allow the attackers the opportunity to attack the space given up by the defense. If the attackers are smart and get the ball into space, it is easy to advance the ball and create substantial “Go Forward”. As long as the attack can find and exploit that space it makes sense to continue to keep the ball in hand and run at the defense.

But as the ball is advanced the defence will usually react by sending more defenders onto the gain-line to defend the ball which will leave less defenders in the back-field to cover attacking kicks. This is when the attackers can seize the opportunity to kick the ball into space and gain substantial territory.

Remember with less defenders in the backfield and more defenders on the gain-line there will be less space available to attack on the gain-line and a higher risk of turning over the ball in contact.

This is why a good “White Zone” attacking strategy will attack the space on the gain line while there are defenders in the back-field and than having manipulated the back-field defenders to come and defend the gain line, will exploit the back-field space with a good attacking kick.

This is called the “Transition Game” where the attacking team change form running with the ball to kicking the ball and in essence giving up possession (if they fail to regather the kick). A Transition Game Plan is vital as the team changes from attack to defense once the opposition gain possession. The trade off for the attackers is the opposition only gain possession deep in their own half from the White Zone attacking kick.

The type of kick used from the White Zone can vary in type and be executed by almost any player. From a ruck near the touchline a box kick from the scrum-half can be used with the intention of contesting the kick on landing and regathering possession. The “Up & Under” or “Bomb” can be kicked by the fly-half or full-back to achieve the same outcome as the box kick. Or and angled kick into the corner, also called a “Wiper” can be used to  attack the space in the corner. (This is a common tactic and easiest to execute from a ruck in the mid-field) Having a players with good kicking skills on both feet make the wiper even easier to execute. The wiper kick must hit the grass and run towards the touchline. If caught on the full by the opposition it offers an excellent counter-attack opportunity. The chip kick just over the defense can also be executed by almost any player but it must be retrieved by the kicker or another attacker as again if fielded by the opposition it offers an excellent counter-attacking opportunity.

Should the defense fail to defend the gain line well enough and the attack advances the ball into the opposition half without having to kick away possession then the attack has advanced into the “Blue Zone”. Now the “Blue Zone Attack Strategy” comes into play.

Eddie

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Posted in A, Adult- Community, Age, Category, Colts- U18-19, Decision Making, Game Management, Offence, Ruckipedia, Site Articles, Tactical, Tactical, Tactics, rugby development | View Comments

Kick Off For Under 11 & Under 12

Saturday, August 6th, 2011

 The kick off is a new part of the game at under 11 & Under 12 and can bring in some varied approaches to receipt.

If we look at the geography of the pitch 1st then it will help look at the formation.

The pitch is half of a standard pitch playing width wise. So 40 metres wide and around 60 metres long. The kick from kick off must cover 7 metres.

When I was coaching at this age group I looked to rugby league for inspiration. In rugby league they receive kick off in two lines with some covering players behind the two lines. Who ever catches the ball passes the ball o someone running from deep at pace.

So in our sport I deployed a line of 5 around 10 metres back, with another line of 5 10 metres behind them; with the remaining players covering behind in case of a deep kick. When I coached it was 2 players there but now it is 3 as the game is 13 a side.

Initially I encouraged players to catch the ball and pass to a player close by running at pace. I progressed this to passing the ball 2 away then passing to a player running from deep.

This formation is relatively simple and it is successful. Given these it grows confidence within your players. This will have be tweeked and even changed towards the end of under 12s in preparation for playing on a full size pitch; but it will put the foundations down on how important formation is and will help when you move on to coaching more complex kick off formations.

 Donny

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The Maul – Part 2 Building An Attacking Maul

Wednesday, July 20th, 2011

In the modern game most mauls are usually used as an attacking strategy from the line-out. As a tactic the maul is usually most popular either close to a teams’ goal line or close to the opposition goal line. It is usually used near a team’s goal line to give a stable platform on which to retain possession and probably kick for field position. Near the opposition goal line the maul is used to drive the ball into the in-goal and ground it for a try.

But the maul can also be formed in open play although that is a very rare occurrence. In open play the maul most likely to occur unintentionally, when the ball carrier is held up in contact and the defending team will not allow the ball carrier to get to ground to create a ruck. In this situation if the maul becomes unplayable then possession is turned over to the defending team.

