Andy Richards
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Slow ball was killing my side.
On a wet February afternoon on tour in England, it suddenly dawned on me. A major problem with many of my players not being able to produce quick ball from a ruck, was that they were running too straight into contact.
Simply put, running too straight into contact makes it easy for a tackler to tie up the ball and slow down any subsequent ruck.
It also means that unless you have the ability to run over the defender, the attacker will be unable to keep his hands free; they will have little chance to offload out of contact to a supporting player.
The remedy can be difficult at first, especially with older players, because they are in the habit of just charging straight up into a tackle; they will find it hard to change.
This comes from someone that spent most of his playing days, running too straight using brute force to break down defenses.
Now I’m not saying that this approach doesn’t work, but at some stage you’ll come up against a side that isn’t run over easily. That is why I believe it's vitally important young players are coached the correct way from an early age.
A way of getting your players to understand what you are trying to achieve is to have four players stand two yards apart in line facing the rest of your team. Then ask the players what they see? Instead of a line of four defenders, encourage them to see five spaces in which to run.
Have early preseason sessions punctuated with drills that make your players more agile on their feet before contact.
You are not trying to re-teach your wingers how to sidestep; these sessions will benefit all your players, especially your ball carrying forwards.
Getting used to stepping off both feet around a diamond of cones, avoiding contact shields in a confined space and getting players to change the angle to attack the space before contact are all good ways to hammer home the message.
There are many drills that can be developed into games designed to get players away from running too straight into contact.
A coach can sometimes be his own worst enemy when it comes to this subject. We get our players changing the angle before contact, and then we have them charge at a static tackle shield during a drill.
If I’m ever using shields, I now always emphasize running at an angle before contacting the shield. Repetition is the only way to get out of this habit.
This summer’s IRB law ruling (May 2009) with regards to players holding onto the ball while staying on their feet is going to make this all more relevant to players and coaches.
When attacking a defensive line, being able to force defenders to come off their feet to commit to a tackle will stop them putting hands in to slow down your ball.
If you’re looking to play an expansive game, off-load out of contact and keep the ball alive, then it is crucially important that your players understand that everything else that happens after contact depends on what they do the split second before it.
