Ruck To Make Life Easy For Your 9
Ruck To Make Life Easy For Your 9
Ruck To Make Life Easy For Your 9
Scrum halves love quick, clean ball at the base of the ruck
xxxxx
Dan Cottrell
Activities by:
Get over the gain line with the ball, so defenders have to run back to get into position. Defenders on their heels will give a 9 more time to pass.
Make sure the 9 does not have to rip the ball out or reach in. That slows him down and gives defenders the headsup that the ball is coming.
As 9 goes for the ball, he will find it more difficult to clear it away if there
Allow your 9s to demand clean ball. They should have the licence to order players into rucks. 9s should also not get too close to the ruck before they eventually dip down for the ball. This helps them assess when to pass and when to order more reinforcements.
TACTICS
A wrap play turns slow ball into quick ball and allows your 9 to recyle it at pace.
Set up
10m
10m square. Groups of seven players with one acting as a scrum half. Two ruck pad holders per group to challenge the three-man group. A ball.
Gain line
9
10m
1.5m 2m
Get close to the gain line for the pass
HOW TO DO IT
In the 10m square, the ball is fed to the middle player of a group of three. Two defenders with ruck pads stand close to the gain line in the middle of the square (see top picture). Once the three have wrapped up the two pad holders by taking them out and presenting the ball, the 9 approaches the ball (see middle picture). He picks it up and pops it to the support runner who takes it at pace and crosses the gain line (see bottom picture 3). The passer does not have to be a scrum half although ideally, he would call this play because he can see whether he has a quick passing option or not.
9 picks the ball from the back and pops to a runner (flat pass)
The runner takes the ball at pace and close to the gain line
TECHNIQUE
The ball receiver in the three-man group remains very low and in a strong body position while his assistants drive over the top and protect the ball. The ball is presented cleanly for the 9 to pop to the support runner.
Direction of run
Ground covered
Pass
TACTICS
After the tackle is made, the farther away your player can place the ball from the defence, the harder it is for the opposition to disrupt it. Encourage good placement habits with these exercises.
Sideways placement: Easy for more than one defender to come through the tackle gate and steal the ball
Jack knife placement: Narrower gate and more likely to be safe if the tackled player is held by the tackler
Long placement: The best, with the ball placed farthest from the defence
Set up
One ball and three cones per player. A ruck pad for the development
HOW TO DO IT
There are three placements: Sideways, jack knife and long, with long the best (see top picture). Get players to lie between three different-coloured cones. You call out a colour and the ball carrier uses his core to shift the ball to that cone (see middle picture). Spread the cones out at different distances, so some placements are stretches.
Green!
TECHNIQUE
Having gone to ground, the tackled player looks to place the ball long, as far from the defenders as possible and reducing the width of the tackle gate. Use of the core (middle of the body) is vital.
The ball carrier has to use his core (middle) to shift around so he is placing the ball towards the called cone
DEVELOP
Once players are used to placing the ball, get a ball carrier to run into a ruck pad holder, drive him back 0.5m, go to ground and place the ball as far as possible from the support defender (see bottom picture).
The defender moves forward to reach for the ball
1 3
The ruck pad holder moves away The ball carrier goes to ground and presents the ball
Direction of run
Ground covered
Pass