Rugby: Shoulder stretch.

Find out if your team can drive out a difficult win! Work your team hard and test their match-skills when tired!

Instil confidence and tackle toughness into your players with this tackling from the front, side and back session! Build their knowledge of the benefits of tackling and how different type of tackle can determine the way the phase plays out.

Break your players down into groups of 3.

In each area there should be 1 player with a tackle shield, 1 player with a tackle bag, and one with nothing.

Tell players to do the following.....

1. One player stands five meters from the start of the channel holding up a tackle bag.
2. One player stands at the opposite end of the channel with a tackle shield.
3. One player will be running and making contact at any given time.
4. The Player with nothing in hand runs to the player with the pad and drives them across the grid.
5. On reaching the end they swap roles and the other player runs across the grid to the tackle bag, hits hard, and makes a tackle at the end of the grid. Following the tackle the players swap roles the new player runs across to the player with the pad and the exercise continues.

• The players in their groups of 3 stand between the lines of the inner square with the working group stood inside the other players.
• The first group of 3 begins by running across the grid passing the ball. When they reach the centre the ball is put down an they then run at the players with the pads (on their left) each pushing their player to the outer square. The players then swap.
• The pad players run across to the tackle bags and push and tackle the bags to the outer square.
• Players swap again now the new 3 players (third group) run to the ball pick it up and take the ball turn right to face the 3 players on the 12 o'clock side of the square and run into contact for the ball carrier to present the ball.
• This ball is then picked up by the 3 players being pushed back and the drill starts again.
• Keep the tempo of this exercise high.

Note: You can change the position of each activity within the training area - but that will impact on the instructions to coaches. Players can basically go in any direction, but they do need to communicate and work as a unit. Don't get to hung up on where players should be going, or in what order.

The player with the ball walks slowly in front of the other player.

As the ball carrier is walking the defender should time their move so that they in the correct position to tackle when the player is in front of them.

At this point the tackler should wrap their arms tightly around the other player's knees, position their head behind their bum and drive with their shoulder to bring the player to the ground.

Falling to their bum before rolling onto their shoulder, once on the floor the other player should place the ball above their head on the ground.