Position Specific – First Five Eighth

A coach has much to do beyond a game plan if he is to provide guidance for each individual in his team. There is the physical development which as the player gets older needs to be specific to the needs of the player, the technical knowledge, understanding and practical application of game aspects and the psychological skills that help develop confidence, concentration and attitudes beneficial to the game such as aggression and mental toughness.

In this article we will consider the technical and game understanding requirements for a first five eighth.

When you are selecting and then coaching your first-five in isolation he will need to be evaluated on certain aspects of play.

We will look at Lima Sopoaga from the Highlanders and Beauden Barrett from the Hurricanes in the first -five role.  Sopoaga played for 1,309 minutes and Barrett 932 minutes.

Interestingly Barrett made more carries,(117-110), more metres, (742-544), more clean breaks, (10-9), beat more defenders (34-31), and made more passes (284-283), but Sopoaga made more offloads and more try assists which possibly suggests he is not quite as dynamic and quick but he is certainly involved in a lot of the plays.

Barrett makes a tackle every 10 minutes at 86% and Sopoaga makes one every 18 minutes at 76%. Barrett made an on field kick every 9 minutes and Sopoaga every 10 minutes whilst they both had goal kicking percentages in the 60's which they wouldn't have been happy with.

These stats give a little insight in to each player and how their teams played with Barrett the thrusting runner taking the ball to the line more often and Sopoaga being a big contributor and a supporter with plenty of involvements.

With the Highlanders winning the 2015 Super XV there could possibly be an argument that the decisions Sopoaga made for his team were very effective and this in itself is an important part of first-five play – decision making.

Making good key decisions will determine how well the team plays. He must make the choices and execute the skills and tactics under pressure which requires quick thinking based on what he sees around him.

In the professional game the decision maker will already have viewed a whole heap of information on the opposition and have it in his box of tricks, but what does the school and club first-five watch out for? On attack at set piece he quickly needs to piece together relevant information on where the opposition 9, 10, 11, 14, and 15 defend at scrums and what sort of defensive system they use.

At lineouts where are 7, 9, 10, 11, 14, and 15?  Who is patrolling the back of their short lineout? What systems do they use?

These basic observations will provide some ideas on what options to use based on where they position and how they structure their first up defence.

In many teams the attacking patterns will already be decided so what is important for the decision maker is to execute good calls at phase play. How do they defend after the first ruck? Do their forwards hold their positions across the field?  Do backs and forwards mix up? Will there be slower players defending out wide? Will there be smaller players defending in close?

These questions need to go through all the attacking players’ minds and they should pass on any ideas. Discussions at trainings about what to look for will be vital.

Decisions really come down to the first-five following these rules: 'I look – I see – I think – I act' (Pierre Villepreux) He needs to be scanning all the time so that he knows what is happening in front of him and he is making decisions based on what he sees. This is the key.

A lot of the stats recorded on Super XV players revolve around what happens with the ball in the hands and although the basic requirements centre on catch-pass and kick skills, the first-five must now carry the ball to the defensive line and be a real threat to the opposition, an enthusiastic support player and a front on tackler.

If the player in this position cannot make good decisions on the run and is not a real threat then it is likely the team will not be as successful.

Hence the positioning of the first-five is crucial and the coach should watch a number of players on television and in high quality games to see where they start, where they receive, and what they do. If you know what you are looking for you will be a huge help to your player.

Much of the learning can be gained through playing mini games in a competitive environment that will force the first-five to scan as he is running in to position and make quick and successful decisions and actions through continually looking and thinking. There will be plenty of mistakes and that is all part of the process.

The kick and catch-pass aspects can be practiced under the duress of setting targets before moving in to the unopposed and then the decision making.

Tactically also the coach can help by setting up situations on the whiteboard before practicing them on the field. What will you do from a scrum if this defensive pattern is used?  What might happen on the blindside if we have our first tackle at the No 10's channel? Where will their wing go in this situation? Where will the fullback go in this situation?  What would you do at a ruck in this situation? Who needs to know? How will you get the message to him?

The full repertoire of a first-five is demanding so it is important that the coach develops the aspects that the player is good at and works the game around these for a start. Then the coach needs to choose what is important for the team and start working with the player to improve these parts.

A check list could look something like this:
•    Passing left and right / on the run / in traffic / dummy and fend
•    Running to threaten / changing pace & angle
•    Kicking / in to space to retrieve / out of defence / high to attack
•    Communication / encouragement / verbal transfer of decisions
•    Decision making / ensuring continuity and coordinating the options / applying the team tactics
•    Support play / scanning / number of involvements / speed around the field
•    Contact / carrying the ball in attack / skills as the support player / tackling and recovery
•    Positioning in general play / attack / defence / repositioning   / responsibilities
•    Kick offs and 22 drop outs.

PERSONAL STRENGTHS: The coach needs to discover what his player is really good at that if developed will give him a skill that places him in a different category than his opposite.  Barrett uses his tremendous pace to carry and support.

Sopoaga uses his game understanding to kick or pass the ball to create pressure and then supports hard.

A check list could be drawn up by taking a topic and researching the requirements on The Coaching Toolbox. There is a season’s work here. Start simple and keep revisiting and developing the aspect of play not only over the season but in the following seasons.

This is just a summary of what a first-five needs to develop to improve. You must research each skill by viewing it on television, a video, reading and researching the detail, or talking to an appropriate person. Preferably doing all of these would be the ideal.

Good luck.