Every team performs better with a defensive structure. Introductory structure for beginner teams
3 v 3 defensive structure
"D" to line up opposite just inside "A" shoulder - Why position yourself as a defender in this position?
(Forces attacker to either pass or run away from where the ball has come from)
Number up
Close down space
Dictate terms
Keep square
Head on correct side
Feet in close and shoulders on
Leg drive
in more ways than one
in more ways than one
World Rugby's lower tackle height is no longer a trial. It is law in community rugby from this season, and unions choose waist or base of the sternum. Here is how to retrain your defence.
Lower tackle heights leave the ball free for longer and change the breakdown contest. If your ruck work has not been updated this pre-season, you are coaching last season's game.
Long, lonely runs build lungs, not rugby players. Here's how to build a pre-season that puts fitness where the game needs it - with a ball in hand and a decision to make.