Position Specific – No 8

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 position 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 No 8. This is done in isolation from each of the backrow positions and is based on the common assumptions of the requirements and roles of a No 8 as they are predominantly seen in today’s game.

Of course the backrow needs to meet certain requirements as a cohesive unit so that they blend together to achieve the overall team requirements. As an example in the All Blacks you could say that Jerome Kaino (6) is a physical ball carrier and tackler. Richie McCaw (7) is a breakdown and link specialist and Kieran Read (8) is a great decision maker and wide runner. At this level you could say that all three of these players can carry out all of the roles mentioned but they are the lucky ones.

When you are selecting and then coaching your No 8 in isolation he will need to be evaluated on certain aspects of play.

We will look at Nasi Manu from the Highlanders and Kieran Read from the Crusaders in the No 8 role.  These two players play almost 100% of the time in that position and are considered two of the best in New Zealand. Manu lead the Highlanders to Super Rugby glory and of course Read is top of the tree worldwide.

Neither player is really tall at 190cm for Manu and 193cm for Read but they are solid at 112 kilograms each and very athletic.

Their stats are similar in general play and give an indication of the requirements for the position. Both carry the ball once every 8 to 9 minutes and both average 3.5 to 4 metres a carry. This would indicate a lot of close in carries.

On average they make one clean break a game and at least 1.5 offloads a game. Read offers more in the passing aspect with a pass every 9 minutes of game time as against Manu's 20 minutes which provides an indicator of how the two teams play.

Both make a tackle approximately every 8 minutes and are tackling in the high 80% bracket. (Manu 89 / Read 87). Both average one missed tackle a game which I'm sure they are not happy with.

Of course what the stats don't tell us about the No 8 is that he needs to be the real 'thinker' in your backrow because he will have the ball in his hands more times than any other forward. The better the decisions he makes, the better the team will play.

The most obvious sign of the No 8's ability is at scrum time with his understanding of what is best to do in certain situations and his skill level in carrying out the task. Does he channel it to the halfback? Is it released quickly or under more control? Does he pick it and pass? Does he pick it and run? How far does he run? Does he go quickly and straighten? Does he pass or run against the grain? Is he able to react according to what is happening at scrum time?  Good decisions will provide an indicator of how your team will play.

Other 'thinking' aspects are in general play. The Highlanders played Manu at the back a lot ready to counter attack and run up the middle of the field. If this is your style does your man commit defenders, does he offload at the correct time and does he stay in the game? Manu was a tireless worker and so was able to do these things throughout the game.

Read played a more wide ranging game where he would pressurise the tacklers out wide and offload to his wing whom he had created the space for. His skill would be in threatening, creating space for the wing and offloading in the tackle.

These are aspects that can be developed based on the skill set of your player and the game plan for your team.

The stats also have not told us is what happens after the initial contact. A crucial aspect for the No 8 is to measure how effective he is at being the second or third player at the tackle and turning the ball over or placing the opposition under pressure, or what he does as the next link player; how much pressure he exerts in the defensive line, and how many involvements he has during a game as far as the link player is concerned. These are really important aspects when it comes to measuring your man and assisting with his development.

A good way to measure these aspects is to get the game videoed and look at it with your player, discuss the effectiveness, and come up with some ideas on how to improve. Alternatively, you might use a person to make notes and list crosses and ticks for successful or non-successful involvements under headings such as: first up tackler; second arriving tackler; arriving at the ruck/tackle (what decision was made? Was it the best decision? -  Ball carries; offloads; players beaten; better options ….. Just choose a few that you really want to work on.

Starting at set piece you could use the following ideas for your check list.

SCRUMMAGING:  As with the whole pack the coach will be looking at pre-engagement, particularly with the binding, gripping and body position, and how he transfers that through to the hit, with timing and strength and then maintaining the pressure. The backrow certainly have a big part to play and need to be constantly reminded of this. Plenty of technical detail can be found in The Coaching Toolbox.
A really important aspect of scrummaging for the No 8 is understanding his roles on attack and defence depending on where the ball goes. Coaches will use different systems with the crucial aspect being in understanding the system and the communication on the field.

