Rugby: Ball Presentation and Handling

Sportplan rugby has played a large role in my team's love for the...
Heather, Rugby Coach

DESCRIPTION

This drill is designed to get your players in good habits when presenting the ball at the breakdown. This will allow your team to hold onto possession better and get quicker ball.

  • The players run towards cones in lines of three, passing the ball from one end to the other.
  • When the coach says "Down" or blows their whistle, whoever has the ball must drop to the ground and present the ball.

  • The player who has presented the ball then passes to the player behind him and the drill carries on continuously.

0.29 - Demonstration 

1.20 - What is the purpous of this drill?

 

COACHING POINTS

  • Players should have two hands on the ball at all times.
  • When going to ground players should extend fully as if scoring a try.

  • Then coach your players to focus on snapping their hips in order to turn their bodies away from the threat.

  • The safest way to present is the long present. I.e. your players should be lying parallel to the touch line with their feet pointing at the opposition try line. This moves the ball as far away from the danger as possible, allowing for safe and quick ball. 

  • Players should stay square when running the ball, focusing on not drifting and taking the space away from the player outside of them.

  • You should get your players used to working back to their feet as quickly as possible.

PROGRESSION

  • Add in some opposition. Each time the ball carrier goes to ground the defence has to go back to the line.
  • Start off with the opposition on bags putting little pressure on the attack.Then keep getting the opposition to increase the amount of pressure they are putting on.

  • It is good to finish off a drill with it being similar to what the players will experience in a game. So allow the defenders to compete at the breakdown.

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MORE Warm Up DRILLS

3 Touch Kick

Split your players into two teams, giving one group of players a set of coloured bibs to set them apart, and quickly tell your players the following laws: We will be playing a rugby league style touch. When touched: set the ball down, stand over the ball, allow the scum-half to move the ball away from the point of contact. The defenders should stay on side following a touch, and should not compete for the ball. Any infringements in defence should result in the defending team conceding 10 Meters or possibly giving 1 or more extra touches to the attacking team. I'll leave this to your judgement depending on your team's age, skill level, and your session target/s. The attacking team can sustain three touches before they have to kick. Their kick should be as it would be in the game: a kick to touch, a kick for territory, or a kick that can be regained e.g. a grubber kick. The defenders should behave as they would in a real game. Quick put in's from the touchlines replace lineouts. Defenders who take the ball from an attacking kick should counter attack. A forth touch results in a turn over. The Scrum Half has a maxium of 5 seconds to move the ball from the point of touch. A ball kicked directly to touch from outside the attacking teams 22, or where the ball has been taken into the 22 by the attacking team and then kicked into touch - will result in a turn over with play starting on the five meter line closest to where the kick was made. The defence should be 10 meters back. A ball kicked from inside the attacking teams 22 can go directly to touch, as long as the attacking team did not carry the ball into their own 22 before the kick. The resulting put in will be to the opposition from where the ball has went into touch. Quick put-in's are enoucraged, if not possible the ball is played from the 5 meter line with the defence 10 meters back. Give points for quick put ins that work. Feel free to play with any of noted laws, let us know the law variations that work for you!

Warm Up

Bang & Bingo

Set up: the cones as shown with a cone 10 meters each side of the posts on the try line. This will mark where the ball will be passed from (feeder) preferably from a scrum half. Divide the group into 3 and ask them to stand in single file behind each cone. The ball is fed from a position alternately from either side of the post. This will encourage the players to scan, communicate and to be expectant of the ball. The players on the cones opposite the posts will either be the 1st receiver or the BANG option runner. The BANG runner is always running an out to in, or up to in line to fix the 2nd defender. The players on the middle cone will receive the ball in the BINGO (pull back) option outside the ‘outside’ post or just in behind the BANG player. The BINGO players should run and an arced run to receive the ball outside the outer post. The BINGO player should try to straighten up prior to receiving or on receiving the ball. Progression: Get 2 players or coaches to stand in front of the posts with 2 different coloured cones in their hands on their hips. The cones will represent the ‘hips’ of the 2nd defender. The aim is to encourage the 1st receiver to scan, look, and make a quick decision (choice of pass) depending on what the defender is doing. If the 1st receivers sees the ‘inside’ cone on the 2nd defender then they must assume the defenders hips are turned OUT and make a short pass to the BANG runner. If the 1st receivers sees the ‘outside’ cone on the 2nd defender then they must assume the defenders hips are turned IN and make a PULL BACK pass to the BINGO runner.

Warm Up

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