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Rugby: attacking the space

attacking the space DRILLS
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Maul Touch

Be brief when telling the players the laws of this game, it's important to get them moving quickly. This is not a contact game, but there will be some light contact. Break your players into two teams, giving each team their own colour of bibs if necessary. One team goes to attack, and one to defence. Nominate a Scrum Half for each team, it will be their job to move the ball from the back of the maul and out to an attacking line. There is no kicking in this game. Normal laws of rugby apply e.g. a forward pass will result in the ball being turned over to the opposition. If an attacking player is touched: they must stop and turn, a maul is then built based on how you have trained your players to Maul. Only four players should be in the maul - but every player should be able to maul - including the backs! When you start playing this game make sure that the defence is employing your defensive pattern around the maul. They will commit 4 players, but will not do anything more than provide light resistance. Once formed the maul can take four steps before moving the ball. If there is a delay in creating the maul, or the quality of the maul is poor - the ball can be turned over. Depending on your goals decide on the number of touches you wish to allow e.g. unlimited is not a bad option as mistakes will be made! If a team has been in possession for a long time, don't forget to turn the ball over to give the opposition a run. Don't hesitate to shape the game to focus on your session goals, and let us and other coaches know what worked for you.

Warm Up

One Touch Ruck

Be brief when telling the players the laws of this game, it's important to get them moving quickly. This is not a contact game. Break your players into two teams, giving each team their own colour of bibs if necessary. One team goes to attack, and one to defense. Nominate a Scrum Half for each team. There is no kicking in this game. Normal laws of rugby apply e.g. a forward pass will result in the ball being turned over to the opposition. If an attacking player is touched: they must go to ground, present the ball, two of their teammates ruck over (staying over the ball), and the Scrum Half moves the ball for the next phase of attack. When you start playing this game make sure that the defense is employing your defensive pattern around the ruck. As the game develops consider telling the defenders that they must have one or more players at the back of the ruck, if they are not fast enough to do this - push them back 10 meters. Have attacking players do what they normally would at the ruck. Depending on your goals decide on the number of touches you wish to allow e.g. unlimited is not a bad option as mistakes will be made! Don't hesitate to shape the game to focus on your session goals, and let us and other coaches know what worked for you!

Warm Up

Scoring Zones

Be brief when telling the players the laws of this game, it's important to get them moving quickly. This is not a contact game. Break your players into two teams, giving each team their own colour of bibs if necessary. One team goes to attack, and one to defense. Nominate a Scrum Half for each team. There is no kicking in this game. Normal laws of rugby apply e.g. a forward pass will result in the ball being turned over to the opposition. If an attacking player is touched: they must go to ground, present the ball, two of their teammates ruck over (staying over the ball), and the Scrum Half moves the ball for the next phase of attack.The defence must commit three players to every ruck, or risk an infringement which will see tem pushed back ten meters. The ball must be moved from the ruck within 5 seconds. Make sure that the defense is employing your defensive pattern around the ruck.  Throughout the game the coach call the point of attack e,g, attack RED ZONE or Zone 2. The coach can also call the scoring zone, Score At Zone Yellow or Zone 3. As the game progresses have the players call the point of attack, and the scoring zones - but they must do this early and they must committ to that attack for a period of time. Have attacking players do what they normally would at the ruck. Depending on your goals decide on the number of touches you wish to allow e.g. unlimited is not a bad option as mistakes will be made! On a mistake or after a period of time, turn the ball over so that both teams get time in attack and defence. Don't hesitate to shape the game to focus on your session goals, and let us and other coaches know what worked for you!

Warm Up

Tackle Box

The exercise is simple, the attacker has 2 minutes to score as many tries as they can. They do this by attacking the space between 2 sets of cones, but there is a defender they need to avoid. When it is clear which area the attacking is going to attack, that defender can advance. This is a full contact exercise. If the attackers scores, they return to the center of the grid to attack again. They cannot attack the same defender twice. If the attack fails, they reset and have another go. After 1/2 minutes, switch the attacker. This is a competition, so keep score.

Sevens

Attack The Space Tag Rugby - R...

The pitch is divided into two halves The defenders must start at opposite corners of the pitch The attacker must have at least one player in either half. The middle player starts with the ball.

General

Attacking Overload - Exploit T...

