Rugby coaching manualHigh schools

Contents• Aimsofmanual ............................................................................................................................ 1

• MessagefromProfessorTimNoakes:Thevalueofsportsscienceinrugbycoaching ...................... 2

• Rugbyanalysis .............................................................................................................................. 4

• Pre-season ................................................................................................................................... 6

• Conditioning ................................................................................................................................. 7

• Nutrition.... ................................................................................................................................... 10

• Languageofrugby ........................................................................................................................ 12

• Developinganannualprogramme ................................................................................................ 14

- Coach’sphilosophy ................................................................................................................. 15

- Playermanagement ................................................................................................................ 15

• Philosophyofthegame ................................................................................................................ 16

- Backline .................................................................................................................................. 16

- Forwards ................................................................................................................................. 17

- Defence .................................................................................................................................. 17

- Attack ................................................................................................................................... 18

- Breakdown ............................................................................................................................. 19

• Patternsofplay ............................................................................................................................. 21

• Outcomesofmanual .................................................................................................................... 28

• U14checklistandpracticeschedule .............................................................................................. 29

• U15checklist ................................................................................................................................ 48

• U16checklist ................................................................................................................................ 50

• FirstXVchecklistandpracticeschedule ......................................................................................... 52

• Conclusion ................................................................................................................................... 77

• AppendixA:Dailyschedule ........................................................................................................... 79

AimsoF tHe mAnUAL

Throughthiscoachingcurriculum,wehopetogive

coachesanunderstandingofthephilosophyofthe

game.Schoolscanbetheperfectexamplesofthe

progressionthataplayercanmakeifinthecorrect

system,anditshowswhysuchasystemissoimportant.

However,atmostschools,whenasidemovesfromU14

uptoU15(oracrossanyage-group)theyaregenerally

toldbythenewcoach,“Forgetwhatyouweretoldlast

year;thisiswhat’sgoingtohappenandwe’llstartfrom

scratch”.That’sthewrongwaytogoaboutitbecause

thereisnoforwardplanningfromtheonsetandthe

boysandcoacheswillfindthemselvesstartingoverand

overagain,goingaroundincircles.Norealdevelopment

cantakeplaceinthisscenario.Theidealscenariosees

theU14sdevelopingbasicskillsandmaximisingtheir

potentialastheyreachthesenioragegroups.

ForU14sespecially,theremustbegeneraltraining

sessionsacrosstheteamsforalltheplayers.Ifyouhave

asmallboyplayingU14C,youshouldspendthesame

amountoftimeonhimasaplayerintheU14Ateam.

Thisway,ifthisplayergrowsbythetimehereachesthe

openagegroups,hewillhavethesameskillsasthose

whoplayedfortheAteamallalong.

Thesedrillsandplayscanbeusedasabasisanda

guidelinetostimulatethecoach.Winningandplaying

goodrugbyarebi-productsofabroaderaimwhichisto

putstructuresinplacetoensurecoachesimprove.Thisin

turnproducesbetterandmoreskilfulplayers,whichwill

improvenotonlyschoolsrugby,butthecountry’srugby

ingeneral.

Itismostimportanttodevelopskillsandwewanta

boyfromaweakschool,oraweakerage-group,tobe

abletomakeacareeroutofrugby,evenifhehascome

throughtoughcircumstances.

FortheU14s,thefirstthreeweeksofpracticehave

beensetoutasaguideline,whilefortheFirstXV,asix-

weekprogrammehasbeenprovided.Fromtherethe

coachshouldplantherestoftheseasonbasedonthe

guidelinesandchecklistsprovidedforeachage-group

andaccordingtowhathefeelsisrequiredforhisteam.

Forexample,iftheteamishavingproblemsatthe

breakdown,workmoreonthat,butensureabalanceis

stillmaintainedsothatyou’renotspending95%ofyour

timeonattackwhileneglectingdefence.

Wehaveprovidedpracticeschedulesandchecklists

asthebasisfortheseason.Fortheremainderofthe

season,itisuptothecoachtodecideandplan–this

willrewardcoacheswhoplanbestandworkthe

hardest.Italsoencouragescoachestothink,whichwill

thenencourageplayerstothinkanddevelop.Ifyou’rea

defence-orientatedside,forexample,thiswillinfluence

yourplanningfortheremainderoftheseason,andyou

willthenhavetoworkouttheaspectsyouneedtowork

onandtailoryourownpracticescheduleaccordingly.

1

The value of sports science in rugby coaching

Scienceisbasedonaccuratemeasurementsothat

change,improvementandimpairmentcanbemeasured.

Ifthetestuseddoesn’tprovidethecorrectinformation

anddoesn’tpredictthechangeyouarelookingfor,

itmustbere-doneoranewtestfoundtoquantify

improvement.Scientificthinkingishypothesisdriven,

andthemeasurementaspectproveswhetherornot

therehasbeenimprovement,inthiscase,inthe

schoolboyrugbyplayer.Thekeyfunctionofthecoach

istoimprovetheabilitiesofeachoftheplayersthat

hecoaches.Coachesmustbeabletoshowthattheir

coachinghasproducedimprovement,andthiscanonly

bedonebymeasurement.

Rugbycoachescanmeasureimprovementfromgame

analysis,butalsofromtrainingandpracticeanalysis.In

BobWoolmer’sbook,theArtandScienceofCricket,he

talkedaboutthe“How”versusthe“Why”.Bobfocused

onasking“why”somethinghappensandnot“how”it

happens.Beingabletocoacharugbyplayeronhowto

practiseaskillisimportant,butit’sevenmoreimportant

toworkoutthe“why”.Onlywhenyouunderstandthe

“why”canyouexplainthe“how”.

AsaTestcricketerplayinginIndia,Bobwassuddenly

unabletohittheballoffthesquare.Heaskedthe

professionalcoachwhathecoulddotosortouthis

problem.Theanswerhegotbackwas:“Justhittheball

offthesquare.”Butifhehadbeenabletodothatinthe

firstplace,hewouldnothavehadtoaskthequestion.

Bobthenknewhehadtoworkitoutforhimself.That

waswhyhebecameoneofthegreatestcricketcoaches

ofalltime.Heslowlylearntthe“why”andinturnhe

couldteachthe“how”.

Rugbycoachesmustalsolearnfromthat:Diagnose

theproblemandthenworkouthowtosolveit.That’s

wheresciencecomesintotheequation,byproducing

thinkingcoacheswhomeasurechangeandlookfor

thecompetitiveadvantage.Wemustdevelopcoaches

whohavethatabilitytothinkbeyondtheroutine,

theordinary,ofwhattheyweretaught.Theymust

continuallybestrivingforthatcompetitiveadvantage.

AfewyearsagoinAustralia,theycameupwithasaying

thattheywanted“nomoredumbcoachesinAustralia”.

Thatwouldinturnleadtothinkingsportsmenand

women,includingrugbyplayers.Weneedtomove

beyondthebeliefthatsize,bruteforceandwillpower

willprovideteamswiththecompetitiveadvantage.

Thatisnotalwaysthecasecurrently.Thecompetitive

advantagecomesfromunderstandingthe“why”,

coachingthe“how”,andalwayslookingfornovelways

toimprovealltheplayersandtheteam’sskill.Thenyou

alsoneedtoout-thinktheopposition.

Iwouldsuggestthatcoachestrytofindadrillthat

givesameasurableoutcomeofwhethertheirplayers

areimprovinginalltheaspectsthecoachthinksare

important.Manycoachesrelyonamatchresultto

determine“improvement”,butthat’snotparticularly

helpfulbecausetherearesomanyvariablesthat

influencetheoutcome.

Coachescoulddeveloptheirowndrills,oruseaset

ofskillsdrillsatthestartoftheseason,andnotehow

theplayersimproveonaregularbasis.Measuring

performanceoutcomesofthatdrillincludethespeedof

completionandthenumberoferrors,forexample.That

wouldgiveameasurableoutcomeofhoweffectivethe

coachhasbeen.

messAgeFRom PRoFessoR tim noAKes

2

Coachesalsoneedtoworkoutwhatindividualskills

playersneedaccordingtoeachposition.Theyneedto

rateplayersaccordingtothatandhowtheyimprove

fromseasontoseason,andnotjustmeasuretheirsize

orphysicalattributes.Weover-valuethephysicalinthis

country,butwithanemphasisonmeasuringaccording

toskillsandtheimprovementthereof,wewilldevelop

bettercoachesandthereforebetterplayers.Ifcoaches

couldmeasurewhatthenormsarefortheirplayersin

termsofhowtheycankickorpass,thatwouldpromote

individualskills,andwouldhelptofindoutwhichskills

theyneedwhenputtingtheirteamtogether.Intermsof

sportsscience,itwouldrevolutioniserugbyifwecould

measureallthoseskills,andthatmustbetheaimofthe

modernrugbycoach.

Incoachingthe2007RugbyWorldCupwinningteam,

JakeWhiteshowedthatheisoneoftheworld’sgreat

rugbycoaches.Itwasmyprivilegetoworkwithhimand

tobeexposedtothedepthofhisrugbybrain.Jakehas

somuchtoofferSouthAfricanrugbycoachesandtheir

players.IbelievehisprogrammescanhelpdriveSouth

Africanrugbyforwardandtakeustowhereweshould

be–theundisputedbestrugbynationintheworld.

ProfessorTimNoakesOMS,MD,DSc

Discovery Health Professor of Exercise and Sports

Science at the University of Cape Town and Sports

Science Institute of South Africa

3

Message fromProfessor Tim Noakes

Analysisofyourownteamandtheoppositionteam

isvitallyimportant.AsProfessorNoakessays,“Ifyou

canmeasureit,youcanimproveit”.Analysisshould

bepositiveandnotnegative,althoughplayersshould

beawarethattheycannotcontinuetorepeatthe

samemistakes.

Mondayeveningscouldbeanalysisnightswherethe

U14A,U15A,U16AandFirstXVgettogethertowatch

theirgamesandhaveapizzainarelaxedenvironment.

Inthistechnologicalageeverythingisvisual,andthisisa

goodwaytogetkidstolearn.Somemaynottakekindly

tocriticism,soanalysingTestsandwatchingtheirheroes

makemistakesorexecuteproperlycanserveasagood

exampleandhelptoreinforceideas.Doingthiswithall

theteamstogethercreatesoneuniquelanguage,and

encouragesabrotherhoodandspiritacrosstheteams

andwithintheschool.

Why measure and how to do game analysis

Viathemanualandtheassociatedplanningofpractices,

coachescanseehowmuchtimetheirteamhasworked

onattack,defenceetc.Analysiscanbedonebythe

‘boffins’atschoolwhohavetheintellectualcapitalto

providerelevantinformation.Rugbyschoolscoulduse

thosekidswhodon’tplaythesportbutaregoodwith

numberstocountthenumberofpassespermatch,the

numberofscrums,whereyoursidescoresfromand

soon.Forexample,U14smaynotbeabletopassfar

totheirweakerside(right),andthat’swhythereare

moremistakesonthatside.It’suptoyoutoanalyseand

determinewhichaspectsneedtobeworkedon.Through

analysis,youcouldevenrealisehalfwaythroughthe

seasonthatyouscore80%ofyourtriesfromleft-hand

sidescrums,andthenattempttomanipulateplayto

thosesituations.Thiswillgiveyoumorechancestoscore.

Visit www.rugbyxv.co.za to learn more about

rugby analysis.

RUgbyANALYSIS

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Forthepurposeofthiscoachingmanual,alloff-and

pre-seasonworkshouldhavebeendonebythecoaches

withtheirplayers.(Detailedoff-andpre-season

programmeswillbeincludedforeachage-groupinthe

nexteditionofthismanual,whichwillcomeoutafter

thisseason.)However,EddieJoneshasprovidedsome

basicguidelinesandnormsthattheteamshouldhave

achievedbythetimetheseasonstarts.

Pre-season planning

Planningiscrucialtoaneffectivepre-season.

Inpre-seasonyouneedtogetfitforrugby–aerobic,

anaerobicrunningplusstrengthandbodyconditioningis

essential.Teamsneedtodeveloptheircore(forexample

catchandpass)andunitskills(forwardsandbacks).

Coachesneedtodeveloptheirteamattackanddefence

systems,aswellasteamethicandspirit.

Youneedtolookatthenumberofweeksyouhave

available–itisrecommendedyouworkoveraperiodof

12weeks,butworkingoverthisamountoftimeisthe

idealscenario.

