Rugby: Staying Square and Fixing Defenders

Set a narrow grid to attack. Defenders and attackers begin on the touchline in the centre. Both leave at the same time and run around appointed cones, ball carrier should accelerate up towards inside shoulder of defender to draw in and then pass to the support runner coming from depth who can run in and score.

Set a grid to attack. Defenders and attackers begin on the touchline in the centre. Both leave at the same time and run around appointed cones, ball carrier should accelerate up towards defender channeling them however they want realising that they have two other support runners for different options to run in and score.

Lets get the ball and the players moving with lateral passing through the hands. Each training area only needs one ball, and that ball should start with the any of the two players at the very ends of the L. Tell players to move forward, passing the ball down the line. When the ball gets to the last receiver, that player will pass it to the first receiver in the next line that is waiting to go. They should advance right away. Allow the players to simply move the ball down the line.

The aim of the drill is to develop players wrist strength. 

The aim of the drill is to develop players wrist strength. Start with the ball sitting on the outside of the hip No backward movement before you pass. Push out from the hit. Hands finishes towards target 

The aim of the drill is to develop players wrist strength. 

This is a simple 2 v 1. The two players have to get past the one defender without being touched, that's it. The defender will start 10 meters back, and can move anywhere inside the box. The attack must remain inside the box and all pass msut be legal. Don't forget to change the defender.

The aim of the drill is to develop mechanisms to unlock defences in open play The first defender/feeder starts with the ball at a cone set up on the touch line five metres out from the try line Set another 2 cones 15 meters up on the same touch line. Two players (defenders of the 3v2) start from here once the 2v1 is completed. Set 2 cones on the try line 5 metres apart to create the start position for the two attackers and the attacking channel for the 2v1 The ball is fed from the first defender, with the attackers completing a 2v1 The defender joins the two attackers to create a 3v2 Two attackers then become the two defenders for the next repetition of the drill

This is a simple 3 v 2. The three attackers have to get past the two defenders without being touched, that's it. The defenders will start 10 meters back, and can move anywhere inside the box. The attack must remain inside the box and all pass msut be legal. Don't forget to change the defenders.

Set an area with two different coloured cones on the touch line in the middle, one for defenders and one for attackers. At the prompt of the coach the players run around designated cones and attack the defenders to score. Ball carrier should initiate the attack by attacking the inside shoulder of the first defender to stop a drift defence. Draw the first defender and make the pass to your next support runner who should do the same to pass to the outside runner who can go and score. Once attacked three or four times players should swap to defence but not every single time to create continuity and positive development.

6x6m Grid  Ball  Players line up in 3s opposite sides of the grid.  Simply pass the ball along the line.  1 defender is in the middle of the grid putting pressure on all ball carriers. Once hand completed the next line starts immediately.  Defender swaps out when there is a mistake or when he touches someone with the ball.  Progression: add another defender, make the passes wider. 

This is a backs moves passing exercise, aimed at drawing and fixing up a defender, to give a supporting teammate more space and take the defender out of the play 3 attackers line up along one side of the area, 2 defenders stand next to each other on the short side next to the coach On GO, the defenders run into position and the coach passes to the first attacker The attacker runs with the ball towards the first defender before passing sideways to their teammate That player then runs at the second defender and before contact passes across to the spare attacker to run to the other end of the area.

Drill to practice overlap situations. Set up a grid roughly 10m x 10m, with another grid roughly 5m x 5m adjacent to it (see diagram - red cones and green cones). In the bigger grid have two defenders (red) and in the smaller grid have one defender (red). Three attackers (blue) attack the 2 defenders in the first grid. Once they have completed the 3 v 2 situation the player with the ball and one other support player run around the cone and attack the one defender in the smaller grid. Swap the attack and defence after 3-5 repetitions.   PROGRESSION: The ball starts on the opposite side to practice passing in both directions. A coach/other player feeds the ball to the three attackers so the drill can start in any position. The coach/other player can kick or roll the ball to the attack to start the drill.