The drill starts with two teams of equal players playing a standard game of touch. Whenever a touch is made, the defender immediately joins the attacking side and acts as scrum half. This creates an attacking overload. Players must try to score a try by exploiting the overload in the least amount of touches. The drill resets after a try is scored.

General

Mid-Space attack Decision maki...

There are 4 cones in a rectangle , 2 red and 2 blue. The 2 defenders stand within the square, and on the coach's call, they must go and touch the called colour cone.As the coach calls it the attackers can go.The ball starts with the attacker in the middle.His aim is to attack the space in between the two players, and execute the first opportunity that presents itself. either one of the players will move in on him, therefore opening up space for the support runner on that side, or both will commit to him, or none in which case he is through!

General

React to space and attack Back...

5 players start on a straight line of cones about 5m apart. 10m away there are 5 more cones. Two of the 5 cones are blue, and two are red, and the middle cone is orange. The player on the orange cone never defends, he always attacks and always starts with the ball in hand.The coach shouts a colour and the players who are standing on those cones must run forward and touch the cone 10m away from them. It will always be 2 defenders, but their positions will slightly vary. Once the first defending player has touched the furthest cone across from where he started the orange player can initiate attack. The orange player will have 2 supporters, one either side of him.The ball carrier should look to attack the "Mid-Space" i.e. the space between the 2 defenders, as hard as he possibly can. This will cause at least one of the defenders to move in towards him, and therefore open up space for the supporter.You will notice as the drill goes on, if the ball carrier runs at this space hard enough, the defenders are sometimes caught in two minds of "its your man" and the attacker will glide straight through the gap, but only if he is explosive from the word go!!

General

Attack The Space Tag rugby - R...

The pitch is divided into two halves The defenders must start at opposite corners of the pitch The attacker must have at least one player in either half. The middle player starts with the ball.

General

Space Invaders Warm Up - Rugby...

Keep your playing briefing, brief and tell the players the following laws. Both teams are in attack and both teams are in defence, at the same time! It is up to you how many players you allocate to your attack and how many you allocate to your defence. If you are touched while carrying the ball (decide if the touch is one handed or two handed), you and your entire team must return to your red zone before being able to restart your attack. While your team is returning to your own zone - you cannot defend the neutral zone and any touches in there will not count. If your team makes a mistake e.g. a dropped ball or forward pass. Your entire team must return to your own red zone, not defending the neutral zone as you retreat. The winning team is the team that invades the oppositions space and scores a try, just outside the grid, first. There is no offside in defence. There is no kicking.

General

Pass to Space zPassing - Rugby...

UPDATE

General

Tackle Box Sevens - Rugby Dril...

The exercise is simple, the attacker has 2 minutes to score as many tries as they can. They do this by attacking the space between 2 sets of cones, but there is a defender they need to avoid. When it is clear which area the attacking is going to attack, that defender can advance. This is a full contact exercise. If the attackers scores, they return to the center of the grid to attack again. They cannot attack the same defender twice. If the attack fails, they reset and have another go. After 1/2 minutes, switch the attacker. This is a competition, so keep score.

General

Quick Passing To Space Passing...

Give each training area one ball and tell the players the following...... One of the attacking lines takes the ball. They simply attack, moving the ball through the hands - lateral passing only. The defenders (there will be three), mark the first three attacks, they leave the forth free. Defenders can move up and down, left and right, but must leave channel 4 open. Defender start 10 meters back. The ball must go through all four attacking hands. Don't forget to switch the attackers and defenders.

General

Colour Cone Attack Decision ma...

Drill to practice attacking from different positions.Set up a grid roughly 20m wide and 15m long with three defenders (yellow) and four attackers (blue). Within the grid place a number of different coloured cones.The attack start with the ball and the coach will shout the colour of a cone, the attack must touch the ball on that cone before they can attack. Once the attack have touched the ball on the cone the defence can start to defend.PROGRESSION:To start with the defence can only move laterally along the try line, then are allowed to move off the try line.

General

5 vs 5 Tag Rugby - Rugby Drill...

Pitch 20m x 20m. All players wearing tag belts Start the game with a free pass, defenders must be 7m back at the start Attacking players must try to run past the defenders to score a try. If tagged, the attacker must pass the ball backwards to a team-mate. After a tackle, the defenders must give the tag belt back, stay on their own side of the ball and NOT intercept or obstruct the pass.