Inthefirstsixweeks,prioritisefitness,bodyconditioning

andstrengthdevelopment,thencoreandunitskills.The

coreskillsofcatch/pass,tackleandbreakdownskills

shouldbepractisedeverysession.Emphasismustbe

placedfirstlyonthecorrecttechniquesandthenonthe

useofthecoreskillsindecision-making.

Starteachsessionwithafundamentalssessionwhere

thecoreskillsarepractised.Thisshouldlastfor60

minutes.Therestofthesession(about20to30minutes)

shouldbedevotedtounitskills.Again,concentrateon

technique.Withtheforwards,forexample,concentrate

onlineouts,scrumandmaul,andforthebacks,running

lines,kickingandkick/catching.

Forthelastsixweeks,continuetopractisecoreskills

butreducetimeto20minutes.Unitskillsshouldbe

increasedto30to40minutes.Teamskills,interms

oftheattackanddefencesystems,shouldthenbe

practisedconsistentlyfor30to40minutesatleasttwice

aweek.

Devotetimeinthelastsixweekstobuildingtheteam

culture.Decideonthevaluesyouthinkareimportant

andorganiseteamactivitiestoreinforcethesevalues.

Inthelastthreeweeks,itisimportantthatyoumake

sureyouplayatleasttwotothreetrialgames.

Gamepracticeisvital!Decideinthepracticegames

whatyouwanttoachieveandsettheplayers’targetsto

achievethis.Practisewhatyouhavebeendoingin

thepre-season.

PRe-seAson

6

ProfessorDerikCoetzee(whowastheSpringboks’

conditioningcoachthroughoutJakeWhite’stenure,and

alsoworkedwithWhiteandtheSAU21teamin2002

whentheywontheJuniorWorldCup)providesthe

statisticsfortheconditiontheplayersshouldbeinifthey

hopetomakeacareeroutofrugby.Coetzeeprovides

thetestingnormsforU19’s,andwhereyourfirstteam

playersshouldstrivetobephysicallybytheirfinalyear

ofschool,andthenormsofthe2007Springbokswhen

theywontheWorldCup.

Evenifyoudon’thavethemosttalentedteams,if

they’rephysicallystrongandfit,theyalreadyhavean

advantageoverothersides.

Coetzee’s views on the importance of fitness and conditioning in rugby:

RugbyspecificfitnessisVITALtoeveryrugbyplayer

whowishestoplaywell.Physicalconditioningandthe

developmentofskillsareinterdependentrequirements

forrugbypreparation.Theplayercanonlyperformathis

geneticbestifheprepareshimselfwellintheseareas.

Significantadvanceshavebeenmadeintheprocessof

physicalconditioningforrugbyoverthepasttenyears.

Intheolddaysitwascommonforrugbyplayersto“play

themselves”intoshape.Gradually,coacheshavebegun

toattributethesuccessofcertainplayersandteamsto

theirintensephysicalconditioning;perhapsitwastrue

thatconditioningcouldprovideanedgeincompetition.

Whilethescientificunderpinningsformanyconditioning

methodsarestillintheirinfancy,thestrengthand

conditioningspecialisthasbecomeanimportantelement

ofthecoachingsupportstaff,takingaplacealongside

thephysiotherapist,theteamdoctor,sportnutritionist,

thesportpsychologist,massagetherapistandvision

specialist,tonameafew.

Thequestionarisesnow:“Howmuchbettercanwe

conditionarugbyplayer?”

Developingasport-fitnessbaseisimportantforboth

theperformanceandthehealthoftherugbyplayer.

Aneedsanalysisforarugbyconditioningprogramme

evaluatesthedemandsofrugby,whichincludesthe

rangeofmetabolicrequirements,theinjurypotential

fordifferentpartsofthebody,andthetypesofmuscle

actionorbiomechanicalcharacteristicsinvolvedinthe

sport.Rugby-fitnesscharacteristics,beyondphysical

sizeandinherentbiologicalcharacteristics,include

power,strength,speed,agility,co-ordination,quickness,

flexibility,localmuscularendurance,cardiovascular

aerobicandanaerobiccapacity.

Thedegreeofrelianceofeachcomponentiscompletely

dependentonthespecificityofeachpositioninrugby.

Thesecomponentscanbeanalogoustoapuzzlewhere

eachpiecerepresentsafitnesscomponent.However,

onlyafewconditioningcoacheswillbeabletoplace

thesecomponentsintoalogical,practicalandscientific

sequence.Nevertheless,thequalityandtypeofexercise

stimuliusedtopreparetherugbyplayer’sbodyfor

competitionwillplayasignificantroleinsuccess.

Conditioning

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Pre-match

Thetiming,typeandvolumeoffoodintakeneedtobeconsidered.Theidealscenarioistohavealargerpre-matchmeal

richincarbohydratewithsomeleanprotein3-4hoursbeforethematch(seeTable1),followedbyasmallercarbohydrate-

richtop-up1-2hoursbeforethematch(seeTable2).Fatandfibreintakeshouldbekeptlow,andfluidintakeshouldbe

encouraged.Thisregimewilloptimisefuelstoresandwillpreventdehydrationandstomachupsets.

Pre-match meal ideas

• Fruit/fruitsalad/fruitjuicesandlow-fatyoghurt/milkandcerealorporridge

• Muffins/crumpets/pancakes/toastwithjamandreducedfatcheese

• Boiledorscrambledeggsorafrittata(egg/potato/sweetcorn)andtoastwithjam/honey/Marmite

• Noodles(egspaghetti/macaroni)withleanminceand/orvegetablesortomato-basedtopping(nocream)

• Chickena-la-kingandrice,andpeas/carrots

• Grilledfishfilletsorchickenbreastswithmashedpotato/sweetpotatoorstir-fryandrice

• Bakedpotatowithtunaorchickenorvegetable-basedtopping

• Extrabread,fruitandfruitsaladsandlow-fatyoghurt/lowfatdessertscanbeincludedwiththismeal,plussportsdrinks

Chooseoptionsaccordingtothetimeofthematchaswellasappetite.Whenplayingamorningmatch,breakfast-typefoods

maybepreferred.Iflackingappetiteorifeatingbreakfastwillmeansacrificingneededsleep,choose1-2optionsfromthe

Top-uplist(Table2).

Top-up ideas

• Sandwicheswithlow-fatcheese/ham/chicken/boiledegg/tuna/jamandpeanutbutter

• Muffinsorpancakesorcrumpetswithhoney/syruporsugarandcinnamonorraisin/hot-crossbun

• Freshfruitandlow-fatyoghurt

• Fruitsmoothies

• Sportsbarsorcereal/breakfastbarsandsportsdrinks

• Iflackingappetiteorunabletotoleratesolidfood,tryaliquidmealreplacement.

What your p layers put into the i r bodies before and af ter matches wi l l a ffect per formance and recovery. eat ing correct ly before matches wi l l prov ide p layers wi th suff ic ient energy leve ls, whi le eat ing wel l a f ter games wi l l ensure the muscles repai r adequate ly in t ime for the next pract ice.

A l though i t may at t imes be impossib le to monitor what each player eats, they should be encouraged to st ick to the below guidel ines so indiv iduals and the team have the best chance of per forming to the i r abi l i ty.

nUtRitionPre- and post-match nutrition

10

Playersareremindednottobetemptedtoeatanythingnewonamatchdaythathasnotbeentriedandtestedduring

training.Fluidstrategiesandchoiceshouldalsohavebeenrehearsedintraining.Itisadvisedtodrinkabout250-500ml

fluid(sportsdrinksofferbothfluidandcarbohydrate)justbeforethematchbeginsandthentouseopportunitiesduring

thematchtoquenchthirst.

Post-match

Foreffectiverecovery,within30-40minutesafterthematch,eat1-2oftheoptionsfromTable3andfluid(waterorsports

drink).Eachsnackprovides50gofcarbohydrateand>10gofprotein.

recovery snacks

• 350-400mllowfatflavouredmilkdrink

• 250mlfruityoghurt

• Sandwichwithreducedfatcheese/leancoldmeat/chicken/boiledegg/tunaorpilchards+1fruit

• 1½cupsofcerealwithlowfatmilk

• 2cupsmashedpotatowith2tablespoonsskimmilkpowder

• 1cupMaasmixedwithmaizeporridge(1cup)

• 30gleanbiltong(30g)+10sweets

• 750mlsportsdrink+30gleanbiltong.

11

Nutrition

Allphasesofthegamemustbecommunicatedquickly,

sonamesmustbeshortandhaveaspecificmeaning.

Therugbylanguageisusedtogetplayerstounderstand

andenacttheattackanddefencestrategies.Fromthe

firstphasethecallcomesfromaleader.Lineout,shape

ofattack,directionandthetempoareallcommunicated

inthecall.

Thesecallsmustbeuniformacrosstheschool,sothat

everyplayerusesthesamecallsforamove(iea10/12

switchor8-9-12offthebackofascrum).Thisshouldbe

decidedonbeforetheseasonbythedirectorofrugby

sothatifplayersarepromoted/dropped,theywillstill

knowallthecallswhenmovingacrossteams.Italso

helpsfromoneseasontothenextwhenthemoves

willbecomemoreadvanced(iethe8-9-12introduces

theblindsidewingeretc),butteamswillstillusethe

samecalls.

Onewaytoinstilthisrugbylanguageandcultureina

schoolistogettheU14A,U15A,U16AandFirstXV

togethereverysecondFridaytopractiseonthesame

fieldfor45minutes,andrunthesameplays.TheU14As

willgofirstandwillbemorebasic,andthelevelswill

improveaseachteamgoesaftertheother.Thisallows

thejuniorstowatchtheseniorsdoingthesamemove

withthesamecallsatanadvancedlevelsotheycan

learnfromthem.Forexample,U14Asrun8-9moveoff

scrum,playnextphaseandflyhalfclears.U15Asuse

8-9-12move,theyplayforthesetthreephases,andthe

flyhalfclears,andsoon.

Thiswillprovideunityandmentorshipbetweenthe

rugbyteamsacrossvariousage-groups,whileplayerscan

analyseandseewhatcertainteamsaredoingwelland

whatothersaren’tdoingwell.Thiswillformpart

oftheanalysisandself-evaluationinanenvironmentof

nopressure.

Inthematch,callsvarytocreatedoubtinthedefence.

ExamplesyoucanuseincludeKOR(kickorrun)calls/

rushplay/kickingcalls.

Thisiswhywehavealanguageofrugby,becauseyou

needacodetocommunicatethinkingsothatplayers

don’tveerfromthegameplananddotheirownthing.

Factors influencing the calls:(Theseareguidelines

andit’suptothecoachtodecidewhatworksbestfor

histeam)

• Typeofdefence:Ifyou’replayingagainstarush

defenceforexample,youplaybehindthem

usinggrubbersasoneoption.Ifyou’replaying

againstadriftdefence,youcouldalsoattack

wide

• Weather:Ifit’sraining,you’remorelikelytokick

moreoften,orifyou’replayinginastrongwind

thenplayersshouldstandclosertogether

• Timeinthematch:Ifyou’rewantingtokillthe

gameoff,thepickandgoaroundthefringesof

ruckscanbeused.Atthebeginningofamatch,

youmaywanttotestthedefencebygoingwide

onceortwiceearlyon

• Surpriseelement:Usingasplitkick-offatthe

beginning,forexample

• Tocreateconfidenceandgivemomentum

(bankermove):Thisisamovewhereeveryplayer

isinvolvedinthefirstthreephases,whether

that’sviacleaning,carryingorpassing

• Fieldposition:Teamscan’talwaysrunfromdeep

withintheirownhalf,otherwisetheybecome

predictable.

L A n g U A g e

rugbyof

12

Factors to consider when planning rugby patterns:

• Canwewinfirstphase?Isthescrumorlineout

strongenough?Ifnot,youcoulduse3-manor

4-manlineout,orfromscrumsusethechannel

oneball,wheretheballishookedbackas

quicklyaspossiblesothescrumhalfcanclear.