Defensively there are a few options at scrum time. Going left does he defend inside the flanker, or behind the flanker and the first back defender? It will depend on the line the flanker is asked to run. Going right he is most likely to defend across the line behind the ball with an extra defender in the form of 9 filling in the front line. His depth will depend on the speed of the backline getting up on defence and factors such as the weather and whether they tend to kick a lot in behind the defenders. He'll have to 'read' each situation.

Once the tackle is made he will have decisions to make depending on a number of factors – game plan; position on field; strengths and weaknesses of his team and the opposition, but most importantly where he is at the time in relation to the tackle. Does he go in and create pressure or does he hold his position in the line, or does he fill a hole somewhere else.

As an attacker from the scrum there is every likelihood the No 8 will be a ball carrier, a link man on the inside shoulder, or the 2nd or 3rd arriving player. Does he clean out or does he become the key player in the continuity? The team must have a plan to create opportunities if your man is a strong ball runner in the Manu and Read mold. Getting him repositioned if he was in the first ruck so that his skills can be utilised will be important.

LINEOUT: Read took 29 lineout takes in Super rugby. Manu took 1. Read had to lift and jump and Manu had a concentration on lifting. Both were used in different spots in the line but in general this is your 5 or 6 man and so the roles need to be coached in these positions as much as possible.

Defensively against OTT (off the top) ball his first responsibility is to make sure no runners get through the space inside the first receiver.

In driven ball his role will be determined by whether it is a front or middle throw. Then it will depend on the team tactics in each situation but your player will need to understand how to destabilize the man opposite him and drive him on an angle that doesn't allow him to get set for the drive. Getting lower and driving harder is just a start. The eyes need to be open and the player needs to have a good idea where the ball is.

Attacking from a lineout will be similar to the scrum when the ball was passed. Once again he needs to understand his role in the continuity and the coach should be trying to set him up with running and passing opportunities. However, he must be scanning and choosing the best spot – at a thin line, at a slow forward, at a small back, there might even be a gap.

CONTACT: The No 8 must relish contact. He needs to be confrontational and tough with a 'big tank' that allows him to go hard out for 80 minutes. If your No 8 is not out the front at training then your team is unlikely to win a close game.

A crucial skill for the loose forward is being able to turn over opposition ball in the tackle either by being the tackler and getting quickly to his feet or being the first arriving player. The laws and skills need to be mastered and practiced at length.

Tackling in close and front on will be crucial as well as being able to fulfill the tackling role in a defensive line at phase play. This will entail being able to keep the structure in the defensive line, stay connected with his inside and outside man, and make the correct decision on whom he will tackle.  More importantly he must understand his role if he has slower players on his inside and work with that player so that they are a little unit combining together.

Then of course there are the technical requirements of front on and side on tackles to stop the man and slow the ball. The tackle is not completed until the tackler is back on his feet and recovering the ball or taking up the space or taking up a defensive role. There is much to do.

Carrying the ball in to contact, beating a defender, keeping the ball, offloading in or through the tackle are all skills that need to be mastered for the team to maintain continuity. It is seldom sufficient anymore just to set up a ruck so he needs practice situations where he has to make a decision based on what the defence are doing, how many numbers there are and what his support players are anticipating.

If the No 8 is a key ball carrier he needs to be able to 'read' the situations and turn up in positions that will make him effective as the penetrating attacker. “Look – think – act “. (Pierre Villepreux)

As a support player in contact he must be able to clean out to clear the ball, or protect the ball from the opposition, pick the ball and drive or pass, or run on to the ball to receive an early pass or an offload. These decisions all require the player to be looking and thinking ahead so the coach needs to set up various scenarios in his practice sessions.

RUN & PASS: No 8 needs to be skilled at running and passing and getting in to good support positions, so this player needs to practice the variety of passing techniques whether in close and popping or in the attack line at phase and passing to his left or right.

Plenty of game type activities will ensure he knows when to pass, whom to pass to, and when not to pass.

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. In the cases of Manu and Read it is the aggressive ball carrying and ability to keep it alive.  The tackling is often and accurate. Read has the lineout string to his bow. Good decisions with the ball and near the ball are the key.

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 No 8 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.