Because of the “Use It Or Lose it” law the most important aspect of an attacking maul is to keep the ball and ball carrier away from the defenders and avoid the prospect of the maul becoming unplayable. Protecting the ball from the defenders is easily achieved at a line-out.

To achieve this the line-out jumper should turn away from the defenders while returning to ground after the winning the ball. This automatically protects the ball from the opposition. The two lifters should automatically bind on the side of the jumper as the jumper lands with the ball. These lifters now become blockers by binding on each side of the ball carrier in a low driving position to support the jumper.

In recent times referees have paid particular attention to these blockers getting in front of the jumper as they land from their jump. This infringement is regarded as obstruction and a penalty is awarded against the offending team. This illegal blocking is an unnecessary action, as if the lifters act quickly and block the jumper on landing it effectively puts a wall of three player between the defenders and the ball.

The next important action is to “link” or “seal off’ the ball. “Linking” the ball is achieved with the jumper transferring the ball to a 4th player (Link Player). The “link” player must arrive as soon as possible and takes the ball from the jumper. The jumper must bind on the link player during the transfer of the ball. Should the link player become detached from the jumper during the transfer of the ball this creates an illegal obstruction.

The jumper should remain in a strong upright position, but holding the ball low in front of their hips. This forces the link player to engage the jumper in a low driving position during the transfer of the ball from the jumper to the link player. The link player should remain in a low driving position after taking possession of the ball and bind onto the jumper. The jumper remains in a strong upright position with their back to the opposition and after transferring the ball to the link, binds on the blockers on either side to stabilise the maul even further.

From this point on, as other attacking players join the maul, the role and actions of the link player may vary. The most popular system for building the maul, from this point, is to allow the link player retain possession of the ball and slip back through the maul as other attacking players join the maul. This process demands a great deal of communication and coordination.

Should the link player not move back through the maul as the other support players arrive the link player may get trapped at the front of the maul. Should this happen the link player runs the risk of not being able to deliver the ball when required and the maul could become unplayable and hence create a turnover.

On the other hand, should the link player move back through the maul too quickly or before support has arrived they may become detached from the maul which would in effect mean the players in the maul in front of the link player are obstructing the opposition.

If using the system where the link player slips back through the maul, the support players joining the maul should do so in a low driving body position and bind on each other once they have driven past the link player. The link player should stay in a low driving position also as they slip back through the maul. When all support players have joined the maul the link player should be bound on at the back of the maul with all support player in front of them bound in a strong driving position.

The other option is the link player remains in position and as support players arrive at the maul the ball is transferred back through the maul to the last support player to join the maul. This system is less popular as there is a perceived risk in transferring the ball through numerous pairs of hands.

Either way, when the construction of the maul is completed, the player in possession (link player) is at the back of the maul and bound to the remainder of the players in the maul and each player is in a strong driving position.

There are also differing views on when to begin to drive the maul. Some teams opt to begin driving the maul as soon as the jumper lands from their jump and the link player arrives to secure the ball. The support players joining the maul just add their momentum to the drive on their arrival.

The advantage of this method is it doesn’t allow the defence time to structure a defensive strategy and once the maul is moving forward it is much more difficult for the defence to stop it. The disadvantage is that the coordination of the link player moving back through the maul and support players arrive is more difficult to achieve with the maul moving forward. Or the transfer of the ball back through the maul as it is moving forward is also a riskier option.

Some teams opt to build the maul and get every player in position with the link player securely at the back before beginning to drive the maul. The advantage of this strategy is with every player bound and in place the drive can become more concerted, powerful and controlled. The disadvantage is that the time taken to build the maul can allow the opposition the time to begin to drive the maul backwards and make it much more difficult for the attacking team to advance the maul.

Once the maul is moving it is important for the attacking team to retain control of the dynamics of the maul. The ideal speed at which to drive a maul is walking speed. It is a slow deliberate tactic where speed is of no real advantage. Once a maul speeds up to beyond walking pace it tends to lose it’s shape and will be more likely to disintegrate as a structure.