Somecoachescomplainthattheycan’tplayoff

aweakscrum,buttheAustralianswhohadthe

sameproblemadaptedandonlyplayedoffleft

shoulderscrums,turningbadballintogoodball

• Whoistheball-carrier?Theball-carrierhastobe

aspecificplayerchosenforthatroleasnotevery

playercanperformthattask.Hehastobeable

toproducequickcleanball.Insomeinstances

coachesusetheblindsideflankforamove

becausetheyseeitworkedfortheSpringboks

withJuanSmithinthatrole,butatlowerlevels

itmaybeanotherlooseforwardwhohastobe

used

• Howmanyphasesareneeded?Theanswerto

thisisthecoachworkingouthowhewantshis

sidetomanipulatethedefence.Sometimesyou

cancatchthemoutafteroneortwophases,but

onotheroccasionsyou’llneedtobepatientand

keeptheballlonger

• Whattempoisimportant?Thisisrelativeto

what’sneededatthatjunctionofthegame.No

teamcanplayatafastpacefortheentiregame,

sotheyhavetodecidewhentoincreasethe

tempoandwhentoslowitdown

• Whoisthesweeperintheplay?Everyteam

needsasafetyvalveforeachmove.Itcouldbe

thescrumhalforNo.8whocoversbehindthe

backline.Youdon’twantyourbackstodropthe

ballandtheoppositiontokickitthrough,soa

sweeperisvitalforthosesituations

• Howmanycleanersintheplayateach

breakdown?Possessionneedstoberetainedat

thebreakdownsandit’snotjustaboutproviding

numbers,butalsowhothedesignatedcleaners

areinthatparticularmove

• Canweoffloadbeforegoingtoground?Players

don’talwayshavetogotogroundandcreatea

ruck,andagoodvariationistheoffloadifthe

passispossible

• Whathappensiftheplayerbreaksthedefence?

Playersmustplaywhat’sinfrontofthemand

oncethelineisbrokentheymustusetheoption-

takinganddecision-makingskillslearntthrough

practicedrills

• Directversuslateralattack?Variationofplaysis

essentialandteamsshouldlooktobedirectand

goforwardasmuchaspossibleearlyon,and

thenplaywideorlaterallytotestthedefence

• Defenceversusattack(fieldposition):Teams

needtohavecallsonattackanddefence,

understandingwhodefendswhereaccordingto

wheretheyareonthefield.

Why do patterns of play not work?

• Notwinningyourfirstphaseorpoorqualityfirst

phasepossession

• Notrunningontotheball,orplayerstoodeep

• Ball-carrierisnotstrongenough

• Presentationisnotuptostandard

• Cleaners(first,secondetc)arenotinposition

orlackofnumberstobreakdownpoints

• No.9’slackofpositioning,orthetempo

tooslowwhentryingtoincreasethepace

• Ball-carrierwenttogroundtooquickly

• Attacktooupright,ordefencedominatingyou

• Shapeoftheattackistoopredictable

• Notallplayersabletopassfrombreakdown,

whichhampersmomentum

• Decision-makingoffirst/secondarrivingplayer

notuptostandard

• Attacknotaskingquestionsofthedefence.

Slow ball management:

• Howtominimiseslowball?Getmotionon

theballandrunnersrunningontotheballand

attackingthegain-line

• Teamsneedtobeorganisedintheshapeand

directionyouwanttoattack.Usethevarious

optionsatyourdisposal

• Teamsneedtopractiserealistically.Attraining,

thespeedofballoutofruckscan’talwaysbe

quickasitwon’tnecessarilyhappenthatwayin

amatch.

13

languageof rugby

deveLoPingA n A n n U A LprogrammeCoaching tips:

Teamsshouldtrainliketheyaregoingtoplaythe

match,ifnotharder.Coachesmusttrainliketheyare

goingtoplay–thatmeanssimulatinggamesituations.

AsEddieJonessays,ifyou’rereceiving60%ofyour

possessionfromturnoverballorfromkickreturns(and

coachesmustdetectthisandworkitout),60%ofyour

practiceshouldbeallocatedtoplayingfromkickreturns

orturnoverpossession.Mostcoachesrunofftothe

scrummingmachineandspend45minutesscrumming,

whenyouhaveeightscrumsinamatch.It’snottosay

scrummingisn’timportantasitdeterminestheflowof

thematch,it’sjustabouttimeallocationandusingit

wisely.Thisisexactlywhycoachesneedanalysis.

Matchsimulationmustalsobetougherthanwhatyou

wouldgetinthegame.Forexample,whenpractising

breakdowns,sendthreeorfourcleanerstotheplayer

tryingtoturnoverball.Hewillthenbeaccustomedto

theintensitywhenheactuallyhastwoplayersclearing

himoutinamatch.Formauling,tryandgetyourpack

tostop12players.Whentheyhavetostopthedrive

fromeightplayersduringthematch,itwon’tbeashock

andwillbeeasier.

Teamsshouldtrainatthesameintensityasmatches,

withpracticesresemblingmatchsituations.Theremust

beaclearplanfromthecoachastowhathewantsto

achievefromthepracticesothattheplayersfeelthereis

valuetothesession.

Teamsandagegroupsshouldpractisetogetherin

squads.Inotherwords,theU15AandBteamsshould

beasquad,andwhiletheBsideisrunningattack,the

Asideisworkingondefence.

Howtowarmupformatches?Pre-gamewarmups

shouldbethesameasthecaptain’spractice,sothereis

noelementofsurpriseandtheplayersarefamiliarwith

theroutine.

14

Coach’s philosophy

Selection:

Whenchoosingthecorrectpositionforatalented

individual,theremustbeemphasisonwhat’scorrectfor

theboy.Ifyouhaveabigboywhocouldplaycentreand

dominateatU14level,buthisrugbyfutureisathooker,

hemustplayhookerfromU14todevelopthenecessary

skillsfromayoungage.Makingthis‘sacrifice’forteam

resultswillactuallyhelptheU14team,theschool’s

rugbyandtheboyinthelongrun.

Player management

Whenmanagingplayers,coachesmustrealise

they’redealingwithhumanbeingsandnotrobotsor

professionalrugbyplayers.Whiledisciplineisvital,itis

alsoimportanttoknowwhatdrivesanindividual.

Rugbyislikelife–itrequiresperseverance,hardwork,

selfcontrol,dedicationandrespectforauthority.Ateam

shoulddoeverythingtoensurethattheskillsandtalents

ofeachplayerinthesquadaredeveloped,refinedand

enjoyedinanappropriateway.

Ateam’splayersareobviouslythebuildingblocksfora

successfulorganisation.Oneofthebestinvestmentsa

teamcanmakeinthosebuildingblocksistoestablish

asystematicplantodevelopitsplayerstotheirfull

potential.Todevelopplayers,it’scrucialtomanagethe

players.Arobustknowledgeofeachplayeriscrucial–

knowyourplayers,knowwhatmotivatesthem

andspendtimediscussingsolutionstoindividualand

teamproblems.

KnowledgeofplayersisKING!

15

developingan annual schedule

Thegameofrugbyisbecomingsoadvancedthatall15

playersintheteamarespecialistsintheirownpositions,

buttheymustalsoallbeabletomasterallskillsacross

bordersandbeabletoattackanddefend.Forexample,

youmusthavebackswhocancleanrucksandforwards

whocancatchandpassandrun.Intheolddays,you

wouldhavehadforwardswhowereinvolvedinset-

piecesandbackswhostayedawayfromthedirtywork,

butthat’schanged.

Thegameissocomplexthatallplayersmusthavea

biggerrangeofabilities.Thestrengthofyourteamis

dependantontheweakestplayerandthereforeeach

playermusthaveanarrayofskills.

Thefollowingguidelooksathowimportanteachpart

ofthegameis.Forexample,defenceisn’tjusttackling;

italsoincludesthedefensivesystem,thetechnique,and

whattheplayerdoesafterthetackle.

backline

Key points:

• Coachesneedtounderstandtheirplayers’

abilities.Whetheraplayercanbeatatacklerone

ononeandwhethertheyenjoycontactornot

meansthey’llbeusedinthoseparticularmoves

accordingly.Forexample,mostfullbacksenjoy

timeandspace,sothey’llbeusedinmoves

wherethey’reaffordedthat

• Knowyourrunnersandpassers.Thosewhoare

betterpassersmustbeusedassuchinmoves,

andotherswhoarebetter-equippedascarriers

orrunnersmustbeusedaccordingly

• Designattackingplaysthathavemany

optionsandvariations.Youcan’tjustrunfrom

everywhere,orhavepassingplaysallthetime.

Forexample,yourwingmaynotbeagood

passer,butbringyourblindsidewingintothe

gamebyusinghimintheinsidecentre’sposition

tocreatesecondphase.Thentherestofthe

backscanplayfromthereoffasolidplatform

• Designplaysthatmaximiseyourstrengthsand

minimiseyourweaknesses

• Haveaphilosophyonalignment(knowwhy

youbelieveitandhowitworks).Forexample,

whetheryouwanttoplayshort,flat,wideor

deep,youmustexplaintoyourplayerswhen

youwantthemtoplaythatwayandwhythey’re

playingthatway.Thereshouldbenogimmicks,

asthefancyelementsdon’tlast.Masteringthe

basicsdoes

• Coachesmustworkoutwaystogettheirbacks

runningattheoppositionforwardsinorderto

createmismatches.

PHiLosoPHy oF tHe

game

16

Forwards

Key points:

• Canyouwinfirstphase(scrumandlineout)?

• Theremustbeabalancebetweenheightand

weightofpack

• Knowtheball-carriersandcleaners.Notevery

playercanbeusedwithballinhand,androle

definitionsmustbeclearlysetsothatthereare

sufficientcleanerstosecurequickball

• Designplaysthatcomplimentthemake-upof

theplayers.NewZealand,forexample,have

BradThornastheirlock,andeventhoughhe’s

shortbyinternationalstandards,itworksfor

thembecausehe’smobileandtheydon’tusethe

lineoutasoftenasothersides,avoidingthatset-

piece.Hismobilitysuitsthestyleofrugbythey

play

• Forwardsmustunderstandtheirroleinthepack

(whetherthey’rearunnerorcleanerinparticular

moves)

• Donothavetoomanyrunnersbecause

therewillbenoonetosecuretheballatthe

breakdownsandtherewillbeanimbalancein

thecompositionoftheside

• Donothavetoomanypassers

• Astrongset-piece(scrumandlineout)

isessential.

defence

First-phase defence:

• First-phasedefenceisdefenceagainsttheset-

piece(scrum,lineoutandkick-off)

• It’sthefirstdefencecontactandissignificant

inthatifyoucandenytheoppositiongain-line

advantageorquicksecondphasepossession,

youareinapositiontotakeadvantageinthat

particularsequence

• Winningthesetpieceisfirstprize.It’smore

difficulttodefendfromthescrumthancontest

thelineout.But,asBalieSwartsays,atscrum-

time“thefirsttackleindefenceistheactual

scrum”

• Youmustgivetheoppositionbadballatthe

scrumbydisruptingit.Wheelingisalsoan

option,allowingyourforwardstobecloserto

theoppositionbackline

• Thedefendingscrumhalfneedstocommunicate

withhislooseforwardssoasnottobe‘sucked’

in.The9canstayorleavethesideofthescrum,

whichhasamassiveinfluenceonhisteam’s

defenceandthesystem

• Theshoulderyoumanipulateduringthescrum,

relatedtotheleftandright-shoulderwheel,can

assistthedefenceline

• Thelineoutisalsousedtostartyourdefensive

system.Nowadays,becauseteamsrunattacks

tothreeorfourphases,it’struetosaythatby

winningtheoppositionlineoutineffectyoutake

awaythreerucks.Therefore,contestinginthe

lineoutsisvitalingettingthedefenceinorder

• Puttingyourlooseforwardonthe15mline

isalsoareallyeffectivewaytodefendfroma

lineout,especiallyifapropissupportingatthe

backofyourlineout.

Non-negotiables:

• Haveadefencesystemforeachsetpiecein

everyfieldposition.Makesureyoupractiseit

andeachplayerisawareofhisrole

• Knowtheopposition’skeyplaysineach

importantfieldpositionandpractiseyour

defenceagainstit

• Makesurethereissynergybetweentheset-piece

contestandthefirst-phasedefence

• Doesyourteamcoverthefieldondefence?

• Seedefencenotesperage-group.

17

Philosophyof the game

attack

Shape of attack:

• Same-sideattack:Keepmovingtowardsthe

touchline

• Onephase:Onestrikemovefromtheset-piece.

