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Rugby: Space Invaders

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Mokie, Rugby Coach

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Keep your playing briefing, brief and tell the players the following laws.

Both teams are in attack and both teams are in defence, at the same time!
It is up to you how many players you allocate to your attack and how many you allocate to your defence.
If you are touched while carrying the ball (decide if the touch is one handed or two handed), you and your entire team must return to your red zone before being able to restart your attack. While your team is returning to your own zone - you cannot defend the neutral zone and any touches in there will not count.
If your team makes a mistake e.g. a dropped ball or forward pass. Your entire team must return to your own red zone, not defending the neutral zone as you retreat.
The winning team is the team that invades the oppositions space and scores a try, just outside the grid, first.
There is no offside in defence.
There is no kicking.

COACHING POINTS

You don't have to focus on all of the noted coaching points, you may also have some of your own.

Leadership is vital to define roles in attack and defence.
Good communication is at the heart of highlighting: roles, opportunities in attack, and problems in defence.
Players should scan what is in front of them, and respond to what they see.
Ball carrier attacks space at pace.
Support runners in attack aim to draw defenders away from the space they seek to attack.
Attacking players aim to take full advantage of any confusion within the grid.
Attackers use traffic to block defenders.
Attackers create and target mismatches.
Attackers take full advantage of a team that is in retreat.
Defenders work together to push attackers towards the touch line, closing down their space and using the line as an extra defender.
Passes are weighted correctly in terms of speed, distance and accuracy.
Attackers use changes in foot speed, spins, side steps, and dummy passes to avoid contact.
Players trust their defensive unit to defend and trust their judgement.
Player must make decisions, but those decisions must be communicated to the team.
Communication between players should be encouraging.

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OFTEN USED WITH...

Stuck In The Mud - Rugby Style:

The 'Hunters' run after the 'Runners', trying to touch them with the rugby ball. If a 'Runner' is touched, then they are 'Stuck in the mud!' and can only be released when one of their team-mates, who is not stuck, crawls between their legs without themselves getting touched with the rugby ball.

Warm Up

Bank Robbers:

Keep your player briefing, brief! Tell the players the following laws for this exercise.....

Players must start the game behind the outer cone of their corner and only one of them can enter the grid at any one time.
This game works on a relay basis, one and only one player in the grid from each group at a time - and the next player must be touched before they may enter the playing area.
While balls are in the center of the grid, one relay robber from each team can enter the grid to steel a ball from the center of the grid and bring it back to their own box or bank.
If all the balls in the center of the grid have been stolen, teams can now steel each others balls - but the same relay rules apply.
The winning team is the team that can get 4 balls into their box. Adjust this to allow your players to experience success or to make the game harder.

You can add or remove balls to make the game harder or easier.
No cheating! Only one ball can be carried at a time, only one player from each team in the grid, and you cannot go until tagged.

Warm Up

Shoulder Flex with Ball:

Involve a ball in your warm-up.

Get players to pass the ball around their head to flex the neck and shoulders.

Warm Up

Quick Hands - Warm Up:

Within a group there are two groups of 4 attackers and one chaser/scrum half.
At the middle point, marked by a cones, the scrum half moves the ball to the first attacking line.
The scrum half firstly tracks the progress of the ball, as the exercise progresses - the scrum half should apply more and more pressure to the ball carrier - working up to the point of becoming a full on defender.
When the ball reaches the opposite end of the grid, the last player in the line sets the ball down.
The scrum half then feeds the ball to the next attacking line, fulfilling their own role within the exercise.
The opposite attacking line should realign in preparation for the next attack.
The tempo of this exercise should be high.

Warm Up

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