AIMS:

1. To prevent the team in possession from gaining territory.
2. To regain possession of the ball.
3. To use the transition between defence and attack to gain an advantage.

Task One:

Answer the following questions:

1. When is a team in defence?
2. In what way is this different from the use of the term in the Law Book?

Task Two:

1. List what you would expect the individual defensive players to do in defence.
2. List what you would expect the following groups of players to do collectively in defence:
   1. A forward unit.
   2. A back unit.
   3. A Team.
3. List these on the white board. Don’t duplicate what someone else has already put up.

THE PRINCIPLES OF DEFENCE

By applying the following principles the team will achieve the aims.

PRINCIPLE 1 – CONTEST POSSESSION

Outcome:

Contest possession so that the attacking team is forced to use an option that is not there best option.

At best regain possession immediately.

At Scrum

Functional Roles – Forwards bound together in the scrum

Key factors

• Bind as a unit so that they cannot be pushed back. Twist the grip to tighten it up.
• Drive forward by bending at the knee that must be behind the hips. Bending the knee moves the scrum forward and gives more power if the players straighten their legs. Once the legs are straight no further forward drive can take place.
• If the scrum is able to push their opponents back they should “reload” by taking a series of short, quick steps forward to maintain their best pushing position. This is often called “chasing your feet” and maintains the pushing position.
• Keep the scrum square. If the scrum turns it may lead to a penalty.
• Decide whether to hold the opposition scrum or push forward.
• Continue to push forward until the ball is out of the scrum. This will mean the attacking team will receive the ball moving backwards while the defensive unit will be moving forward as the gain line is moved forward.

 Functional Role – Props

Key factors

• Align pre-engagement to ensure the pushing position is assumed immediately on engagement.
• Apply the engagement sequence when the referee calls it.
• Tight head – drive forward at the join between the opposition hooker and loose head prop.
• Loose head – drive onto the sternum of the tight head so that any drive forward pushes the tight head back.
• Apply pressure, creating instability and “milk” a penalty.
• Maintain your body position even when you push the opposition back.

Functional Role – Hooker

Key factors

• Set the position of the scrum the best distance from the opposition scrum before you engage.
• Make sure that the scrum is bound as a unit before engagement. Bind over the props.
• Upon engagement call for the scrum to maintain its stationary position ready to push forward.
• Call for the scrum to push forward as the ball is put in.
• The option to hook the ball on the opponents throw in is not usually used but it can be.
• Assess your options. Currently an 8-man-shove is proving more effective than attempting a tight head. This is because the ball is put in so the defence hasn’t got an equal opportunity to hook. This means that the attacking hooker doesn’t have to hook. The attack can then use an 8-man-shove and many attacking scrums are holding.
• At the very least you want to avoid the penalty.

Functional Role – Locks

Key factors

• Bind with the other lock and use the crutch grip to bind to the props.
• Engage below the props and hooker’s hips and come up on engagement to below the buttock.
• Prior to engagement be on your knees or crouch. Come onto your feet as you engage making sure the outside foot is ahead of the inside foot so the power is mainly on the props.
• As the ball is put in drive the knees down. Keep the head up so the back is straight.
• Push the opposition back by pushing with a succession of short steps so that you don’t straighten your legs.

Functional Role – Flanker and No. 8

Key factors

• Watch the ball through the scrum from your pushing body position. As soon as the ball is out disengage and play to the defence pattern

• Binding:

• Flankers:

Bind to the locks and have your shoulder under the props buttock. Keep the prop square by driving in on a slight angle.

• No. 8:

Bind around the buttocks of the lock and have the shoulders under their buttocks

• Push on the throw in at the same time as the other forwards.

 At Line-out

 Functional Role – Decision- maker

Key factors

Decide how you are going to contest the attacking team’s throw in.

• Contest the throw in.
  • Use the second player in the lineout to lift the front player.
  • Use the third and fifth players to lift the fourth player.
  • Position the forward who is able to jump the highest at the back of the lineout.
  • The aim is to force the thrower to throw the ball too far so the two players at the back of the lineout can win the ball.
• Don’t contest the throw in:
  • Tackle the ball carrier as soon as the player lands on the ground and before a maul is formed.
  • Step away so no contact is made and no maul formed. The ball carrier can be tackled.
  • Once the catcher is on the ground drive forward at the point between the catcher and the lifters to push the lifters away.
• Once the maul has been formed:
  • Drive it to touch by letting it spill down the near touch side and then driving it using their own momentum.
  • Attack the seams between the ball carrier and the lifters. Remember what would be illegal for props in a scrum are not illegal for “props” in a maul.