Thiscreatesashockfactorforthedefencewhen

theyhavebeenthinkingyouarecontinually

tryingtotakeitthroughthephases

• Threephase:Mostcommonlyusedto

manipulateandweardownthedefence

• Multi-phase:Keepingpossessionthroughas

manyphasesaspossibletocreatepressureor

winapenalty

• Rushvsnormalattack(manipulationofdefence):

Thisislinkedtothepaceortempoofthegame

youwanttoplayataccordingtothetimeand

situationinthematch

• Fallingtogroundtooquickly:Thisistheworst

thingthatcanhappenbecauseitallows

defendersthechancetostayontheirfeetand

contestforballontheground

• Areplayersforcingthemove?Teamsmustn’tdo

amoveifitisn’tonandtheyhavetoreadthe

situation.Oftenseniorplayerswillcallamove

becauseitinvolvesthemandtheywantthe

limelight,buttheymustuseamoveforthe

rightreasons

• Firstwinthefirstphase:Forexample,sometimes

looseforwardsaresoworriedaboutthe

impendingmovethattheyforgettopushinthe

scrumanditgoesbackwards,hamperingthe

efficiencyofthemove.

Fundamentals of attack:

• Whereareyougoingtoattack?

• Howwilldefenceinfluenceyourattack?

• Attackingweaknesses(innumbersandinsize):

Teamsshouldlooktofirstattackthesidewhere

therearelessnumbers(ifyouhaveafiveon

threeoverlap,forexample),andthenwherethe

smallerplayersarelocated

• Attackingtheopposition’sstrengths?Thisis

thelastresortafterattackinginnumbersand

size,butisdonetotaketheopposition’sbest

defenderoutofthegameandputhimonthe

ground.Oncethat’sdone,youcanthenattack

theweakness

• Conditions?Weatheralwaysinfluencesthecalls

madeandyoucan’texpecttomaketoomany

passesinwetconditions.Ifthewindisblowing,

playersshouldstandclosertogether

• Influenceofteampersonnel?Whattypeof

playersyouhaveatyourdisposalwillaffect

themovesyouuse.Forexample,youcan’tuse

intricatepassingmovesifyoudon’thavemany

goodpassersinyourteam

• Timeofgame(firstminuteor80thminute)and

score(5-3or50-3)?Boththesefactorswill

influenceyourattackandthecallmade.Ifit’s

thelastminuteandyou’releadingbytwopoints,

you’renotgoingtouseariskymovedeepin

yourownhalf.

18

breakdown

Checklist:

• Ball-carrierdominant?

• Firstmaninoverball?

• Secondmanintomakeadecision

• Thirdmaninasanoption

• IsNo.9clearing?

• Usingtheleagueoption(whereplayersother

thanNo.9clearball)

• Ballpocketminus?Whencoachingthe

breakdown,it’seasierforthecoachtoreferto

thethreemainroleplayersas‘ball’,‘pocket’

and‘minus’.Eachplayermusthavedesignated

rolesinstructuredmoves,buttheremustbe

contingencyplansforplayerstoplayoffthe

cuffifsomethinggoeswrongandaplayerwho

wasn’tsupposedtogettheballendsupbeing

theball-carrier.Therefore,everyonepractises

beingthe‘ball’,‘pocket’and‘minus’.

Attack off 9 – ball, pocket and minus:

‘Ball’istheball-carrier.Hemustuseleg-driveinorder

togetovertheadvantageline.Ballpresentationis

importantsothatthemomentumcontinuesandit’svital

theball-carrierplacestheballfarfromhisbodysoit’s

easierfortheNo.9toclear.Theball-carriermustrunas

ifhe’sgoingtoscore,whichistheidealsituationandthe

firstoption,orhemusttryhisutmosttoatleastbeatthe

defence.

Thefirstcleanerisknownasthe‘pocket’.Hemust

getovertheballtoprotectitandbeinastrongbody

position.Thelowerhegetstosealitoff,themore

difficultitwillbeforanopponenttogethishands

ontheball.Healsocan’tflopontheballashe’llget

penalisedandhemustkeephisheaduptomakea

decision!

Thesecondcleanerisknownasthe‘minus’.Hemust

attackthecorrectsideandlookwherethesecond

defenderis,andthengotothatsideandclearhimout.

Attimeshewon’thavetogoinastherewon’tbea

seconddefender,andit’suptohimtomakeadecision.

Atthejuniorlevels,playersmaystruggletomakethese

decisions,soit’sanideathatattheseage-groupsthey

alwaysgointoaddnumbers,andfromtheseniorage-

groupstheymustmakedecisions.

Principles to remember about the breakdown:

• Ifyouareplanningtokickfromyour22marea,

youcanneverhavetoomanyplayersoverthe

ball.Thisguaranteesthatyouwillwintheball

backandtherewillbenothreatofthecounter-

ruckfromtheopposition

• Ifyou’reagainstthetouchlineorareusingone-

offrunners,playerspresentatthepreviousruck

mustdoubleupandgotothenextruck,which

iscloseby.Thiswillhelpthequalityoftheattack

asyouwon’trequireextracleaners

• No.9mustruntokeeppillardefendershonest.

19

Philosophyof the game

Playerkeepingheadupatbreakdown tomakeadecision

20

PAtteRns oF

playPatternsofplayallowplayerstoknowwheretheballis

movingtoonattack.Itallowsthecoachtomanipulate

thedefence,tocontrolthetempoofthegameand,

moreimportantly,positionballrunnersorpassersinto

positionsthey’rebestsuitedforinthesequence.U14s

shouldtrytogettotwophasesinonesetplayand,as

theplayersgetmoreskilful,increasethesettoamulti-

phaseattack(U15sthree-phase,U16sfour-phaseand

soon).

For the benefit of this manual:

• OneruckandchangedirectionisaTIGERplay

• Tworucksandchangeofdirectionisan

OPTUSplay

• ThreerucksandchangedirectionisaBLACKplay

• Fourrucksorgoingtoexhaustthetouchlineisa

SHARKSplay

• Goingwideandwidebackagainisa

STORMERSplay.

Example:

Callingtheplaywillbeasfollows:

U14:5-manlineout:Tigerplay:Wellington/Red

U19:5-manlineout:Tigerplay:Wellington/Red,Snap

/default.

Thisindicatestheprogression.

Whenbuildingthesets,thecoachmustunderstandhe

needstopickrunnersinthesettocarrytheballand

passerstogettheballtotherunners.

Everyactioninthegameneedstobecommunicated

fromthecoachorbetweenplayersand,therefore,each

action/phaseisgivenaname.Whenplayershaverun

asetplayfromU14supuntilU19sitcanbeusedasa

banker call.Usuallyasetthatbringsplayersbackinto

thegame:aconfidencecall.

Thephasesputintoasetaredeterminedbytheskill

leveloftheplayers.Thebettertheskilllevel,themore

flashytheplays.Theplaysmustbearrangedtoputthe

defenceunderpressure,andthereforevariationiskey.

Forexample,numbersinlineout,usingdecoy-runners,

surpriseelement,8-9optionfromscrums,variationin

whereyouattackoppositiondefence,variationintempo

ofattack(rushvsnormalmanipulation).

Thedirect optionisalwayspartoftheattackstrategy

andisusedtoholdthedefenceandkeepithonest.

Abankerplayisusuallyarushplaythatisdirectand

involvesthewholeteam.

21

Fromscrums

Swivelwith9

8 9

PUM

A

1312

2/3

(Drop pass)

12 13 14

CRAB

94

RED

6 10 12

BOZO

(Skip)

10 11 12

BLAC

K

(Double switch)

10 129

11

OFS

22

Patternsof play

2Options

Insidepass

Doubleinsidepass

9 10 12

13

ACT

9 10 13

12ROCK

ET

9

4 10 6

APPL

E

9

15 6 10PINE

APPL

E

9

11/1410

COW

BOY

(Tail of Line-out)

910

12

CANT

ERBU

RY

(Flat)

109 12ALL

BLAC

K

(Flat)

23

9 10 12BASK

ET

Pick & goBULL

Ball to be released immediately

to backs

FLAS

H

S

BOK

FLAG

S 1/

5 1 2 3 4 5

Ball to backs

COKE

BAL

L

10

12 13CAST

LE -

10

Throughthemiddle

Overridesallcalls

Fromthebaseofscrum-8pick&go

WiperkicktoLeft(1)&Right(5)

From1stphase

13over12

24

Patternsof play

13under12

2options,passto12isinfrontof13

Receivingplayerbehindpasserasanoption

Toexhaustion

Skippasses8to15insideholds

defenders

Passesto8

10

12 13

UnderOve

r

LAGE

R -

10

1112 13

10

AMST

EL -

10

1112 13

10

AMST

EL -

10

9

6 8

10

15CLOW

N ( S

HO

RT)

Drive!

WAR

ATAH

/TAN

KEYPass

Running Line

Support run

KickB

S Scrum

PlayerAttacker

PlayerDefender

Ruck or Maul

Contact Shield Tackle bag

BeaconFlag

Quick feet ladder

Ball HoopnBreakdow

25

Tiger plays

R1

S

9

10 12

13

9

9

1514211

74

7 64

Option1

ACT

If 15 gets he must be behind 4 & 7Burger

Dog PieRedTuks 9-15

9

9 10

S

R1

74

13

12

11

15142

Option 2

Basket/Sniper

BurgerDogPieRedTuks 9-15

Isolated upperbody passing

OFS

10 129

11

S

R1

9

1513

11

74

BurgerDogPie

Red Tuks

Option 3

S

8 9

UnderOve

r

141310 12

R1

979

Option 4

Puma Baby 2/3 Lager

Red AceAce +

Castle 9Castle 10

S

13

10

11 15

9

14

12

R2

9 13

7R1

6 9

Baby 2/3 Amstel

Red X / Ace

R/m scrum

Ace +

Ace

KEYPass

Running Line

Support run

KickB

S Scrum

PlayerAttacker

PlayerDefender

Ruck or Maul

Contact Shield Tackle bag

BeaconFlag

Quick feet ladder

Ball HoopnBreakdow

26

Patternsof play

optus plays

black plays

R1

R2

R3

F39 10

11

9 1012

13

15 14

F1 F2

9

9

Rocket

Clown mac

NB: 9 runs

Burger

Default playsDummy2/3Ace +

Option 3

7 4

R1

R2

9

S

13 12 10

10

1513

96

10

14

15 4

9Baby 2/3 Ace

Clown (wide)

Bozo (10)

R1

R2

S

9

10/15

1411

109

812

13Bok 2/3

Option 2Option 1

8

S9

10 12

R1

R2101211

Pie

9

Ace + Dog BurgerBurgerDogPiePie ace+Red

S

R1

R2

R3

9

12

1213

10

10

9

9

9Wide play(default op-tion)

Look at numbers & players out

Crab

BurgerDogPie +

Option 1 Option 2

2/3 Burger Pepsi Crab

27

OutcOmesof manual • Basedonthedrillsinthemanualandthe

relevantratingsgivenforthosedrillsandallthe

dataandplanningfromtheseason,coachescan

gaugewhattypeofteamtheyhave(ieateam

filledwithrunners).Thatwillimpactonwhat

typeofgametheyplaythefollowingseason

andwhattheyneedtoworkontobecomea

betterall-roundside.Forexample,ifyouhavea

smallsidewhoaregoodpassers,youknowwhat

styleofrugbytoplayandwhatmovesyoucan

use.Ifyouhaveabigsidewithlotsofrunners,

youwon’thavemanymovesthatrequiremany

passesuntiltherequiredworkhasbeendoneon

catchingandpassing.

• Allrankingsandassessmentofdrills(see

‘Evaluation’sectioninpracticesheets),skillsand

practicesmustbedonewithhonestyinorderto

planaccordinglyforthefollowingseasonwith

regardstowhatareasneedimprovement.

• Advicefordoingdrills:AsProfNoakessays,it

isimportanttoexplaintochildrenthereason

fordoingthedrill(the‘why’firstandthenthe

‘how’).Thatwill‘sell’thedrilltothemandthey

willknowthey’redoingitforareason(the

biggerpicture),andnotjustdoingsomethingto

takeuptimeuntiltheendofpractice.

• Onceallthechecklistsarecomplete,youcanadd

variationsifyouhaveagiftedgroup,butonly

onceallthebasicshavebeendone.

• Fromallthis,nextyear’scoachwillbeableto

planaccordinglydependingonwhattheteam’s

strengthsandweaknessesare,whichhavebeen

measuredthroughouttheseason.

28

ThefollowingisaguidelineofthebasicsthatU14s

shouldhaveachievedafterthecompletionoftheirfirst

yearinhighschool.ThekeyaspectsinU14aremore

structure-orientatedandgeneral-skillorientatedthan

individualskills.Ifyouhavethesefivetenetsofdefence,

buildinguptackleconfidenceandconfidenceincontact,

liftinginlineouts,scrumming,andstructuretoyour

team,thebasestonesaretheretoaddtothegamein

U15,whereyoucanworkonaspectssuchastactical

kickingetc.