Drill to practice 3 v 2 attacking scenarios. Set up a channel 20m long and 15m wide with cones every 10m along the length (red, yellow, green). Set up 5 lines of players between the first two cones, the two players on each end are the defenders (red), and the three in the middle are attackers (blue). The ball starts with one of the defenders on one side and that player runs forward and throws a long pass to the defender at the other end of line. He then continues his run around the far (green) cone to defend. The defender who has caught the ball puts it down on the middle (yellow) cone and continues his run around the far (green) cone to defend. Once the second defender has put the ball down on the yellow cone the attackers may begin their attack. The player nearest the cone runs to pick up the ball and then they attack the two defenders, trying to score over the line marked by the green cones.   PROGRESSION: Start from the opposite side to practice passing in both directions. Reduce the width of the channel to make it harder for the attackers to score Add a defender to come round late and create a 2 v 1 after the 3 v 2

3 attackers start at the beginning of the grid who will go up against the tackle bag first and then the person in the body suit second; these two should not stand next to each other unless you move on to the progression. At the coaches command the attackers will go into the tackle shield first with the ball carrier going to ground and the two supporters either both clearing out or one person clearing and the next picking up the ball and going into the next defender 5 metres behind who will be in a bodysuit. The ball carrier here will try to stay strong on his feet and offload to the two support runners or one of them will come in and rip the ball and offload to the support runner who will finish by crossing over the line.

This is a 3 v 2 drill in favour of the attackers. On GO, the attackers and defenders run around the cones on the attacking and defensive lines. The coach passes to the middle attacking player. The receiving player then carries the ball up to the line of defenders, and will have an attacking runner either side of them. Depending on the position of the defenders, the attacker with the ball will then have to make a decision to pass left or right. The attackers aim is to make it past the defending line.

This is a 4 v 3 overload drill in favour of the attackers The area is set out, with four attackers spread out across the back line, three defenders 5 yards in front them, and another row of three defenders 5 yards behind them On GO, the coach passes to the first attacking player, and the ball travels along the line to eventually reach the end player That player is then first to reach the next line of defenders, and the ball is passed back along the line and the original attacker should receive the ball in space to 'score a try'.

4 sausages  4 Bags  The sausages and bags are lined up alternately in a line. 8 defenders start lined up outside of the tackle grid. Whistle goes, the tacklers must shuffle across as a team (in a line) to line up opposite a bag or sausage before making a hit. 

Give each training area one ball and tell the players the following...... Let's just get the ball moving down the line. Give the player at the start of one of the lines a ball, tell the line to advance using lateral passing - with the last player in each line passing the ball to the first player in the opposite line. Every passer must follow their pass, making themselves available as a support runner for the ball carrier. A ball carrier with a support runner has two options - a backwards flick to the support runner - or to pass the ball out to the next receiver. They may also have an additional option back inside, but best to keep it simple to start with. If a support runner receives a flicked pass, they can run with it and pass it to the next player down the line. The passer of the ball becomes the support runner. If the support runner does not receive a flick pass and the ball is passed from the player they are supporting, they should return to their original channel. In the case of a support runner becoming the next passer - they should follow their pass - and the other players should reorganize the line - not fixating on maintaining their original position in the line. Players should change positions in the line following each attack.

Set a cone 2 meters from the defensive line. This will mark where the ball will passed from (feed) preferably from a scrum half. Set a cone 0.5 meters each side from the mid point of the passing cone to simulate the sides of the ruck. Set a cone a cone 5 meters from the ruck on the defensive line.  4 players start as attackers 3 defenders start on their stomaches on the other side of the defensive cone (ruck) and 1 player on the defensive cone 5 metres from the ruck The player on the 5 meter cone (defence) starts the drill by shouting ‘FOLD’ (or whatever call your team may use). Defenders on their stomachs get up and fold around the ruck to take up a defence position. Players fold wide first, and ensure that 2 players are close to the ruck (Guard and Body Guard). The player on the defensive cone bounces out (takes space in the defence line), the first player who folds takes up a position on the 5 meter defence cone (or inside the first attacking player) Once the defence line is set the scrum half can pass the ball. The attackers work to beat the defence, setting up a 'tip' (running a hard line) and 'pull back' option. They should read the defensive movements and make a decision to hit the tip option or pull out the back