Rugby: open field

What does the "T Bone" concept mean when defending?

What is the current thinking regarding kickoff receiving alignment?

We have open this thread to continue the discussion on Player Empowerment started in the Coaches Hot Tip in this month's newsletter. If you missed it, here it is again. There is no doubt that if you want your team to be successful, you need the players to make decisions on the pitch for themselves. We know that if a team is used to getting the answers to problems on the field from the coach, it will mean that they will hesitate and look to the touchline before commiting to an action and that, of course, will be far too late! The coach can still influence things but once the game has started it is a fairly minimal influence, during the game it must be the players who react to situations as they happen and make decisions immediatley. Therefore, it is essential to have leaders in the team who feel confident about making decisons in the heat of the battle. They need to know that even a wrong call is better than no call. They should feel that their coach will support them in making a call and, if it was not necesarily the best decision, will help them make a better one next time without being too critical. Ideally, the leaders and decision makers will be at key positions in the team where they can communicate with other players as well as influencing play themselves. Key positions are Numbers%3A 2; 4/5; 8; 9; 10 and 15. This is often referred to as "The Spine or Backbone" of the team. This is not to say that a good captain and leader can't be in another position but if they are, for instance an 11 or 14, they will need good co leaders in the key positions to communicate their decisions during a game. To develop this spine to operate as leaders, the coach should involve these players in discussions about how the team are playing - making them feel some ownership and responsibility for the teams performance. They could also be involved in unit practises, for instance the 2 and 8 could Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 occasionaly lead part of a line out practice, once the coach has agreed with them what the practice needs to achieve. The coach is not giving the players complete control but rather, allowing them to be involved in the process of team development. Obviously, the age and ability of your team can affect how far along this path you can go but, even with players as young as Under 8's, I have found that delegating some responsibility is a really effective way to build a cohesive and well functioning team! Let me know your thoughts on this type player empowerment. Good luck Simon

would anyone know any tips to practice awarness and other tips for a flanker no7 aged 17

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Is it legal to intentionally wheel a scrum?

Why is it important to get players to score the try when completing a handling/running drill?

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

I have just started coaching touch at my school and have been trying to find out about field positions. can anyone help me? i have only been doing drils at practice and now want to start having mini matches.

I have started an under 10s team up, and I would say about 8 from the 13 children I have , did not play rugby until about 6 months ago. Of these players, there seems to be a lot of potential, as we are scoring tries against teams, that very rarely concede tries.the problem I got with them, is that we are very poor at organising our selves in defense when the opposition has the ball, which does result in us conceding quite a few tries. We have some very good tacklers in the team. Can anyone offer some ideas on how I can get them to organise themselves? Thanks . Chris.

Hello, in open play i want to have my forwards split up across the field not just chasing the next ruck. im not sure exactly how to teach them where they should be standing. (positional play) (Dane coles always seems to be a wing in open play)

Hello, in open play i want to have my forwards split up across the field not just chasing the next ruck. im not sure exactly how to teach them where they should be standing. (positional play) (Dane coles always seems to be a wing in open play)

I have started an under 10s team up, and I would say about 8 from the 13 children I have , did not play rugby until about 6 months ago. Of these players, there seems to be a lot of potential, as we are scoring tries against teams, that very rarely concede tries.the problem I got with them, is that we are very poor at organising our selves in defense when the opposition has the ball, which does result in us conceding quite a few tries. We have some very good tacklers in the team. Can anyone offer some ideas on how I can get them to organise themselves? Thanks . Chris.

Positional rotation at U9 level... I originally posted this as answer to a question about squad rotation, but thought I might get a better response if I posted it as a question in its own right... I have an 8 year old at the age level you are talking about - he isn't the best player at the club by any means, but has his good moments. He loves watching the game, he has a good understanding of the way it is played (to the extent that he has often shouted at the telly over recent weeks at some of our illustrious stars when they're out of position) and he has good handling skills - to be honest he's just not brave enough in the tackle yet, but I know it'll come so I'm not making a big thing of it. However, he and a couple of others are constantly stuck on the wing, and are getting fed up with the fact that they don't get the opportunity to get involved much. The coaches seem to have their "big names" and as you say seem more interested in the short term aims of winning each game rather than trying to keep the lads interested and challenged each week. I know my son's aware that I think they should move them all around, although I have made a point of not criticising the coaches at all - I think he heard me talking about it to someone else. The coaches have talked about moving players to different positions, but haven't done it, and aren't really receptive when they are asked about it. There are two coaches, and the one that seems to have the "casting vote" is pretty autocratic and doesn't seem to accept criticism or suggestions. My son has mentioned about moving to another club, where he may or may not get more of a chance to shine, but I am not sure this is the right move as it may teach him to give up rather than sticking with something. Any thoughts please?

I just finished my collegiate rugby career. I feel inspired I would love to coach rugby to women in countries that have a lower popularity of women's rugby. How do I get started?

What drills would anybody reccomend to encourage forward running in an u8s side,whilst keeping it fun?Some players tend to crab along the pitch.

I have read U11 RFU rules but would like clarity on the kick off/re-start. If the ball is knocked on at the re-start is it a/ a scrum put in to the team that knocked on, b/ play continues or c/ scrum put in to attacking team? Thanks for any help.

What tactics can be used when chasing a box kick? In addition to the blind side wing chasing the kick, what patterns could be used to regain possession or limit counter attacking possibilities?

My fowards seem afraid to ruck and stand around the ruck while in the way of the scrum half trying to get the ball out to the backs. They also don't support the ball carrier while he is being tackled. Please help me with any suggestions!!!

I need ideas for fun team building activities and any fun games to help towards team building. Has anyone got any ideas on what to do? Anything to spice up rugby training sessions in the dark, cold winter nights.