General:

U14smustbeintroducedtotheschool’srugbylanguage

(seepage12).Theyoungerboysshouldalsobe

introducedtotheschool’srugbyhistoryandethosto

ensurethereisaprideintheFirstXVjerseyandthat

theywillwanttorunoutfortheschoolatthatlevelin

afewyears’time.Aswithallteams–butevenmoreso

atthislevel,inordertoinstildisciplineandthestandards

expectedfortherestoftheirrugbycareersattheschool

–theremustbeanemphasisonworkethicandintensity

fromU14level.

defence checklist for u14

Tacklebothshoulders;defenceinthrees;pillarandtwo

outside(structure);notloadingblindside,tackleand

jackaltechnique.

Defenceskillspointsforjuniorcoaches:

Pre-contact positioning:

• Splitfeetwithoneslightlyinfrontoftheother

• Bodyweightforward–chestoverfeetandbent

atknees

• Handsupinordertogetthehandsforwardand

onthetoes.

Key cues:

• Handsup

• Pickatargetareaandaimthroughthearea,1m

pasttheplayer

• Takethespaceindefence

• Hit,stickandsqueeze–thesqueezewillfling

theplayertotheirfeetandputtheminajackal

position(challengeforballonfeet)

• Leg-drive–chasethroughthehit

• Headup,dipatthehipsandkneesslightly–

contactiswiththeshoulder

• Legsloadthegun,shouldersfirethegun.

Tracking (subject to defensive pattern):

• Insideshoulder(attackerisontheoutsideof

defenderinrelationtowheretheballiscoming

from)

• Takethespaceforward

• Steadyonceatargetareaischosenwithshorter

steps(noplant)

• Bodyweightslightlyforward,eyesonthetarget

throughtothehit

• Staytallanddipfromthekneesandhips

• Re-accelerateoncetheattackerhasbeenfixed

intoazone

• Shouldercontact

• Hit,stickandsqueeze–finishwithlegdrive.

Key reads and decision-making on defence:

• Carrierhasballinonehand=linespeedandhit

• Ballintwohands=takethespaceandforcethe

playontheball-carrier

• Poorpass=linespeedandhit.

u14 PRACtiCe sCHedULe

CHeCKList

and

29

attack checklist for u14:

• Catchandpass(beforeandincontact)

• Runningskills/evasiveskills

• Scrumhalfpass(leftandright)

• VeryNB-9passingto10asmuchaspossible,

whothenplaystoforwardsoffinsideand

outsideshoulder(encourages10tomake

decisionsashehasballinhishandsasoften

aspossibleandnotinthehandsofrandom

forwards)

• Scrumhalfrightboxkick

• Two-phaseattack(scrumandlineout)

• Scrumbodyposition/technique

• Lineout–support,catch,deliverytoNo.9.Short

lineoutsarealsosimpleinthejuniorage-groups

• Workingongetting4-ball(middleball)atthe

lineout.

U14sshouldhavefivebaseplays,whichisthebaselevel.

Addsomethingnewthehigheryougo.InU15youcan

addtwovariationstoeach,U16afurthertwovariations,

andanothertwoinopen.Forthesefiveplays,you’ll

needcertaintypesofplayerstoexecutethemproperly.

However,there’snothingtostopyoufromusingyour13

torunthe12linesforcertainmoves,forexample,ifthe

12isn’tasabrasiveasthe13andthat’swhatyourequire

forthatmove.

AtU14level,theteamshouldhavemoveslasting

twophases.

Skillscoachingpointsforjuniorcoaches:

Catching skills

• Fingersspread

• Handsfacingtheball/bentelbows

• Elbowsinandupforahighball

• Fingersspreadaftertheballiscaughtforquick

transfer.

30

u14checklist

31

Passing skills

Clearing pass:

• Backfootintighttotheball

• Bentkneesandbacksidedownwithweight

transferredfromthebacklegthroughtothe

frontleguponsweepingthepass

• Balltobepassedoffthedeck

• Fingerstopointtothetarget(pointandshoot!)

• Afterthepassthesupportlineistofollowthe

lineoftheball(NB).

Short pass:

• Elbowsbent

• Fingersspreadaroundtheballforcontrol

• Handsfollowtheballafterpass

• Mustnotbeaspiralorspinpass

• Sequence:lookattheball,catchit,turnhead

andlookattarget,pointandshoot.

Long pass:

• Elbowsbentandmovetofullextension

• Outsidelegbackwhenpassinginordertoavoid

passingacrossbody

• Fingersspreadaroundtheballtoensurecontrol

• Sequence–importanttopointandshoot

• Spiralpassisthefastestball–bottomhand

providesdirectionandtopgivesthepower

• Upperbodyovertheball.

Press pass:

• Elbowsbent

• Fingersspreadacrosstheball

• Ballispassedtoaplayerafterbeingtackled–

thepressingmotionwillgivetheballcontrol

andpowerasopposedtopoppingtheballup

• Fingerswilldictatethetrajectory/positioningof

theball(pointandshoot).

general tips for selection in u14

• Paceoutwideinbackthree

• Flyhalfpassingandkickingskills,andabilityto

takeballflat

• Hookerwhocanthrowfourball

• Talllocks

• Looseforwards(combinationofpace,

sizeandskill).

breakdown skills

Withthenewlawinterpretationsfavouringattacking

sides,thelongeryoucankeeptheballandcontrol

possession,themorestructureyourteamwillhave.

Forsafety,nosqueezeballmustbetaughttoyoung

age-group!

Breakdowncoachingpointsforjuniorcoaches:

Generalprinciplesinattackanddefence:

• Gettotheplayerasheisgoingtoground

(timing)

• Cominginsquareandattackingthebreakdown

withgoodbodyheightOVERtheball.

Defence:

• Decision-makingskillsthroughgamesimulation

onwhethertocommitorstayoutatbreakdown

• Enterfromthebackwithheadup

• Beaggressiveinhittingthebreakdownor

contestingtheball

• Ifcontestingtheball,stayinalowbodyposition

onthefeetwithchinupandNOTonchest

• Twoschoolsofthoughtwithstealingtheball:

eitheronelegoverandgrabtheballORreach

overinalowpositionbehindthetackledplayer

• Matchbodyheightwithattackingplayers/get

inlow

• Ifattackingsupportplayercomesinatspeed

thereisthepossibilityofpullingthemthrough

andsteppingtotheside

• Oncecontactismadewithanoppositionplayer,

thedefendershoulduselegdriveandhitthe

playerthesameasindefence,lowtohigh,pick

apointandstick.

32

u14checklist

Attack:

• Firstplayersecurestheball–goinhardtoget

handsontheballandpivottopresentafter

winningtheball

• Ontheclean-outplayersenterfromthebackin

alowbodypositionanduselegdrivetowinthe

breakdowncontest(decisionwhethertoholdor

continuethedriveisateamphilosophy)

• Ifadefenderhashishandsontheball,the

attackermatchesbodyheightandhitswiththe

shoulderwhilegettingthearmthroughtoattack

theoppositionplayer’sbase(legs)

• Ontheclean-out,playersmusthitandstickin

ordertobeeffective

• Steadybeforeenteringinordertogetbalance

andthenhitthebreakdownandlegdrivewith

aggression

• Theballiswherethegameis–thisisthezone

tofocusonwhencleaningout.

Conclusion for u14

Ensuringyourteamtakesthecorrectoptionsinmatch

situationsisthemostimportantconsiderationhere,

becausethisshowstheirskillsaredevelopingandthey

areabletothinkonthefieldandtransfermateriallearnt

inpracticestogamesituations.Thiscombinedwiththe

sidebeingphysicallyconditionedandhavingtheethicof

playingforoneanotherfromanearlyage,willhelpthe

sideachievethebestpossibleresults.

33

34

u14practice schedule

Week 1: Practice 1, session 1 (Training template 1)

Equipmentrequirements(tickboxes):balls,shields,cones,bibs

Session’sfocus:passing/catching/basicskills

Volume:low;Intensity:high

Session Coaching points:

3.00–3.15pm: Warmup

Visualawareness/hand-eyeco-ordination

Quickshortpasses(drill1–3mins)

Longerpasses(drill2–3mins)

Combination(drill3–3mins)

Addpressurebyintroducingdefencedrillfor3min

Handsout

Quickshortpasses(drill1–3mins)

Runstraight,eyesopen

3.15–3.40: Phasecallsintroduction

2/3

Bozo

Crab

Apple

Run‘S’shape

Decoytodohisjob

Runhard

3.40–3.45: Waterbreak

3.45–4.00: Breakdownskills(contactskills)

Recoilandballplacement:

1vs1(falllongways)

1vs2(secondmaninonfeet)

2vs2(strongposition)

4.00–4.30: Structure:scrumattack/lineoutattack

OneTigerplay/oneOptusplay/oneBlackplay

AvsBteam,50%defence

4.30–5.00: Scrumsessiontogettiming

Backstodoindividualskillsandfirst-phasedefence

u14 sCHedULe

PRACtiCe

Complete the t ra in ing templates in the format of the ’dai ly Programme’ spreadsheet, which can be found in Appendix A on page 79.

35

Tackledplayerfallinglongwaysandplacingball, secondmaninandmakingdecision

36

u14practice schedule

KEYPass

Running Line

Support run

KickB

S Scrum

PlayerAttacker

PlayerDefender

Ruck or Maul

Contact Shield Tackle bag

BeaconFlag

Quick feet ladder

Ball HoopnBreakdow

u14 s1 Week 1

Groups of 5

Drill 1 3 mins

5m

Passing left and right

Drill 2 3 mins

Same as drill 1

Stand further apart

9

Drill 3 3 mins

Right hand side (Long)

9

Drill 4 3 mins

2 vs 3 3 vs 4Add defenders

Left hand side (Short)

37

9

1210 13 14

12 610

Phase calls

Bozo

2/3

Breakdown

Attacker

Long place

Run to beat player

Place ball in contact

Defender

9

9

Crab

Hands option

Phase calls

9

4 10 6

Apple

Phase calls

9

1210 13 14 15

S

8

R8 12 6

2/3

910

13 14 1511

Example of plays

2/3 Hands

u14 s1 Week 1

38

u14practice schedule

Week 1: Practice 2, session 2

Equipmentrequirements:balls,shields,cones,bibs

Session’sfocus:unitskills,basiccatchingandpassing

Volume:high;Intensity:low/high

Session Coaching points:

3.00–3.15pm: Warmup

Sameassessionone

3-15–3.30: Phasecalls

Sameassessionone

3.30–3.35: Waterbreak

3.35–4.05: Unitskills–thelineout(forwards)

Supportingthejumper

Jumpingtechnique

Throwto2withoptionsandvariations

Deliveryto9

Backs:Playsfromlineout

Gettingoutoftheirownhalf

Onthetoes

Explosive

Hookertothrow

Deliveryontherun

4.05–4.30: Structure

RunthethreeplaysneededfortheSaturdaymatchuntil

twophases(AvsBteam,50%defence)

4.30–4:50: Kick-offs(receivingandown)

Comments/evaluation

39

Captain’s practice template

Week 1: Practice 3, session 3

Thetemplateforthecaptain’srunisthatitmustbeshort,sharpandtothepointwithspecificgoalsinmindforthatspecific

match.Thewarmupdoneheremustbeexactlythesameasthewarmuptheplayerswilldoonmatchday,sothattheyare

familiarandcomfortablewithit.

Thecaptain’spracticeshouldbeofhighintensityforashortperiodandshouldn’tbetoolong,sotheplayerssavetheirlegsfor

thenextday.

Thecoachmustdecideontheformatand,asadressrehearsalforthegame,theplaysshouldbedonequicklywithnomistakes.

Thecoachandcaptainmustdiscussandcometoagreementonissuessuchasdisciplineandtherefereebeforethegame.

1 4 3 5 6 7 8Throw on 4 or 5 only to the front option

Forwards

10 12 13 1410 12 13 14

9

9

Backs Coach serves as the line-outBacks vs no defence then build it upBoth sides are important

Coach

Coach

u14 s2 Week 1

Explanation:

Twocoachestobeinvolvedwiththesessiontomakeitproductivefortheplayers–onetooverseethelineoutandonetooversee

thebacks’runningandpassingoptions.

