Welcome fellow GAGRs, here’s another great article from Dave P. Good analysis that demonstrates how much rugby IQ there is over here amongst us all.
With the Wallabies’ struggles in attack over the past few games I thought I would write an article on the basics of rugby.
Whilst at the elite level rugby is very nuanced, it comes down to two basic principles 1 Win the contest (kick-off / scrum / lineout / tackle) 2 Attack the space (NOTE I said space not spin it wide).
The Wallabies have a solid scrum (especially under current law applications), the lineout is becoming more reliable and skills are improving with regard to offloading in the tackle. Kick-offs have remained an achilles heel for more than a decade (maybe someone should tell Joe we have this sport in Australia called Aussie Rules which is basically a game of kick-offs for two hours that he could use some of the techniques they coach in rugby). Our breakdown work has improved at the elite level over the past few years thanks to the likes of Gandalf and Brad Thorn, but in the junior ranks and park rugby needs to be improved. In my personal experience from playing I was never taught at school how to effectively clean out at the breakdown or at club level until I had been playing grade for 11 years. The last couple of years, once I had been taught some basic clean out techniques I was able to become effective at the breakdown and win some turnovers. When my son took up rugby and moved into U8s when they introduced breakdowns into the game his coach did not teach any breakdown techniques at any training session for 3 years, at which time my son walked away from rugby (he did not enjoy sitting on the sideline watching the game). Most commentators talk about the importance of the scrum battle, I am a firm believer that the breakdown battle is even more vital, if you can’t retain or turnover possession you will rarely win.
Once the contest has been won the ball needs to be cleared quickly, either through pick and drive, forward runner or halfback snipe. It is frustrating watching the ball be available and the halfback dither about scratching their nuts before passing the ball against a well set defence.
Run Pass Kick
A term that has come into rugby in the past two decades is ‘playmaker’, generally referring to the player in the 10 jersey. For mine, the ‘playmaker’ is whoever has the ball in their hands, as they are the one who will decide whether to run, pass or kick, regardless of the number (or initials as the ‘tahs experimented with in ’05) on their back. Prior to Eddie’s original run the Wallabies played ‘ball beats man’ rugby. When Eddie got his league recruits they started playing ‘man beats man’ rugby. Man beats man rugby works fine if your players are superior to their opposition, it rarely works if they aren’t. The keys to a successful attack are players running at gaps (not at players), balls being passed in front of the man (it allows for quicker catch-pass and doesn’t slow the momentum of the receiver) with support in close (to clean out if the runner goes to ground) and slightly wider (to continue putting the ball in space). The receiver shouldn’t be receiving the ball flat footed or slightly behind him. Watching the Wallabies the past couple of weeks when they have been attacking the opposition’s tryline, they are running directly at opposing players and either being held up, turned over or penalised when isolated. Contrast this with the Irish try against the All Blacks. The All Blacks had a well set defence of 4 players shoulder-to-shoulder either side of the ruck, Irish halfback passes it to a forward runner (at pace) on the outside shoulder of the fourth player in the line. The player is stopped but the Irish quickly recycle whilst the All Blacks fold around to reset, then send it back towards the position of the first ruck with another runner (again at pace). This player is again stopped, the Irish recycle quickly and go one more phase the same way and score as the All Blacks have been unable to reset in time. A very well-worked try and they didn’t test Einstein’s definition of insanity like the Wallabies tend to do.
Kicking is a much-maligned aspect of the game in Australia as we are not good at it (most of the time). One of our best attacking teams in the past two decades was the 2011 Reds and their kicking was excellent, because it wasn’t about the kicking it was about where the kick was directed and the chase. Too often Australian teams kick for the sake of kicking, rather than to space to allow a one-on-one contest for possession. England, on the weekend were kicking to space with a one-on-one contest the result. If Australia won the contest they were under pressure and gave the ball back to England with time and space to work.
Hoping this article hasn’t been complete babble but to summarise, once you have one the contest for possession, get the ball quickly to space (run, pass or kick), look to make the defenders have to make choices (this can create hesitation and opens up opportunity), pass the ball in front of the receiver and support your teammate.