Also, the direction a maul takes is beyond the control of either team. The maul will create a dynamics all of it’s own. All the attacking team can do is work with the dynamics of the maul and not try to fight against it. Once a maul begins to wheel in a particular direction it is advisable to continue to drive the maul in that direction while at the same time the attacking players should work to keep their body positions parallel to the touch line i.e. driving straight up-field towards the try line. Of course the link player in possession remains at the back of the maul throughout this process.

By achieving this straight driving body position, despite the maul wheeling, will advance the maul against the point of least resistance. Which in essence makes it easier to drive the maul forward. This wheeling action will also most likely cause defenders to rotate away from the ball and create less opposition to the drive.

For the same reason, any attacking players that find themselves rotated away from the drive i.e in front of the ball and driving towards the touch line, should disengage the maul and re-engage as quickly as possible from an on-side position while driving past the link player at the back.

Should a maul should stop going forward on two occasions the referee will tell the attacking team to “Use Possession”. Should the attacking team fail to delver the ball from the maul at that point the maul is deemed unplayable and a turnover occurs. Hence the necessity for the ball to be with the link player at the back of the maul and available to the scrum-half at all times during the drive.

A well constructed dynamic maul is extremely difficult to defend effectively. But the unit skill and awareness necessary to manage a maul requires a lot of practice and attention to detail.

Eddie

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Posted in A, Adult- Community, Age, Category, Coaches, Colts- U18-19, Offence, Player, Role, Ruck / Maul, Ruckipedia, Site Articles, Tactical, Tactical, Tactics, Technical | View Comments

Line-Out Attack Off The Top

Wednesday, April 20th, 2011

Possession “Off The Top” of the line out is regarded as one of the best forms of attacking possession. It launches the attack at the gain-line from a position where the attack and defence are equidistant from the gain-line.

On that basis it is not difficult to reach the gain-line at the same time as the defence. In fact the attack can beat the defence to the gain-line by launching slightly earlier than the defence because the attack knows the ball is coming off the top. While the defence must wait to assess the type of delivery the attack is using.

There is a consideration where the ball is won in the line-out, when using ball off the top. Ball won at the front (2 Jumper), or even the middle (4 Jumper) has a long distance to travel to the reach the fly-half, who launches the attack. From that situation the mid-field defence is allowed the time to close down the mid-field space while the ball is being transferred to the fly-half. Whereas ball from the tail (5 Jumper or even better 6 Jumper) can be passed to the fly-half a lot quicker as it has a much shorter distance to travel.

Also, ball won at the front and middle does nothing to engage the defenders (Tail Gunners) at the tail of the line-out. This allows the tail gunners to connect with the mid-field defence and close down space very quickly. If the ball is won at the tail the tail gunners may often contest the jump, which means it is more difficult for them to tag onto the mid-field defence.

Or if the tail gunners do not contest they must also check that possession is not being driven at the line-out or the first strike is not targeted at the tail of the line-out, before tagging onto the mid-field. This can delay the tail gunners enough to allow the mid-field attack vital space.

Because the defence has to advance quickly to close down space, (10 meters to the gain line) it is vulnerable to some attacking kicking options. These options are outlined in “Kicking To Score”.

Quality ball off the top arrives to the fly-half with a lot of attacking space available to the attack. A lot of teams opt to use ball off the top to just win the gain-line. This is easily achieved by launching the attack early and “crashing” the inside centre (#12) between the fly-half (#10) and #12 channel. This is a very simple but effective attacking strategy to get across the gain-line. Hence it’s popularity.

The blind-side-wing (#11 or #14) can also be used to get across the gain line by crashing them inside the #10 channel. This can be particularly effective if the tail gunners have not been able to tag onto the mid-field defence from the line-out.

If the #12 has been used to crash the ball into the #10/#12 channel on a number of occasions, as a variation the blind-side-wing can be used as an option behind the #12, where the ball is passed behind the #12 to the blind-side-wing.

From this situation the blind-side-wing can be used as a striker, by taking a flat pass behind the #12 or as a link to the outside backs by taking a pass deeper behind he #12. (See George Ford’s Forum comment on the “Out The Back Play” – April 18th)

Attacking wide immediately from possession off the top of the line-out is a contradiction. It is easy to get the ball wide as there is plenty of space available to do so. But the difficulty is the defence can easily read the attack and will have no difficulty defending wide when the ball arrives there.