Comments/evaluation

Comments/evaluation

40

u14practice schedule

41

Week 2: Practice 1, session 4

Equipment:balls,poles

Session’sfocus:ballskills/breakdown/defencesystems

Volume:high;Intensity:high

Session Coaching points:

3.00–3.15pm: Warmup

Re-cappassingandcatchingdrills,andaddoneoption

3.15–3.30: Defencestructure:Mappingdrill

Startingroupsof3,buildto5

Up/down/calledbycoachtogetthreetoworkinunison

(7min)

Builduptoshapeatrucks(formPXYshapequickly–8min)

Keepdistance

Keepline

Communicate

3.30–3.35: Waterbreak

3.35–3.50: Drawingyourman

2vs1drills

3vs2drills

3.50–4.20: Unitskills

Thelineout(forwards);counter-attack(backs)

4.40–4:45: Gametoworkondefencestructure/breakdownandkick

withcounter-attack

4.45–5.00: Kickingoutoftheirownhalf

Scrumplays

42

u14practice schedule

u14 s4 Week 2

Drill 1

Pass through poles for added pressureIn groups of 3 from channel to channel

Drill 2 Defensive mapping drill

Shape drill for defence 1

2nd attacker protects the ball

2 Attackers

Shape drill for defence 2

4 Attackers

Defenders on both sides of tacklePX Y shape quickly

Comments/evaluation

43

Week 2: Practice 2, session 5

Equipment:balls

Session’sfocus:teamstructure/tackletechnique

Session Coaching points:

3.00–3.15pm: Warmup

Touchrugby(3touch)–concentrateonthe

presentation/2nd

manintosecuretheball

DefencetogetPXYshape

Longlayback

Secondmanstrongposition

3.15–3.30: 1-on-1tackletechnique(bothshoulders)

Firstonknees,thenwalking,thenjogging Headbehindhips

Eyesopen

Legdrive

Pullwitharms

3.30–3.35: Waterbreak

3.35–4.15: Structure:phaseplaysincluded

Runtomulti-phase(ownhalfandattack)

Scrumandlineout

4.15–4.40: Scrumsession

Backs–individualskills(9sand10spassingandkicking

pressure)

Comments/evaluation

44

u14practice schedule

Captain’s practice: session 6

Seecaptain’spracticetemplate,U14Week1:Session3

Week 3: Practice 1, session 7

Equipment:balls

Session’sfocus:fitness

Volume:high;Intensity:high

Session Coaching points:

3.00–4.00pm: Fitnesssessionisneededasitisalongseasonandthe

playersneedtobepushedfor45mins

Last15minutes–Aerobicfitnesssession,recovery

4.00–4.30: Teamstructure

30minutesat50%effort,scrumandlineoutstructure Nodroppedballs!

Concentration

Comments/evaluation

Comments/evaluation

45

Week 3: Practice 2, session 8

Equipment:balls

Session’sfocus:individualskill/unitskills/teamstructure

Session Coaching points:

3.00–3.15pm: Warmup

Individualskills(drill1)

Passing:quickhandsingroupsof5,twogroupsrunning

towardeachother

Beatingyourman

Footwork,handsout

3.15–3.30: Cleaningout:Breakdownskill(drill3)

Addvariations(2passesetc)

Phasecalls

9topassaccurately

3.30–3.35: Waterbreak

3.35–4.00: Defence–2ndmanintocontest

1attacker:defendertacklesankles,secondmanontoball Aggressive

Technique

Evasiverunning

4.00–4.25: Unitskills–thelineout

5-manoptions

Optionstowinballinmiddle

Technique

Throwersaccurate

4.45–5.00: Individualskills

4.25–4.45: Structure–Matchsituations

AvsBteam(50%defence)

Drill 1

u14 s8 Week 3

46

u14practice schedule

Comments/evaluation

Comments/evaluation

u14 s8 Week 3

Captain’s practice, session 9

Seecaptain’spracticetemplate,U14Week1:Session3

9

Drill 2

Beating the defence Beating the defence

9

Drill 3Do drill both sides

Secure the ball9 pass from each ruck

Present the ball

Contact shields fold

the f i rst three weeks of pract ice have been set out as a guidel ine here. you can plan the rest of the season based on the guidel ines and checkl ists prov ided and what you fee l wi l l meet your team’s speci f ic requi rements.

47

breakdown

Clean-out technique:

Theabilitytocleaneffectivelyisessential.Inresponse

tothedifferenttypesofcontestandbodyposition

employedbythedefendersatthetackle,weneedtwo

distincttechniquesforcleaningoutplayers.Weneedto

targetovertheball(lowclean-outposition)andinside

forsniperthreats.

Situation 1

Thedefender,whetherattheruckorenteringit,is

mostlyuprightandthereisasignificantpieceoftorso

thatcanbetargeted.

Snipercleanout:shouldcontactbemadeunderthe

defender’sshoulderarea(torso),hookthelegand

driveinatraditionaltacklingmotion.Theentrymust

bedirectlyattheplayeranddrivehimawayfromthe

ballandoffhisfeet.Thistypeofclean-outcanbe

doneatspeed.

Situation 2

Thedefenderiscrouched/proneovertheballoris

attackingitwithhisshoulderslowerthanhishipsand

thetorsocannotbetargeted(Dogoorlowclean-out

position).Atspeedanormalclean-outapproachwould

likelymissorcompressthedefenderontotheball,

furthertrappingit.

Tackler/peeltechnique:getinclosetothedefender,

balance(adjustspeed)andpreparetouseajumpsquat

anddrivetechniquetoremovethedefender.Targeting

mustbespecificallyundertheplayerorbetweenthe

arm.Driveoffusingbothfeetandthenimmediately

keepthedrivegoingwithbothfeetuntilyouhavedriven

himbackofftheballandyouarepasttheball.Ifyou

enduponthegroundaftertheclean-out,somustthe

defender.

Counter-rucking Pre-conditions:Superiornumberofdefenders;‘Numbers’

nearbreakdown;poorbodyheightbyattacker’s

position;slow/contestedball.

u15 CHeCKList

if al l the basics of U14 leve l haven’t been mastered, the U15s must go back and complete these with the coaches assessing the i r sk i l l leve ls and then planning f rom there accordingly. the rev iew of the U14 season and planning for the next must be handed to the d i rector of rugby by the prev ious year’s U14 coach, g iven to the U15 coach, and analysed and discussed by a l l three indiv iduals ( th is should be the same when moving across a l l age-groups) .

U15s should have a l l the U14’s basics, but they must be more accurate in execut ion. examples of th is inc lude work ing on body posi t ion at the breakdowns, running l ines etc.

the dr i l ls for the breakdown below are examples of how players can be more accurate in execut ion at th is leve l .

48

Technique:

• Comethroughthegate

• Targetdefendernearesttheballwithhigh/

clean-outtechnique

• Drivethedefenderovertheballtodisrupt

No.9’saccessandgetbodiespasttheball

• Mustmakecontactwithoppositionplayeronly.

lineout

InU14andU15,thisset-pieceisallaboutball-winning,

withsecuringballatthetailvitalinthelatterage-group.

Lineoutcoachingpointsforjuniorcoaches

Throwing skills:

• Stanceshouldallowthrowertobebalanced

/stableyetthereshouldbenolowerbody

movementasthiswillprovideacueforthe

opposition

• Throwershouldbeabletothrow5-8mfromhis

startingposition(tailball)

• Elbowsshouldbeatshoulderwidthinorder

tominimisethemarginoferrorasopposedto

splayedelbows

• Elbowsshouldbelockedoutpost-throw

• Fingersoutpost-throw

• Thumbs-downpost-throwtoensurefull

extension/follow-through

• Gripontheballshouldhavefingersspreadand

slightlyonthebacksideoftheball’scentre.

Jumping skills:

• Abilitytoreactfromastaticjump/dynamicjump

• Startwiththeoutsidelegupinasplitposition

–theoutsidelegshouldfaceintowardsthe

lineout

• Armsbentatchestlevelwiththehandsopen

• Kneesslightlybent

• Weightforwardonthetoesandballsofthefeet.

Lifting skills:

• Startinasplitpositiononballsoffeetinorderto

react/getintightquickly

• Handsopenandup–fingersspread

• Kneesslightlybentandtheupperbodyleaning

forward

• Liftergetsinastightaspossibleonthejumper

andgetstofullextension

• Legsareatshoulderwidthandslightlysplitto

ensurebalanceduringandafterthelift

• Lifterpicksthetargetareaonthejumperand

focusesongettingagrip,andthenliftinginthe

samewayasdoingasquat.

Our ball:

• Variations

• Callstocomequickly

• Getexcitedaboutthecall

• Speed:reaction;jumpandsupport,speedonthe

ground,balldelivery,firsttotheruck

• Drives:preventsacking,packquickly,body

positionandtightness,legdriver,staytogether

orre-join

• Execution

• Blockerstopreventoppositionfromcoming

through

• Dummiestoholdopponents.

Competing:

• Countnumbersquickly

• Communicateandorganise

• Speedongroundandcontestaggressively(goup!)

• Sweeperstobeawake

• Ifturnover2passesto12

• Ifnone:recoverquickly,sackorstopdrives,

pressurecontactsituation,goforturnovers.

AtU15leveltheremustalsobetheintroductionof

playersworkinginpartnershipsandcombinations.

Thetraditional8-9moveoffascrumcanbeusedinU14,

andfromU15,the8-9-14blindsidemoveand8-9-12

ingeneralmovecanbeused.InU15,thehalfbacksand

backthreeshouldbetaughttoworkincombinations.

U15sshouldaimtousethree-phasemoves.

the U15 and U16 programmes can be developed us ing the checkl ist above and adjusted to su i t the requirements of your team.

49

u15 checklist

Shapeoff9attackmuststartatthisage-group.

Shapeoff9,byEddieJones–forvideoexamplessee

www.rugbyxv.co.zasite(http://www.rugbyxv.co.za/

coaches-corner/trends/111-are-scrumhalves-allowed-to-

run-with-the-ball)

In2010thescrumhalfbecamethemostinfluential

playerinthegame.

Withtherefbeinginsistentonthetacklerrollingaway,

theamountofquickruckballhasincreasedconsiderably

–theareahardesttodefendnowisthefirstthree

defendersaroundtheruck.Defendersarescrambling

–tendingtocomeoffthelinelaterally–allowingthe

9morelatitudetopickupandrun.

Thegood9slikeFourieduPreezandWillGeniaattack

theoutsideshoulderoftheseconddefenderand

thenhavetwoorthreerunnersattackingthefringe

defenders.

Iftheballisslowerandthefirsttheedefendersareset,

the9swillnotrunbutpassinthemoretraditionalway–

offthedecktoarunningforwardorthestandoff.

Good9spicktheiropportunitytoattackonthespeed

oftheruckball,asthespeedoftheruckballdictates

theabilityofthefirstthreeruckdefenderstotakespace

square.Assoonasadefenderturnshisshoulders,the

good9slightup!

u16 lineout

Ballusageisimportant,whichincludestacticsofwhere

andhowyou’llusepossessionaccordingtohowyou

wanttoplay.Atthisage-group,theuseofmaulingand

peelsoffthelineoutshouldcommence.

Individual maul skills:

• Correctlockingprocedure:Iftheball-carrierhas

theballintheleftarm,thenextplayerbindson

themwiththeirleftshoulder

• Incontactkeepthefeetwithalowerbaseof

supportandcontinuelegdriveifpossible

• Ballpresentation:Halfturntoofferatargeton

thechestandalsotokeepthelegdrive

• Supportplayer’sshoulderistightontheball-

carrierinordertoprovidegreaterleverageon

therip.

Senior coaches:

• Importanceofcreatingtheplatform

• Patience

• Theballmustbemovedquicklytothefirst

supporter

• Releasingtheballwhentheformationisgoing

forward.

u16 general

Decision-makingandgameappreciationmustbetaught,

aslongasthebasics(fromU14)andaccuracy(fromU15)

areapparent.

