Rugby: Ruck Clearing Exercises

• A coach or scrum half feeds a ball carrier who should be running onto the ball.

• The ball carrier should run towards the tackle sausage and use footwork and a hand off to move past the tackle sausage towards the first two tackle bags.

• The player should aim to hit the gap between the two tackle bags and power beyond the contact.

• Those two players then drop the bags and follow the original runner in support.

• The ball carrier then hits the bag, goes to ground and looks to lift the ball up to one of his support players. 

• The next player then hits the last tackle bag, goes to ground and presents the ball.

• The next support player clears away the bag to secure the ball.

This drill works on a number of skills (running onto the ball, hand off, footwork and hitting gaps, communication and support, clearing out a ruck) in continuity which means its more game realistic and trains players to not only perform the individual skills, but also to be thinking about how the skills link together and what their next job is.

2 people are on the tackle shields or 2 on each side about 5 metres apart facing each other, there is a ball carrier standing in the middle of the two defenders with one or two attackers. Ball carrier runs into defender/s and places the ball, the supporting player/s must clear away the defenders. Each attacker must have a go at hitting the defender and placing the ball.

• Groups of 3+ 
• Bag 
• Sausage

2 player starts on his chest infront of the sausage, another player lines up opposite.

When whistle is blown, the first player makes a chop tackle on the bag and rolls out the way. 

The second defender then then spider carwls over the sausage and clears the incoming bag holder. 

• A drill to be completed in pairs.
• One player holding a tackle bag stands in a low, strong position with knees bent.
• The player is standing with one foot either side of a tackle tube on the floor, with their weight forward.
• The other player starts lying on the floor in a half press-up position ready to go.
• The tackler needs to get to their feet quickly, sidestep past the cone on the floor and tackle the player holding the tackle bag.
• Once the player with the tackle bag has been hit, the tackler drives through to clear the opponent out of a ruck.