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Using Tap Penalties Wisely

Using tap penalties wisely.

There are often opportunities in games when it would be more applicable to carry out a well constructed tap penalty than choosing a scrum or a lineout. The guaranteed advantage of a tap kick is that the attack team already have possession of the ball and they do not have to compete for it as they do in a scrum and more often a lineout.

In fact it is almost a soft option re-starting with the set piece because those are the two aspects that are most often practiced so why not plan and practice a couple of tap penalties that provide your team with a wealth of opportunities that the opposition will not be expecting.

There are two main aspects to consider when planning your play. Think about the concept of grouping and spreading so that you manipulate as many defenders as possible in to one area before spreading them so that they become as disorganised as possible, before repeating the process or getting in behind them and carrying on.

Alongside the concept place the ‘Principles of Play’ which could be in this case ‘go forward-support-continuity-pressure” and keep repeating the plan until the team have penetrated and scored.

There are many ways to do this so it is important to utilise the strengths of individuals in the plan with an emphasis on the overall strength of the team. Is the team big and physical with only a couple of pacey individuals or is it smaller, faster and fitter than the opposition. There will no doubt be a number of variables to consider when making the plan. In fact it is a great opportunity to get the players involved in the planning process. You’ll be surprised at what they will come up with.

As an example using a basic team with physical, hard running players you could use the following play which would need to start within 10/15 metres of one of the sidelines.

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The group could be spread more evenly and laterally but to provide a clearer picture there are three groups of four with 10 and 15 not going in to the ruck areas. 9 taps and passes to 2 and the first group of four [1, 2, 6, 8] charge forward. If the defence is thin they can attack it hard and keep driving through. If the defence is thick they will hit and produce quick ball. This is ‘Group 1’ and as soon as the ruck is over they will get on their feet and wrap to the outside of group three. [13, 7, 11, 14]
9 follows the ball and upon the recycle from group 1 he gives a short pass to 4 who is leading the charge. The same rules apply as for group 1.. After recycling the ball group two will drop back in to a position on the far side of the goalposts from where the ball is ending up. That is virtually straight back from where they have finished.

Following the recycle from group two 9 will feed 10 who is running in balance and attacking the line. He will then pass it to 7 who is leading the charge. By this time the attack should be near the 15 metre line. Seven needs to make decisions based on the opposition once again but at training he should take the ball towards the goalposts to hopefully keep the defence in a smaller area.

Upon recycling the ball this group will drop back in to the line and probably about the middle of the field.

On the recycle from group three 10 and 15 will receive the ball with the players from group one  [ 1,2,6,8] supporting from behind and inside those two runners..This group will attack the corner and stay there controlling the ball until they score or the team are set up to attack again using the same format.

There are many variations that can be made to this basic plan but if it is practiced often enough and everyone knows their role, then there is a high chance that it will be successful.  Play around with it. For example 14 may stay behind the third group and a pass may be made from 10 to 15 to 14 using the main group as a decoy and 14 looking to stay keep the ball alive with 10, 15 and 8.

If the penalty was in the middle of the field you could start with a group on each side of 9 and a group behind 9 who follows the direction of the pass and becomes the second group. Make sure the team has time to get organised before starting the play. It should be used if the defence has had time to get organised and your team is wanting to alter the pattern of the game.  A tap kick is a different concept than a ‘quick tap’.

A ‘quick tap’ is a very important part of the team’s armoury and it too must be planned and practiced so that a big advantage can be gained by using it. Read the article on “Openfield Play’ which highlights the things you are looking for and how the parts fit together. Make a plan that can work with about ten of the team making an instant reaction upon a call made by the player taking the tap kick. The remaining five will soon play their role so long as everyone knows what they are supposed to do.

One of the most disappointing aspects of many games is the lack of organisation and understanding when a tap penalty occurs. Make sure you get a jump on your opponents by practicing a couple of tap kicks and a plan for a ‘quick tap’ . Work with some basic guidelines so that any team member can instigate the play.

The player who has the ball makes a call or the call comes quickly from the captain/decision maker. The player who takes the tap runs forward and in to space; generally towards the goalposts. At least two players run up on his shoulder to take a short ball and hit in to a thin defensive line. If there are a number of defenders in this area the second option is to pass behind these two players to get the ball in to space and the attack running at a thin line once again.

From then on it is a numbers game. Because you know what is happening your team should be able to get more players in support a lot quicker than the opposition can reorganise their defence. If you get this first part working quickly then all sorts of opportunities can open up and you can make a plan on how to best effect the continuity and pressure aspects.

So: ‘call is made – run to space [generally towards the goalposts] – two closest players look to support on the shoulder – players near the ball start to wrap and get in to good support roles – if a short ball is taken another couple of players need to get in to the contact zone – if a pass is made behind the runners the ball is moved to deep and fast runners who should attack in 1 v 1 situations trying to keep the ball alive at the tackle’  Plan: “call-posts-2 burst-core wrap-ball in to space-keep alive” 

Good luck. This will be fun and important but it will need to be practiced just like any other plays.