U16smustaimtouse four-phasemoves.

u16 CHeCKList

50

Shapeoff9attack:Scrumhalftrying togettoshoulderofseconddefender

51

u16checklist

• Gamestructureandplanfordifferentpartsof

thefield

• Basicskill

• Breakdownaccuracy(appreciationofnumbers

intocontact)

• Decision-makingonattackanddefence

• Patternsofplay

• Firstphaseandphasedefence,defencepatterns

(outsideinvsoutsideout,drifthard/soft,rush)

• Kickstructure

• Gameunderstanding(teamstructure).

attack

• Accuraterunninglines

• Passingskills(bothsides)

• Beatingyouropposition1vs1,2on2,3on3

• Acquisitionofindividualskills,positionspecific

• Multi-phaseattack

• Scrumunderstanding(controlthetempo),

combinationsofplays/players(8-9plays)

• Thelineout(basics),andpeeloptions,themaul,

variationofattackofflineout

• Sixteamplays(thatshouldhavebeenlearnt

throughoutfromU14level)withvariations.One

onleft-handside,oneonright,oneinmiddle,

andthreelineoutmoves

• Threeplaysonhowtogetoutofyourownhalf

• Linkagebetween9and10(gamemanagement,

understandingmomentumofwhentoplay

directandwhentogowider)

• Slowballmanagement.

defence

• Shapeofdefence

• Linespeed

• Communication(numbersandattackstructure)

• Variations

• Pocketdefence.

FiRstXV PRACtiCe sCHedULe

CHeCKList

and

52

New art of kicking

(Forvideoclips,clickhttp://www.rugbyxv.co.za/coaches-

corner/trends/146-the-new-art-of-kicking)

Gamesin2009couldhavehadupto90kicksagame

–morethanoneaminute.In2010,underthe‘new’

tackle/rucklawinterpretations,teamswerekickingfar

lessandintheTri-Nationslastyear,gameshadlessthan

40kicksagame.Whataretheimplications?

Firstly a couple of questions:

A)WhatTri-Nationsstand-offaveragedthemostnumber

ofkickspergame?

B)Secondly,whichteamwasthebestattackingteamin

theTri-Nations?

If your answers were:

a)DanCarter

b)NewZealand

You are right.

Theimplicationsarethatgoodkickinghasbecomeeven

moreimportant.Kickingtore-arrangethebackfieldand

howthewingersdefendiscrucialtokeepingtheball

andattackingwithpurpose.InitiallyintheTri-Nations,

theKiwisbasicallyraneverything.Then,tactically,they

introducedtheshortkick–grubberandchipkickbehind

topushthewingersbackandmakethe9defendout

oftheline.Thisreducedthefrontlineto11defenders,

creatingspace.

Then,theystartedkickinglong–forcingthewingers

furtherback–andthereforetakingtwodefendersright

outofthelinewhichmeantthenexttimetheyreceived

theballtheycouldexplorethisspacebyrunningand

passing.Theykeptthedefenceguessing,allowingthe

AllBlackstohavevariousattackingoptions–run,pass

orkickplays.

Akickorrunphilosophyinattackisnowvital.Lookat

howthedefenceposition,thenusekicksorrunning,

passingplaystomanipulatethedefence.

Lastyear’steamsjustkicked,nowteamsjustrun;the

bestteamsdobothtocontrolthedefence.Kickingwell,

shortandlongiscrucialforthis.

53

First XVchecklist

kicking trends

(Forvideoexamples,seesite:http://www.rugbyxv.co.za/

coaches-corner/trends/147-kicking-trends-in-the-game)

Philosophies of kicking:

• Everykickmusthaveapurpose

• Maximisefieldposition

• Theabilitytogetoutofyourhalfandplayinthe

opposition’shalf

• Manipulatedefensivesystems.

Kicking trends in the game:

• Withthe‘new’lawinterpretationsfavouringthe

attackingteamthereislesskicking.

Accurate kicking with effective chase lines:

• Lookingtoturntheballoveroncetheopposition

teamiscaughtinpossessionorcontest

possession.

Kicking is used more and more as an attacking

weapon (to create or attack space):

• Theabilityoftheoppositiontocounterattack

hasbecomeabigweapon

- Refereesareverystrictonplayersnottaking

upthespacebeforetheyareputonsideby

thekicker

• Withthisinmindyouneedtopickplayersthat

havetheabilityto:

- Makefieldkicks

- Counter(eitherbyrunningoraccuratekicking)

- Turnpoorkicksintopoints

• Itisimportanttohaveleft&rightfootkickers–

givesyoumoreoptionsespeciallyondefence

• Byaccuratekickingyouhavetheabilityto

dictatethepaceofthegame

• Aqualitygoalkickerisnon-debatable.

linkage between 9 & 10 must also be used at First XV level

by eddie Jones

(Forvideoexamplesseesite:http://www.rugbyxv.

co.za/coaches-corner/trends/131-linkage-between-the-

scrumhalf-a-flyhalf)

Whileattackoff9isveryimportantthesedays,the

linkagebetween9and10isequallyasimportant.

Thetermlinkagemeansthattheattackshapeoff9

andtheattackshapeoff10arelinked,andthedefence

havetodefendbothareasoftheline–theruckandthe

nexttransitionline.

Theclassicexampleiswhenyouhavetworunnersoff

9with10thenbeingflatenoughtoreceivetheball

havingbothinsideandoutsideoptionsavailable.

Thedefenceneedstojamontherunnersoff9and

thatleavesspaceforthe10.Iftheydon’tjamthenthe

optionisonforthe9.TheSpringboksin2007were

terrificatthis.

breakdown

Key to modern breakdown:

• Howtogetoptimalballspeed

• Ballcarryoptions(teachthem)

• Roleofsecond/thirdman

• King’sspace–theneedtowinit

• Howtopractisethebreakdown

• Defendingbreakdown(roleoftackler,second

andthirdman)

• Wayforward.

54

Slow ball management (key issues):

• Howtominimiseslowball

• Slowballusagevsvariousdefencepatterns

rushdefence,highcounter-ruckingteam,soft

defence

• Needtobeorganised(shapeandformation)

• Variousoptionstouse

• Needtorealisepracticespeedofball–how?

• Otherissues.

Tackle contest principles:

Inallcasestheballrunnerwillattempttowinthe

contestthrough:

• Carryingballintwohands

• Usingevasionandfootworktotargetthe

defender’sshoulderandbeatthetackle

• Transferringtheballawayfromcontactbefore

tackle

• Usingsuperiorbodypositionandlegspeedto

gainmaximumyardage

• Off-loadingtoasupportplayerifhehaswonthe

contest

• Presenttheballefficientlyforsecureandswift

recycling(‘Gadget’placement*).

*Principlesofgadget:twistbodytoensurechestfaces

ourgoalline,lookforextra10degrees.Reachbackto

fullarmdistancetoplaceballinastationaryposition.

KeephandonballuntilNo.9calls.

Inallcasesthesecondmanwill,wherepossible:

• Positionhimselfontheinsideofhipoftheball

runner(pocket)

• Reacttotherunninglineoftherunner,

remainingtightonhimsohecan:

- adjusttoreceiveanoffloadinspace

OR

- targettheballandballrunner(usingthe

oppositeshoulderpositiontotheball

runner).

Ifripispossible,secondmanripstheball

OR

- targetanythreatstoposition.

55

First XVchecklist

Week 1: Practice 1, session 1

Equipmentrequirements:balls,bags,suits,poles,cones,shields,hoops,ladders

Session’sfocus:handling,Phasecalls,breakdown,structure

Volume:high;Intensity:high

Session Coaching points:

3.00–3.15pm: Warmup

Visualawareness

Reaction&accuracy

Peripheralawareness

Passingaccuracy

3.15–3.50: Phasecalls:

i)Simpleones–2/3;bozo,Crab

Apple,10/12

Castle/Lager

Amstel

(ii)Builduptwophasesto:

Snap,playtotouchline

Tuks–15comesintoplay

Flash–quickhands

Showtarget&spotonball

Runninglinesandcomm.

Re-alignment,paceonball

3.50–3.55: Waterbreak

3.35–4.15: Breakdown:recoilandjackal

Builditupfrom1v1to2v2(sideontackle,front-on

tackle–recoil)

4.10–4.45: Structure:Shape,Burger/Dog/Pie

3playsi)Canterbury/Red(tiger)

ii)Apple10/Burger(Optus)

ii)Crab/Burger(Black)

sCHedULeXV

sCHedULe

PRACtiCeFiRstXV

56

Isolated upperbody passing

3 BallsSizes 1,3 & 5

Players on knees

Reaction & accuracy

Quick feet

Step

Step

Step

Pass

To left and right side

99

F F

F

Structure9 Runs to hold defenders

“F shape” run straightOptions: Burger/Pie/Dog

1 vs 1

2 vs 2

Tackler up quickly and contest

Tackled player recoils

2nd player to contestHACK OPTION!

Breakdown

Tackler go into space

u19 s1 Week 1

Comments/evaluation

57

First XVpractice schedule

Week 1: Practice 2, session 2

Equipment:balls,suits,shields

Session’sfocus:Unitskills/recapphasecalls/structure

Session Coaching points:

3.00–3.15pm: Warmup-Recaponphase-calls

2/3/Crab/Bozo

Castle/Lager

Amstel

50%effort

Communication

3.15–3.50: Breakdown–ballpresentation/clean-out

Slowballmanagement Longplace

Basicsofslowball

3.50–3.55: Waterbreak

3.35–4.10: UnitSkills:Forwards–scrum;Backs–scrumattack/

counter-attack

Backstodowideclean-outs

4.10–4.45: Structure–Lineoutattack

Lineoutdefence

4.40–5.00: Kick-offandpenaltyandshort-armoptions

Lineoutstructure:

Five-manlineout:vacuumattack(Blackplay).Cowboy/Burger/Hands

Fulllineout:Dummybasket/Dog/Bozo10(Optus)

Six-man:Wellington/Red(Tigerplay)

Fulllineout:Castle10/Apple10/Burger/Snap(Sharksplay)

u19 s2 Week 1

9 9

Scrumhalf passes from both sides

Phase calls

Do phase calls off 1st or 2nd receiver

58

u19 s2 Week 1

Attacker

Breakdown

Defender

Long place

R

9

10

FF

F1

F3

F4

F2

Slow ball management

Options:Krywa - Pick & goKick or slow ball optionsAll forwards must be in

F3 can pass to 10 as position to receive ball

surprise element

Comments/evaluation

59

First XVpractice schedule

Comments/evaluation

Week 1: Practice 3, session 3

15minwarm-up:sameasonmatch-day

15min:Structure–Bothattackanddefence,scrumandlineout.

15min:Kick-offsandpenaltyorganisation.

Week 2: Practice 1, session 4

Equipment:balls,bags,suits,poles,shields,cones

Session’sfocus:visualawareness/Phasecalls/Lineouts

Volume:high;Intensity:high

Session Coaching points:

3.00–3.15pm: Warmup

i)Visualawareness:Isolatedupperbodypassing–3balls

sizes1,3&5

ii)Swerverunningandpassingattarget

50%effort

Communication

3.15–3.40: Phasecallsintocontactshields

3.40–3.45: Waterbreak

3.45–4.15: Unitskills–forwardslineout

Backs:i)rhythmandanglerunning(10minutesofBasket/

Rocket/Castle/Amstel/Lager)

ii)Decision-making4v2(10minsof4v2,5v3)

iii)Vacuumattack(10minsofRocky7/12)

4.15–4.30: Structure3playsoffattackinglineouts

(Cowboy/Canterbury)

4.30–4.40: Skillsextras

Tight5–lineouts

Loosies–Recoil/JackalandBodypositioning

andclean-outsBacks–Blindsideattack

60

Accuracy & timing

Target passing

9

B

910

122/3

Phase calls into poles

2 poles burger shape, 1 pole any other phase

Another burger

Burger

3 BallsSizes 1,3 & 5

Players on knees

Isolated upperbody passing

u19 s4 Week 2

Comments/evaluation

61

First XVpractice schedule

Week 2: Practice 2, session 5

Equipment:balls,suits,shields,cones

Session’sfocus:fitness/defence

Volume:high,Intensity:high

Session Coaching points:

3.00–3.45pm: Anaerobicsession

3.45–3.50: Waterbreak

3-50–4.05: Alignment(defenceinchannels)

Spacing,communication

4.05–4.15: Organisationdefence/shape

PXY

4.15–4.30: Bothaboveprinciplesincontact

80%effort

2Acceleration

10m

Start

Stop

Stop

Start

Lateral Quick feet

Plyometric jumps

Quick feet

1

40mSprint

15sec rest

40m Sprint40m Stride x 10 REPS = 1 Set

Stride

x2 Sets

u19 s5 Week 2

62

u19 s5 Week 2

15m

3

15m

Tackle point

Keep space and alignment in defensive line

Stay in channels on open and blindside

9

10121311

PXY

9

4

2 Phases

5Contact with body suits

Chukkers of 3 min

1 2 3 4Coach to call number of bag and defenders

react accordingly

Keep space and alignment in defensive line and defensive shape (including PX Y)