 Functional Role – Jumpers – at #’s 1,4 and 7

Key factor

Step to the centre line and jump for the ball to effect their catch or catch the ball.

Functional Role – Lifters

Key factors

• Move with the jumper.
• Grip on the knees at the front and under the buttocks from behind.
• Play based on the options that occur.

 Functional Role – All other defensive forwards.

Key factors – the most common option that is called involves the following key factors:

• Be alert to grab the ball.
• Once the catcher is on the ground bind together, bend at the knees and together drive the opposition back.
• Regroup so that you can continue the drive by joining behind the last player in your team.

Receiving Kick offs

Outcome:

Regain possession of the ball.

Functional Role – Catcher

Key factors

• Be in a position to move towards the ball.
• Co-ordinate with a lifter if you can’t catch the ball without help.
• Play to the best option:
  • Drive forward and set up a ruck or maul.
  • Kick to gain territory either to touch or down the field.
  • Run and pass the ball to where the team has an advantage.

Functional Role – Lifter

Key factors

Move to support the catcher, lift and stabilize the catcher so the ball can be caught.

Functional Role – Support Players

Key factors

Know the option and play your part in performing it. This includes catching when the lifted player is used as a decoy.

 PRINCIPLE 2 – GO FORWARD

Outcome

To stop the attack before the gain line.

 Functional Role – Players in the defensive line

Key factors

• Align as close to the offside line as possible.
• Align so that you can see what is happening inside your position.
• Identify the player that you are defending.
• Align so you can defend this player “inside-out”.
• Move forward as fast as possible in a line keeping your alignment.
• Keep your feet moving so you retain agility and can adjust to the attack.
• Communicate who you are going to tackle and communicate any changes to the other defenders so they know what is happening and can make changes themselves.
• Move forward to tackle NOT hoping your defender will pass the ball.
• Make the tackle so that the following are achieved:
  • The ball carrier is stopped.
  • The ball carrier is unable to pass or offload the ball.
  • The ball carrier loses possession of the ball.
• If the ball carrier passes before being tackled the defender must let the others know and move out with the play so that more than one player can make a tackle. The tacklers in the double tackle must complement each other’s actions.
• Once the attacker has passed the ball reload to position back from the ball to defend attackers cutting back to the inside.
• If the attack wins the ball at the ruck the defence must reload so that the line can move towards the attack and are not caught on the offside line standing still with the attack running at them.

Scrum:

• Open-side:
  • 1^st passer/ runner – #’s 9, 6 or 7.
  • 1^st receiver – #’s 9, 7 or 6.
  • 2^nd receiver – #10
  • 3^rd receiver – #12
  • 4^th receiver – #13
  • 5^th receiver – #’s 11/14 or 15.
  • 6^th receiver – #’s 11/14 or 15
  • 7^th receiver – #’s 11/14 or 15.
  • Covering kick option #’s 11 or 14 coming from the blind-side.
  • Box kick – #15.
• Blind-side:
  • 1^st passer/ runner – #’s 8 or 9.
  • 1^st receiver – #’s 8 or 9.
  • 2^nd receiver – #6 or 7.
  • 3^rd receiver – #11 or 14
  • 4^th receiver – #15

There are unlikely to be more than 4 attacking players on the blind-side.

Line-out:

• 1^st passer/ runner – # 6.
• 1^st receiver – # 7.
• 2^nd receiver – #10
• 3^rd receiver – #12
• 4^th receiver – #13
• 5^th receiver – #’s 11/14 or 15.
• 6^th receiver – #’s 11/14 or 15
• 7^th receiver – #’s 11/14 or 15.
• Box Kick – #’s 11 or 14.

Functional Role – Players positioned to catch attacking kicks

Key factors

• #15 organise the positioning of #’s 11 and 15 from scrum and lineout and of #’s 8, 9, 10, 11 and 14 from opposition attacking play to be in a position to recover any balls kicked behind the defensive line.
• The blind-side wing must join the defensive line on the blind-side of the scrum.

Functional Role – Defensive line players from rucks and mauls

Key factors

Follow the key factors listed above.

The following apply to defence from maul or ruck:

• Number from outside in so that any extra players are closer to the ball.
• To stop pick and go and one pass attacks crashing the gain line place 3 players close together on both side of the ruck. Defend outside in so the legs of the ball carrier can be tackled and the ball contested.
• Defend inside out as the main pattern but, because there are usually more in defence than attack, a team can play outside in defence turning the attacking players into the strong midfield tacklers.
• Outside in can also be used if there are more attackers, an overlap. The aim is to tackle the ball carrier from the opposite side to which they are receiving the ball when they are not ready.

