Position Specific – Wing

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 winger and will discuss the factors that will decide if the winger is best suited to left or right.

When you are selecting and then coaching your winger in isolation he will need to be evaluated on certain aspects of play.
We will look at Julian Savea from the All Blacks at the World Cup and Bryan Habana from South Africa. Savea played for 481 minutes and Habana 551 minutes, almost a game more than Savea.

These are players who vary in size with Savea 192cm and 107kg and Habana 180cm and 94kg but both are exceptional try scorers using their differing skills. Savea's bulk and power saw him cross for 8 tries in the Cup and Habana using his pace and elusiveness saw him cross for 6 tries.

With such good players out wide it is up to the coach to devise tactics to get them involved in the game. There are bound to be players who can have the same effect on a game at your level if you provide the opportunities.

Interestingly if we look at the stats it tells us more about how the teams played rather than either individual.  Savea had the ball in his hands every 6 ½ minutes whilst it was nearly every 10 minutes for Habana. If your player doesn't have the ball in his hands at least once every 10 minutes then there are two things: you need to illustrate to him when and how he can have more involvements and you need to keep reminding him that a winger can be the busiest player on the field if he sets his mind to it.

Statistically Savea made 36 carries to Habana's 27; 437 metres to 322; beat 17 defenders to Habana's 9; 4 offloads to 1; 27 passes to 20, and they both made 10 clean breaks. Interestingly Habana made 9 kicks in open play as against Savea's 2 which highlights one of Habana's strengths in his kick and chase where he has the blinding speed and the skill to be able to kick it so that he can recover it.

Just to prove that size isn't everything Habana made 100% of his 22 tackles whilst Savea only made 7 of his 10 attempts. This is also an indicator of the high work rate of Habana on cover defence and his astute decision making on tackling the correct player out wide, sometimes a very difficult decision.

Defensively wing is a position fraught with danger. More often than not the winger is left with no team member on his outside and he must make many decisions based on what is happening inside him both with his own team and what the attackers are setting up to carry out. He requires a clear picture of what the coach expects in certain situations.

If he is alone on the blindside of a scrum it is important that all the mechanics of what is going to happen inside him are practiced. He needs to line up so that he can work with his inside defenders and still cover his opponent once he receives the ball. More often than not he will need to hold and wait so he can work with his team mates, although if the numbers line up okay he can get up quickly and attack the 1 v 1 situation. The left wing is the most likely to be under pressure from runners at scrum time so if it is a toss-up between who can tackle the best and make the best decisions on which player to tackle then the left side is for your stronger tackler.

Much the same applies as a wide defender on the openside. There are a number of questions to be answered depending on the opposition, the place on the field, the weather conditions and the coach’s requirements. Is he deep to recover a kick and form a back 3 or is he up and linked with his centre so that he can work the defensive pattern within the group, or is he slightly deeper and wider so that he can react and fit in to either one of these patterns.

Things happen differently at lineout time although the basic defensive pattern will have the short side wing back in the box behind the lineout and the openside wing being in a similar position to that at the scrum. Variations can be added such as having a strong tackling winger in place of the first defender on the openside but more importantly the winger must be good under the high kick which requires plenty of practice.

Once the winger has made the good decision on who to tackle he must then be technically good and he must be able to attack the ball and the tackle area just as if he was a flanker.

Then he must know what to do as a cover defender when the ball is going away from his wing. If he starts in the basic short side position the coach must be clear exactly what the role is on the cover and whether he is flat enough to make the tackle on the penetrating player or he is deeper to cover the ball that is kicked through and his tackle is made out wide near the sideline.

At phase play the wing has many more decisions to make.  Does he return to his position on the flanks or is he immediately required where he is at that time because of a lack of defenders. Does he return to a deep or flat position or has he spotted a gap where he needs to be such as at fullback.

Setting up situations in mini games with two backlines where wings and the fullback have to make decisions is a great activity. Understanding how the 'fluid triangle' works on defence is an important aspect of back three play. The question to ask is 'if one wing and the fullback are positioned here on defence where should the remaining wing be?'

The ideal component of a winger is real pace. However, at club and school level this attribute may not be available. The coach should be looking for a combination of some of the following; a sidestep, change of pace, swerve, an ability to change direction, a fend, determination, kick and chase options, ability to keep the ball alive, involvements and an ability to score tries.

If the player steps off his right foot predominantly then the left wing would be the best side, just as if he is a left footed kicker or he tends to carry under his left arm so that his right arm is free for the fend.

The left wing is also more likely to be under pressure from diagonal kicks behind him and box kicks from a halfback so that may have a bearing on who you select on the left side.  Also he may well be your key man chasing the long kick offs or competing for the short kick offs. There's a bit for him to practice!

The right wing is your stepper off the left foot and the player who tends to carry the ball under his right arm. He needs to be the finisher from short side attacks as the team uses the right side so if he can operate in closed in spaces he is your man.

The right winger may also need to be your best ball hunter and gatherer as it is more likely the ball will be kicked diagonally to his side of the field.  Associated skills need to be practiced.

Both wingers need to be a threat in the backline coming from the blindside either as a decoy runner or a penetrating runner, but either way they need to turn up as often as possible. Coming from blind spots, changing angles at the last moment and changing pace are all considerations.

The coach might even utilise the wing on the pick and go if he is close by to get some real acceleration and speed in to the plays.

On the openside there is also much to think about before receiving the ball rather than just running a straight line at the end of the chain. Size up where the opponent stands and start in various positions that already put the defender under pressure because he is not sure where to place himself. Depending on how the defender comes up the winger can drift out and receive a wide ball or hit a short ball and an inside shoulder on receiving the ball after changing angle.

If there is an opportunity to outflank the defence receive the ball as flat as possible or if the defenders are over in numbers be a bit deeper to look, catch, think and act. This is where the change of direction and pace will be useful.

Once the contact is made the wing requires a host of skills. Pop passing in the tackle, staying on his feet until support arrives, present a good body position and the ball in the ruck and all the normal skills associated with being one of the first three at the contact.

If your man has the potential to threaten with a good kick and chase game he should be encouraged to do so in the understanding that he needs to find space and he must have a good chance of recovering the ball. Plenty of practice will be required.

Mentally it is important that the wing 'stays in the game' and has as many contributions as possible in phase play. He must be a continual threat as a support player no matter where in the field the play is taking place.

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 and provide a lot of confidence that will spill over to other aspects of his play.

Habana has the ability to intercept passes and scoop up loose ball and he is a constant threat when anywhere near the ball. Savea has the ability to score close in using his power and strength. Your man might be good at taking the ball in the air, offloading in midfield or tracking forwards in phase play and bursting on the shoulder.

There must be something. Provide the opportunity and practice these aspects whenever you can.

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 winger 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.