Stay in channels on open and blindside

4 Bag drill

Comments/evaluation

63

First XVpractice schedule

Comments/evaluation

Week 2: Practice 3, session 6

Captain’s practice – 60% effort

Plays from lineouts:

Fox:DummyBasket/Dog/Vodka8(O)

Fox:Sokkies/Red/Lager10(S)

Vix:Rocky7/Dog/ClownWide(B)

Spok:Wellington/Red(T)

Spok:TripleC/+1/Vodka/Flash(SH)

Fox:Castle10/Apple10/Burger/Snap(SH)

Spok:Rocky12/Burger/Compass(O)

Defensive:

Tetra:Barney/Wellington/Flags1or5

Vix:Canterbury/Flags1or5

Vix:Sokkies/Veters/Ice9

Week 3: Practice 1, session 7

Equipment:balls,suits,shields,cones

Session’sfocus:defaultplays/dolley&latch/vacuumattack

Volume:medium,Intensity:medium

Session Coaching points:

3.00–3.15pm: Warmup–Eyevisiondrills

Accuracyandtiming

3.15–3.20: Waterbreak

3.45–4.15: Defaultplays

i)Ace9

ii)Babycare/Ace+

iii)Baby/Amstel

iv)Latch10

Runhard

Cleanersover&pastball

4.45–4.15: Vacuumattack

i)Canterbury

ii)Cowboy

iii)TripleC

iv)Rocky7/12

v)Rambo

Allto1stbreakdown

4.15–4.40: Structure–VacuumattackandDogorBurger

64

Isolated upperbody passing

3 BallsSizes 1,3 & 5

Players on knees

Passing accuracy

Through hoops

Accuracy & timing

Target passing

B

9

9

9

10

10

1

Default plays

u19 s7 Week 3

Comments/evaluation

65

First XVpractice schedule

Week 3: Practice 2, session 8

Equipment:balls,bags,suits,cones

Session’sfocus:dolley&latch/lineoutstructure

Volume:medium,Intensity:high

Session Coaching points:

3.00–3.15pm: Warmup–Hand/eyeco-ordinationdrill EvasiveRunning

QuickHandsdrill,3v2 Accuracyandtiming

3.15–3.30: Waterbreak

3.45–4.15: Dolley&Latch

Anticipation

4.45–4.15: Maulingtechnique(mini-maul/toexhaustion)

Bodypositioning&timing:leg-drive

4.00–4.20: Lineoutstructure

i)Castle10/Apple10/Burger/Snap(SH)

ii)Rocky7/Dog/ClownWide(B)

iii)Rocky12/Burger/Compass(O)

iv)Wellington/Red(T)

4.20–4.45: Scrumsession

66

u19 s8 Week 3

P X

2 Fold

Quick hands 3 vs 2

Dolly & latch

Dolly

Left to right & right to left

9 9

Mauling tecnique

Build it up into 3 groups of 8-10

Groups of 3

Pop Pop

Pop

Pop

Warm up

Ball size 1& 3Evasive runningEye hand co-ordination

A

BlindB

Mauling technique

Comments/evaluation

67

First XVpractice schedule

Week 3: Practice 3, session 9

Captain’s practice

Equipment:balls,suits,shields,cones,bibs

Session’sfocus:defence

Volume:high,Intensity:high

15mins:Six-touch

20mins:Structure:Lineoutandscrums

10mins:Kick-offreceiving

5mins:Counter-attackandturnoverattack.

Week 4: Practice 1, session 10

Equipment:balls,suits,shields,cones,bibs

Session’sfocus:defence

Volume:high;Intensity:high

Session Coaching points:

3.00–3.20pm: Individualwarmup:

3.20–3.30: Alignmentdrill

Spacing/VWC/communication

3.30–3.50: Adjustmentdrill

Double-hit/reaction

3.50–4.05: Defenceintoshields

Shape/straightline

4.05–4.20: BodysuitsvsBodySuits

Attackfromlineoutsandscrums

Setplaysandmulti-phaseattack

Shape/pillardefence

2ndmanmakedecision

Comments/evaluation

68

i

15m

15m

Tackle point

Keep space and alignment in defensive line

Stay in channels on open and blindside

ii

20min

22m

50m

iii

Body suitsvs

Contact shields

u19 s10 Week 4

Comments/evaluation

69

First XVpractice schedule

Week 4: Practice 2, session 11

Equipment:balls,suits,shields

Session’sfocus:phasecalls/defence/structure

Volume:medium,Intensity:high

Session Coaching points:

3.00–3.20pm: Warmup–phasecallsintobags

Communication&runninglines

3.20–3.35: Defence:consolidation

Shape/alignment

3.40–4.00: Waterbreak

4.00–4.20: Lineoutstructure

Wellington/Red(T)

Castle10/Apple10/Burger/Snap(SH)

Sokkies/Red(S)

Rocky7/Dog/Clownwide(B)

Rocky12/Burger/Compass(O)

9

10121311

PXY

9

Phase calls 2

2 Phases

Try and beat the defence

u19 s11 Week 4

Comments/evaluation

70

Captain’s practice, session 12

Seecaptain’spracticetemplate,U14Week1,Session3.

Week 5: Practice 1, session 13

Equipment:balls,bags,suits,poles,shields,cones

Session’sfocus:breakdown,mauling,playsfrommauls.Cleaningwide

Volume:medium,Intensity:high

Session Coaching points:

3.00–3.20pm: Warmup–phasecallsintobags

i)Alignmentdrill

ii)Offloadincontact

handsthrough&pop(depth,timingandanticipation)

offloadincontactDollyandTurbo(Driveoncarrier)

Discipline/VWC

Waterbreak

3.20–3.35: Breakdown:

Re-coil/Jackal&Hack,1v1,2v2 Bodyposition,reaction

3.50–4.30: UnitSkills–

Forwards:kick-offs&mauling,lineoutpeels

Backs:Wideclean-outs,playsfromdrives,linebreaks(4v2,

4v3,5v4),Vacuumattack(accuracyandtiming)

Comments/evaluation

71

First XVpractice schedule

22m

50m

Alignment

Shows different colour cones so players are looking up in defence.Player to call out colour.

Coach calls: Forward shift left or right

Coach

Bind on ball carrier & run

Spin out & run

Turbo (stay on feet & drive)

Dolly

3

Hands through & pop fend & pop

2

Tackler up quickly and contest

Tackled player recoils

1 vs 1

2 vs 2

Tackler go into space2nd player to contest

HACK OPTION!

Breakdown recoil/Jackal & hack

9

14131012

Left to right & right to left

If ball goes wide outside backs must

be clean

Backs drill

u19 s13 Week 5

Comments/evaluation

72

Week 5: Practice 2, session 14

Equipment:balls,shields,suits,cones

Session’sfocus:phasecall,scrumattack,scrummaging

Volume:medium,Intensity:high

Session Coaching points:

3.20–3.35pm: Warmup

3.20–3.35: Phasecalls–intopoles

(Communication/VWC)

Waterbreak

3.40–4.00: Unitskills

Forwards–scrumming

Backs–scrumattackwithopposition

Timing&leanprinciple

Executionandaccuracy

4.00–4.10: Tight5and10s–kick-offs

ii)Loosiesand9and12s–rollouts

iii)Back3and13–highballmanagement

Comments/evaluation

Comments/evaluation

Week 6: Practice 1, session 16

Equipment:balls,suits,bags,poles,shields,cones

Session’sfocus:cleanouts,contacting,Tuksoptions,lineoutstructure

Volume:medium,Intensity:high

Session Coaching points:

3.00–3.20pm: Warmup

Eye–co-ordination/passingaccuracy

Reaction&timing&communication

Timing,accuracy

3.20–3.45: Clean-outs/flop/jackal

Bodyposition

Waterbreak

3.50–4.00: Off-loadingoncontact Ballprotection,depth,timing,comm.

4.00–4.15 Unitskills

Forwards–lineouts

Backs–lineoutplays(attackingvariousareas)

4.15–4.30 Lineoutstructure(timing/delivery–9to10,2to9to12)

Notes:Liftintensity

Captain’s practice, session 15

Seecaptain’spracticetemplate,U14Week1,Session3

73

First XVpractice schedule

Make passes at the same time while pairs move forward and backwards

Pop - left or right or over head

A

B

2 Balls

Off load in tackles

Left or right

Keep ball aliveOff load in tackles

i) In threesii) Individually through all stationsiii) Bring in 3 players to attack

- Defenders to fall down then press

Flop/Clean out/Jackal

9

PXYTUKS option-

u19 s16 Week 6

Comments/evaluation

74

Week 6: Practice 2, session 17

Equipment:balls,bags,suits,poles,shields,cones,bibs,medicineballs

Session’sfocus:breakdown/defaults/scrumstructure

Volume:medium,Intensity:high

Session Coaching points:

3.00–3.20pm: Warmup

i)Peripheralawarenessdrill

ii)Rhythmreactionaccuracy

iii)4v2v2

Reaction&vision

Handling

Waterbreak

Breakdown:Re-coilandJackal Presentationandbodyposition

3.35–3.45: Defaults:

i)BabyAce

ii)BabyAce

iii)Turbo

iv)Ace/Ace+

Communication

Runninglines&timing

Timing

3.45–4.05: Structure:Scrumattackanddefensivekickingoptions Timing&organisation

4.05–4.15: ‘Sex’

i)Scrumming–forwards

ii)9s,10sand15s–Pressureonkickers

iii)Outsidebacks–passingatpace

Notes:

Breakdown:recoilandjackal–medicineballs,andbodysuits

Defaultplays:hitshields,balls

75

First XVpractice schedule

1 Peripheral awareness drill

Show numbers with hand (1/2)

edis thgir ro tfel morf ssap evieceR

(2) (1)

4 vs 2 vs 2

2 Rhythm/ swerve running/ target passing

u19 s17 Week 6

Captain’s Practice, session 18

Seecaptain’spracticetemplate,U14Week1,Session3.

Comments/evaluation

A s ix-week programme has been set out as a guidel ine for coaching the F i rst Xv, but you wi l l need to p lan the rest of the season based on the guidel ines and checkl ists and what you fee l wi l l meet your team’s speci f ic requi rements.

Comments/evaluation

76

Thismanualshouldencouragecoachesandmasters-in-

chargeofrugbyatallschoolstocreateastreamlined

systemsothatthereisdefiniteandnoticeable

progressionfromage-grouptoage-group.Ifthecorrect

planningisadoptedandimplementedfromU14,all

playersshouldhavebeenexposedtosimilardrillsbythe

timetheyreachmatric,andshouldthereforebeafforded

thebestpossibleopportunitytodeveloptheirskills.

Individualswillhaveexpandedtheirskills-baseand

achievedtherequiredlevelfromtheco-ordinatedand

structuredpracticescheduleprovided,andthenfrom

theircoacheswhodevelopedthepracticeschedule

furthertosuittheneedsoftheteam.Itisimperative

thatthecorrectplanningisinplace,andthatallcoaches

acrosstheschoolareinagreementonwhattheschool’s

rugbyaimsare,soastopromotecohesionbetweenthe

coachesandplayersacrossdifferentage-groupsandthe

variousteamsinthoseage-groups.Thiswillensurethat

thepotentialofplayersandcoachesismaximised.

To find out more information on rugby analysis, coaching techniques and workshops, visit www.rugbyxv.co.za

ConCLUsion

77

DiscoveryVitalitywouldliketothankthefollowingpeopleandinstitutionsfortheircontributionstothismanual,withoutwhichitwouldneverhavebeenpossible:

RoryRossPhotographyforhispreciseandeasy-to-followdiagramsandpictures,theSouthAfricanCollegeHighSchool(SACS)forprovidingalovelylocationandvenueforthephotoshoot,andGrantBallforhisdedicationandhardworkinwritingthismanualwithJakeWhite.

78

acknowlegdement

Week: Practiceno: Equipmentrequirements

Sessionno: Balls Bags

Sessionsfocus: Suits Poles

Coach: Duration: Shields Cones

Sessionrating: Volume: Intensity: Tyres Bibs

Other:

Time Activity / explanation Coaching points

APPendiX adAiLy sCHedULe

79

diagrams

Comments/evaluation

80

diagrams/Conclusion

VitalityHealthStyle(Pty)Ltdisanauthorisedfinancialservicesprovider