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Flanker protecting the Scrum Half?How can a Flanker?
Flanker protecting the Scrum Half? How can a Flanker protect the Scrum-Half at a scrum without holding on to the oppositions Scrum Half? Also any advice for an Openside flanker on tackling the fly-half from scrums?
I would say the issue with the flanker is one of binding, if the binding is loosened and the flanker drives anywhere but on the prop, then you're not getting the 'complete' drive. I would pay more attention to the no. 8 protecting the SH by affecting the offside line and allowing the SH security from it.
If your comfortably winning the scrum, I (as an openside) angle my legs out so the opposition SH has to go around them. In nailing the 10 from a scrum, keep your head low to the ground to see when the opo SH touches the ball putting you onside, then fly at the 10. No real advice apart from work on your sprints and make sure your length of stride decreases (keeping same speed) as you get to the 10 so you have a better chance of reacting to his play. Look up Zoom Shuffle, Shuffle, BOOM! as a training guide (New Zealand training I think)Zoom - sprint, Shuffle,Shuffle decrease stride length whilst maintaining speed (this keep you lighter on your toes) & BOOM! - the big hit. Have your shoulder hitting leg forward when you make the hit (right shoulder, right leg forward, with your foot close to their body.) This makes a huge hit! (see Judo moves - where it originated.) Jenks.
Re: takling the fly half As a flanker and with a drift defence I tend to run a diagonal line directly from the scrum toward the fly half forcing him wide. You have to be careful of him cutting back in or passing inside to the opposite wing. You only very rarely catch the fly half unless the scrum half pass was weak but it does cut his options down and put pressure on him. For a blitz defence I tend to stay just inside of my own fly half who targets the oposition fly half and watch for him cutting back inside or making a blindside run. Re: protecting the scrum half: there's not much you can do legally. You must stay bound arm and shoulder and cannot interfere with the oposition scrum half. As Dennis says there is more the No8 can do.
I really wouldn't get carried away with the 7 nailing the oppo FH from the scrum.
We played against a team that had a very competent 7, his timing breaking from the scrum was impeccable, as was his speed and angle of run to the tackle. Trouble was (for him), that it was quite predictacble, and my FH is a great reader of the game, so rather than take the ball on, he deliberately held it up and took a line towards the 7. This gave space to our wing cutting an angle at the fringe of the scrum, which enabled him to take the offload and get behind their 7.
So long as the inside channel is covered defensively, then yes, by all means let him fly. I played 7 in my playing days, and I only came off content if i'd nailed the FH more than once, but as a coach, I don't see any major necessity for this.....
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