PRINCIPLE 3 – APPLY PRESSURE BY TACKLING

Outcomes:

• The ball carrier is stopped.
• The ball carrier is unable to pass or offload the ball.
• The ball carrier loses possession of the ball.

Functional Role – Tackler

Key factors – in the tackle

• Time the run so that the tackler is always moving forward into the tackle and never stands still.
• Take short steps to remain agile. There are 3 phases to the running line of the tackler:
  • Short steps to retain agility.
  • Drive into the tackle.
• Go into a crouch and focus on the target just below the ball carrier’s centre of gravity.
• Head behind, eyes open.
• Drive with the shoulder by planting the near foot as close to the ball carrier and driving through the ball carrier.
• Accelerate into the tackle.
• Keep the arms in so you use your shoulders and drive directly forward with the arms.
• Wrap with the arms.
• If possible make a dominant upper body tackle to slow down the attack or create a turnover. This will depend on size. When the tackler is smaller than the ball carrier it is best to tackle low around the legs.

 

Key factors – after the tackle

• Get to your feet and use the post tackle law to contest the ball to at least delay play by the attack.
• If you can’t do this rejoin the defensive line.
• Move along the defensive line so that the defender is defending against an attacker of similar ability.

PRINCIPLE 4 – MAKE A HIGH QUALITY TACKLE

Outcome:

Make a tackle that reduces the options of the attack and creates a situation in which the ball can be regained.

Functional Role – The Tackler

Key factors

• The best tackle is to tackle low and to get to your feet and recover the ball as the Law allows the tackler to enter play from the attacking teams side of the ball.
• If a high tackle is made and a maul formed the defence gains a turnover if the attack cannot free the ball.
• Both will result in the attack being delayed allowing the defensive line to re-form.
• At the very least the tackler must stop the ball carrier even if the play continues.

 PRINCIPLE 5 – SUPPORTING THE TACKLER AND

PRINCIPLE 6 – REGAIN POSSESSION

 Outcome:

Force the attack into errors and poor options to eventually regain possession of the ball.

Functional Role – Supporting Player

Key factors – options depending on the situation

Support to regain possession

• Complete the tackle.
• Perform a double tackle with the first tackler going on the ball and the second tackler from inside, tackling the legs. Use complementary groups of 2 from phase play.
• Recover the tackled ball.
• Counter ruck by binding with a teammate and driving straight past the ball. This can be delayed to the point at which the halfback is just about to grab the ball.
• Delay the recycling of the ball.

Support when the ball cannot be contested

Join the defensive line – see above

PRINCIPLE 7 – COUNTER ATTACK

 Definition

Counter attack takes place immediately the defensive team has regained possession.

More often the opportunity to counter attack occurs when an opponent has kicked the ball.

However an infringement from which advantage has been played resulting in a turnover, in close quarters play offers the opportunity to counter-attack.

Outcome:

At the end of the play to be in a better field position than the team was in at the start.

It may be too demanding to make sure possession is retained from the kick receipt.

Kick Receipts:

Functional Role – Ball Catcher/ Decision maker.

Key factors

• Base options on field position and the position of the opposition.
• Options:
  • Kick to touch – kick receipts inside the 22m line.
  • Kick to recover – when the opposition is close and there is space behind.
  • Run and pass – run towards the greater number of players to hold them where they are and pass to the space that the ball carrier has moved away from.

Functional Role – Support Players

Key factors

• Reload by rushing back to get behind the player with the ball so they can chase kicks or be in a position to receive a pass.
• If the run pass option is used run at the “city” and pass to the “country”.
• Position across the field to offer passing options.
• Re-act to the play of the decision maker.
• From a kick ahead the chasing group is best to be #’s 6,7,12,13 and 11/14.
• Should the opposing team return the kick the receipt team is best to be #’s 8, 9, 10, 11/14 and 15.
• Create phase play and offside lines to continue play.

Turnovers:

Outcome:

Take advantage of the more immediate reaction in transition from defence to attack than the momentary disappointment of attack to defence.

Functional Role – Ball Recoverer

Key factors

• Regain possession of the ball.
• Pass the ball to space away from where the opposition is positioned.
• Run in support.

 

Functional Role – Support Players

Key factors

• Reload in depth and width to be in a position to move into play.
• Continue to pass the ball to space before going forward.
• Hold the defence before moving the ball.
• Run in support behind the ball carrier.

TASK THREE

Now lets go through the list we compiled at the beginning and see where each of your defensive needs fits in:

1. Divide into 6 groups, one for each principle, principles 5 and 6 being together.
2. Go through the lists and identify the needs that fit into your principle.
3. We will now tick them off to see if there are any we haven’t covered so that we can decide what to do with them.

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