Rugby: Sausage Pad Tackling - Getting Low

This is the second exercise in a series of three that can be put together to form a contact conditioning circuit. The circuit can be sets of 30 seconds of hard work followed by 30 seconds of rest. Swap in this circuit for your usual fitness routine to give the players something a bit more interesting and transferable to a game. 

Alternatively, this would be a great exercise to include as part of a warm up.

• Players work individually, picking up a tackle sausage and driving it into the ground. 

• Repeat for the whole 30 seconds.

This exercise will develop your players core strength, which is immensely important in most areas of the game.

Moreover, this exercise simulates how players will have to maintain power in a game. For example when going from making a tackle to then contesting the ruck.

0.40 - What is the purpose of these conditioning circuits? 

• Players work in groups of three, each starting with a ball.
• They move the ball around the circle making one handed offloads to eachother 

Progression

• Players stand further apart

• Set up a 8 channels of cones 5 metres apart
• A group of 4 players start on the side line, and all players need to work around the nearest/corner cone.
• The first player with the ball will run into the nearest channel of cones (lane 1) and all the other players will work around the corner cone and filter into the proceeding channels
• The 1st player passes the ball as soon as the 2nd player gets into the 2nd channel. The ball is passed down the line of 4 players until the 4th players receives the ball.
• Once the 4th player receives the ball, the ball is placed down and all the players work around to get into their respective channel to repeat the process.

• 2 Teams 
• Ball 
• Bibs 

Tackle touch is a contact game that focuses on technique rather than the power of the contact. 

The game is a normal game of touch, however when a touch is made, both ball carrier and defender put their chests to the floor. 

They then bounce back up, for the defender to make a low chop tackle. 

This takes out alot of the power of the colision and means the defender can focus more on technique.