General

Square Drill - Continuous Atta...

<span style=&quot;color: var(--color); font-style: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-weight: inherit;&quot;>Set up a large square with a cone in each corner. Three attacking players start along one side of the square with two defenders in the middle. You can increase the number of attackers or defenders as you wish. Attacker always try to attack across the square. Once the attackers reach the other side of the square they pop the ball to the attackers on the side of the square and not in front of them.<br>

General

2 vs 1 - with running support ...

The lead attacker runs at straight at defender. Attacks runs into space, either on the left or the right, takes the tackle and then off-loads to the support player who should be running down the opposite channel to the first attacker (so if the the first attacker runs left the support player goes right).

General

Bull Dog Tag Rugby - Rugby Dri...

Large Grid 30m x 30m. Start with 5 defenders in the middle, everybody else stands at one end of the grid wearing tags. On the coach's call all attackers try to run past the 5 defenders and get to the opposite side of the grid. Attackers that are tagged join the defenders in the middle, the game keeps going until there are no attackers left.

General

3 'v' 2 Passing - Rugby Drills...

This is a simple 3 v 2. The three attackers have to get past the two defenders without being touched, that's it. The defenders will start 10 meters back, and can move anywhere inside the box. The attack must remain inside the box and all pass msut be legal. Don't forget to change the defenders.

General

5 Attacks 3 Sevens - Rugby Dri...

Using cones mark out the four corners and the midways points of each side of a 20 x 20 meter training area. Divide your players into groups of 8, and allocate one group of 8 to each training area. Have one coach at each training area, and one ball. Each player should have their own cone to stand on, as shown in the diagram. Have more than one training area in order to keep your players as busy as possible. Tell your players the following...... This will be a 5 v 3 attacking opportunity for the 5 players given the ball. There are 4 players on the midpoint positions, one on each side of the training area. The coach will give the ball to one of those players. The 4 closest players will join the ball carrier in attack, the opposite 3 players will become defenders. The try line is just across the defenders starting line. The defenders operate within the laws of the game and should try to stop the attack by turning the ball, forcing a mistake, or pushing the attack out of the playing area. The attack should aim to score a try, but should play within the laws of the game. When the attack is over the coach will take the ball and players should return to their starting positions for the next attack. Don't forget to give every player the opportunity to play in attack and defence by changing the starting position of the ball.

General

Attack/Defend Sevens - Rugby D...

Tell your players the following...... Players will standing at the midway point of the playing area. Tell each team which direction they are playing. Set the ball on the ground in front of the players. If you call 1 then team one is in attack and they should pick the ball up, if you should 2 then team 2 is in attack and they should pick the ball up. The non attacking team is in defence. Normal rules of sevens apply. However, before each team can start their attack/defence, they must all run to their own try line and back. When the attack is over, all players return to the midway point to start again. That's it, lets play! Make sure that you give both teams a chance to attack and defend.

General

Switch Over Attack Passing - R...

Drill to practice attacking organisational skillsSet up a grid roughly 20m wide and 20m long, with different coloured cones at one end and 5m away from that end (see diagram).3 defending players line up at one end (blue players between white cones) and 5m infront of them 4 attacking players line up (red players between green cones). One further defender waits at the opposite end of the grid.On the coaches command the three defending players run to the green cones and turn to defend. Meanwhile the four attacking players run to the white cones and turn to attack, receiveing the ball from the coach (grey). They are trying to score at the far end of the grid (red cones).Once the attack have beaten the defensive line the final defender may move forward off the try line (red cones) and try and defend.

General

4 vs 1 Tag Rugby - Rugby Drill...

Groups of 5 Combine grids to make 2 channels each 10m x 20m 1 Ball per group Ball carrier tries to score a try by running past the defender. Support players follow the ball carrier. If tagged, the ball carrier must pass the to one of his / her support players. The defender must GIVE the tag back before trying to make a second tackle.

General

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attacking the space SESSIONS
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Maintaining Possession

Maintain possession and go forward with confidence, with this attacking session

Sevens Rugby: Attacking the Sp...

Get your players to use the width of the pitch and play intelligently, offering wide support options in this sevens rugby session.

