It's a Running Game

• Lineout – 12 forwards on the ground – penalty.
• Kick off catch – ruck – short pass – hit up – ruck – kick.
• Catch kick – run forward and hit up – ruck – pass – first receiver deep (had a 4 v 3 overlap) – kick – 15metre gain.
• Lineout – players on ground – penalty.
• Lineout – drive – ruck – pass – hit up – ruck – pass – pass – hit up – ruck – pass – pass – hit up – ruck – pass – hit up – ruck – pass- pass – pass – centre hits up.
• Ruck – deep pass – kick (even although the attack had two more players in the line than their opponents)

I won't say which Six Nations game I was watching but they were much of a muchness.

Where is the innovation from the world's leading players and isn't there someone out there who can threaten an opponent, stop him, move away from him and pass to another player.  It seems not.

Winning the tackle/ruck aspect of the game has become so important that the bigger you are the more likely you are to be selected, no matter what the position.

Club and high school coaches must ensure that they do not follow these patterns in their coaching and games or very soon the fun will go out of playing rugby.

The first aspect is the importance of players being encouraged to run and pass and back up and ensuring that this concept is at least part of the team plan. Mistakes will occur but this should not discourage the coach from moving away from his ultimate goal.

Quite simply the squad need to play plenty of games at training that involve the skills of running, threatening, changing pace and angles, and passing at the correct time to the best person. This might be a simple  4 v 3 / 5 v 4 in a 20m x 20m grid.

Teach the ball carrier to scan the defensive line, look forward, eye up his opponent, threaten by running at an angle that slows the defender, change pace and angle and threaten a gap or another defender. His job is then to pass to a player who has taken up the space created by the confusion of two or more defenders.  (Pierre Villepreux – I look – I see – I think – I act)

The support players must also be looking forward, not just inward, so that they can run in to spaces and draw defenders away from the ball carrier. Their key concepts are depth, change of angles, change of speed and ensuring that their defender is confused.

Rather than coaching a sidestep, a swerve, a goose step or any similar skill watch what the player does naturally and develop that skill in his personal armory. How can it be improved, when should he use it? What is he trying to ultimately achieve?

The main element that need to be factored in is:  on receiving the ball there needs to be sufficient time and space for the ball carrier to run directly towards the defender and not carry on across the field. This may require the player to take up a different starting position if he is running in midfield. Think about it.

Once the individuals know what to do and the support players recognise where they should be running to, then it is time for the coach to be a lot more innovative in his approach to phase play.

Specific individuals in the forwards might only attend the first ruck before taking up wide positions behind the centre or wing so that there is every possibility that the attack will already outnumber the defence.

Clever plays can be practiced operating from the centre outwards with plays that are normally more common in a lot closer. The pass and wrap for example. A flat pass behind the forward coming in to the line.  A player hitting the line but passing immediately to a player on another angle. The players will tell you. All you have to do is provide the encouragement.

There it is. Players will learn to slow down defenders by squaring them up. They then need a plan to change pace and angle and threaten another defender. The support players need to look and make a good choice of their next running line.

They must get a pass and often make another pass. Lots of games will help with this.

Fine tune it with your coaching and set up game situations when you can see this happening. It may be after two quick rucks. There could be a counter attack opportunity from a kick or a loose ball. No matter when it is the plan is to keep the ball, get excited, and score a try!

Unfortunately the changes to the laws which were meant to produce running rugby seem to have had the opposite effect as teams have improved their defences much more than they have improved their