The challenge is to fix the inside defenders before moving the ball wide and that will ensure that space exists for the attack when the ball reaches the wide channels. There are numerous ways of achieving this provided the execution is accurate. For example, the example cited above of using the blind-side-wing behind the #12 as a link to the outside back is one possibility.

Another attacking possibility that changes the point of the attack very effectively and often wrong foots defences is to change the direction of the attack having crashed the #12 over the gain-line in the #10/#12 channel. From the ensuing ruck the attack can be switched or returned back down the side of the field the line-out possession originated from.

It is best to use the Full-Back (#15) as 1st Receiver when returning the attack. If the #10 is used it can signal to the defence that the attack is returning to the same side possession originated from. This is because defences often track the #10 on the basis that it will give a very good indication of the direction the attack will take. But using the #15 makes it much more difficult for the defence to make an early read on the direction of the attack.

The key to effective attack from possession off the top of the line-out is to deliver possession as quickly as possible to the fly-half while preventing the defensive tail gunners from tagging onto then mid-field defence. Once the fly-half receives possession, the strike point of the attack should vary from narrow to wide and also occasionally change direction from the 1st strike. This will keep the defence off balance and most importantly unsure what strategy the attacking team will use.

Eddie

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Posted in A, Adult- Community, Age, Category, Coaches, Colts- U18-19, Decision Making, Offence, Player, Role, Ruckipedia, Set Pieces, Site Articles, Tactical, Tactical, Tactics, rugby development | View Comments

Multi-phase Plays – Do you agree with them?

Tuesday, April 5th, 2011
I believe multi phase plays have a role in the game especially with how organised defences are. You are able to work out defensive frameworks and patterns with most teams and as such the defensive team will be analysing the attacks and adjusting their defensive systems. Therefore for example if you know a team defends by working hard far side thenyou can look to create a multi phase play that sets the defence up to work far side and you manipulate your personnel or numbers to create a running opportunity down the reverse side for a miss match or overload. The key is when to utilize the multi play you may use this later in the game when the defence is use to you attacking in a certain way and they are tired and concentration and scanning not as sharp. My only words of caution are to keep these simple, ensure there are option plays and an override call. As a coach you must understand the reason why you are using the multi phase play and have studied the team you are playing to assess if a particular multi phase play works. I have a number of multi phase plays that will only create an opportunity against certain defensive systems and like a menu you only allow your players to take the ones in that will work and that will change week to week.
Geezer

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Lineout Defence – Back Off

Saturday, February 5th, 2011

Back Off is exactly what is says, you whole side backs away from a formed maul at a lineout, making no contact with it.

Why?

Back Off is deployed for the following reasons.

  1. To prevent opponents gaining ground
  2. To prevent opponents forming solid maul
  3. To make opponents stop using maul
  4. Create confusion in opponents mind
  5. To exploit laws of the game

Where?

Anywhere on the pitch.

How?

Once the opposition form a maul all defenders back away from the maul allowing it to cross the line of the lineout, this makes this open play and not within the lineout offside laws.

The defenders now have 2 choices.

  1. Run around the back of the “maul” and take the ball or tackle the opponent. As the lineout is over there are no offside lines & as no defenders are bound then it is not a maul, so therefore open play and no offside lines.
  2. Once “maul” is moving attempt to go through it for the ball carrier. As the lineout is over there are no offside lines & as no defenders are bound then it is not a maul, so therefore open play and no offside lines. This means that all those attackers in front of the ball carrier are obstructing defenders getting to ball carrier the referee should award a penalty to defence

Problems?

Defenders are tempted to join maul or are pulled into maul

The referee does not interpret the laws correctly

Key Factors

All players back off the “maul”

Allow the “maul” to cross the line of the lineout

Be Dynamic – if going around the back be dynamic, the more dynamic the more of an element of surprise you will have

Speak to referee about this system before the match, make sure he/she understands your interpretation of the laws and that they agree with your interpretation of the laws.

 Donny

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Posted in A, Adult- Community, Age, Category, Coaches, Colts- U18-19, Decision Making, Defence, Defence, Role, Ruckipedia, Set Pieces, Site Articles, Tactical, Tactical, Tactics, rugby development | View Comments

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