Spatial Awareness and Attackin...

Change channel to find space with this week's using the full width of the pitch scanning and heads up attacking session

Attacking Space: How to find t...

Improve how your team exploit mis-matches in the opposition's defence to get them creating more try-scoring opportunities with this attacking skills session

Quick Hands - Attacking Space ...

Fast hands = Fast Passing. Get your team passing at speed to change the point of attack and attack the space!

Maintaining possession through...

Improving your team’s handling skills with this attacking session, making sure that they keep the ball secure and running into space created
attacking the space ANSWERS
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In what situation is the miss pass best employed

In what situation is the miss pass best employed

Archived User Coach

how can you improve your hand off

how can you improve your hand off

Archived User Coach

Looking for space?

This season our players have moved on to U9's and contact. When attacking we want our players to continue to look for space, not to take the contact just because it's now part of U9's (ie%3A why take the contact if its not required). Does anyone have any tips or exercises that could help with this?

Archived User Coach

Improving game awareness. How can I improve players?

Improving game awareness. How can I improve players insight into "what happens next", besides by whatching (games)? Players tend to be fixed on the ball(situation) and seldom look at what is in front of them%3A how can I stimulated them to take time to quickly look around and assess the situation?

Yvonne Bouman Coach, Netherlands

please can you help with any drills to help with realignment?

please can you help with any drills to help with realignment (of backs) to attack? Thanks

Archived User Coach

How to coach using counter attack from turnover ball?

I need to coach a progressive session of 20 minutes for how to establish the principles of counter attack from turnover ball in contact coaching the palyers to counter attack. Any ideas please?

Trevor Brice Coach, England

develop the ability of your players to realign, to?

develop the ability of your players to realign, to take pass running from depth

Archived User Coach

ANYBODY GOT ANY DRILL FOR UNDER 6 RUGBY AS AN INTRODUCTION?

ANYBODY GOT ANY DRILL FOR UNDER 6 RUGBY AS AN INTRODUCTION TO THE GAME?

Garry Windle Coach, Wales

Drill to help to teach backs how to check their line?

Drill to help to teach backs how to check their line up from defensive to attacking

Archived User Coach

Hi, I'm required to coach the tight 5 to right wheel?

Hi, I'm required to coach the tight 5 to right wheel a scrum - yes, it's for an exam. I have researched it - including talking to forwards - and all of the sparse info out there describes unlawful techniques. I can make a stab at almost anything apart from this 'black art' as I have no references to use. Help!

Archived User Coach

key factors of a miss pass

plaese tell me the key factors of a miss pass

Archived User Coach

Are there any drills to encourage my 3/4s to return to midfield quickly?

Are there any drills to encourage three-quarters to quickly return to the midfield to defend 2nd phase possession? My U11s backs get drawn into rucks amp; mauls and leave the opposition too much attacking space in midfield. Thanks

Simon Luxton Coach, England

u10 rugby practice sessions. How to get them match ready

How does one coach u10rugby? I know this is a very broad question but I am looking for various ideas. At this age they do no have rugby knowledge and spacial awareness that becomes inherent at older age groups. Because of this I am finding it hard to get the maximum out of practice sessions because most of the time you are trying to educate the players as to where to stand and correct techniques etc Which interrupt game play and practice? Any advice ?

Archived User Coach

U8s staying on side and use of space

I am currently coaching an U8s tag team, is ther any drills to teach them to stay onside after a tag and to stay spread out as they seem to bunch very quickly

Tony Bunyan Coach, England

Perfecting attack structure

Drills to perfect the 1 3 3 1 attack structure Asked using Sportplan on Mobile

Pedro Waqa Coach, Fiji

U8s crowding the ball | Sportp...

Hey all,Can anyone suggest some drills or tips to try and help my under 8s from crowding the ball carrier, We are finding that all of the team huddle around the ball carrier at Starts / Restarts. I dont want to keep stopping play to tell them that huddling around the ball carrier is not creating the space they need as i sound like a broken record.Any suggestions very welcome.Cheers

Matt Osborne Coach, England

How to coach using counter att...

I need to coach a progressive session of 20 minutes for how to establish the principles of counter attack from turnover ball in contact coaching the palyers to counter attack. Any ideas please?

Trevor Brice Coach, England

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