Rugby Union E-Book

Peter Johnson

• Herausgeber: Crowood
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 232

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2014

Beschreibung

Crowood Sports Guides provide sound, practical advice that will help make you a better player whether you are learning the basic skills, discovering more advanced techniques or reviewing the fundamentals of your game. Featured in this new, substantially revised and updated edition of Rugby Union are: star tips, kit checks, rules checks and key points; skills and techniques at every level; action and sequence photographs; helpful, detailed diagrams in colour; an introduction to rules and equipment. Aimed at those learning the basic skills as well as those who wish to discover more advanced techniques or to review the fundamentals of the game. Superbly illustrated with 150 colour photographs and 50 2-colour diagrams. Foreword by Conor O'Shea, the RFU Directory of the National Academy.

Leseprobe

CROWOOD SPORTS GUIDES

RUGBY UNION

TECHNIQUE • TACTICS • TRAINING

Peter Johnson

The Crowood Press

First published in 1997 byThe Crowood Press LtdRamsbury, MarlboroughWiltshire SN8 2HR

www.crowood.com

This e-book first published in 2014

Revised edition 2009

© The Crowood Press Ltd 1997 and 2009

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978 1 84797 859 2

Photographic Credits

The author and the publishers would like to thank the following clubs and individuals for kindly providing photographs that have been included in this book: Martin Bennett, Bristol Rugby, Filton College, Gloucester Rugby Club, Leeds Carnegie Academy, Northampton Saints, Saracens Academy, the South-West England Regional Academy, University of Bristol Photographic Society, the Women’s Rugby Football Union and Worcester Warriors Academy.

Thanks are also due to Jane Haslam for taking the photographs which appear on the following pages: 2, 6–7, 14–15, 34–35, 57, 81, 96–97 and 116–117, all of which are © Sundial Photographic.

Line drawings by Andrew Green

CONTENTS

Foreword by Conor O’Shea

Part 1

The Game

1

The Game of Rugby

2

Safety and Injury Prevention

Part 2

Team Play

3

Principles of Winning Rugby

4

Strategy and Tactics

5

Selecting the Team

6

Building the Team

Part 3

Core Skills

7

Evasion

8

Handling

9

Tackling

10

Kicking

Part 4

Set Plays

11

The Scrum

12

The Lineout

13

Restarts

Part 5

Continuity

14

Continuity

15

Defence at the Breakdown

Part 6

The Threequarters

16

Threequarter Play

17

Standard Ploys for Threequarters

18

Counter-Attack from Kick Receipt

Part 7

Physical and Mental Fitness

19

Lifestyle

20

Personal Training

21

Treatment of Injuries

Glossary

Further Reading

Index

FOREWORD

This book is designed to appeal to all players, coaches and spectators of the game of Rugby Union, no matter at what level they play or coach or watch.

It highlights the major aspects of the game and breaks each component down into its technical factors. This will help players take greater responsibility for their own skill development. The benefit to coaches will be plenty of reference material to plan and construct their coaching sessions. It is also designed for the casual or knowledgeable spectator to give a greater understanding of the game and its core, unit and team skills, as well as the principles of play.

Peter’s background means he has a huge bank of knowledge and understanding of the game. He was a school teacher for many years, and became involved in professional rugby when the game went open. He has been a Director of Rugby at professional club level, and a Manager of an England Regional Academy. Peter is currently internal verifier to the RFU Apprenticeship scheme.

I believe this book is a valuable addition to our literature on Rugby Union, and I have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone interested in improving as a player or coach, or to anyone who wishes to understand the game in greater depth.

Conor O’SheaRFU Director National Academy

CHAPTER 1

THE GAME OF RUGBY

The main purpose in playing rugby is to have fun. The enjoyment factor should be the main emphasis of coaches and parents, no matter what the level of rugby.

Rugby Union is a competitive, contact game, but players and coaches should never forget it is also a game which involves co-operation. Fifteen players work together to achieve victory by scoring more points than the opposition, and they also collaborate with the opposition. Two teams meet at set times to test out their skills and organization against each other within the laws of the game. Since there are so many complex situations with thirty players on the field, there is, and must be, refereeing by consensus. The players have to be self-disciplined.

The Laws and Playing of Rugby

First developed in the nineteenth century when a schoolboy at Rugby School picked up the ball and ran with it during a football game, the modern game of rugby is governed by laws that can appear complicated for the casual observer. At its simplest, however, the game is about running, handling, tackling and kicking with an oval-shaped ball, and using these skills to score points.

The game is played by fifteen players on each side, comprising eight forwards and seven threequarters, or backs. The primary role of the forwards is to provide the ball for the backs to use. Replacement players are permitted, to replace injured men, and tactical substitutions can also be made. The number that can be replaced on each side varies according to age group and competition level. In National League Rugby in England, for example, four replacements are allowed, while up to seven replacements can be used in under-21 rugby.

For ease of identification for spectators and team-mates, each team wears different coloured shirts. In the event of teams having similar or clashing colours, the home team must change its colours.

Points are scored in a variety of ways. A try – when the ball is grounded in the opposition’s in-goal area by a player from the attacking team – scores five points. Two more points can then be scored by the attacking team going on to kick a goal, spot-kicking the ball over the bar and between the upright posts. The kick can be a place or drop-kick and is taken in-field and opposite where the ball was put down in the in-goal area. The converted penalty kick has become increasingly important in the game as defences are better organized and more difficult to break down.

A further kicking option is the drop-goal, which is worth three points. In some circumstances, this can be an easier option than running with the ball to score a try.

As well as the thirty players, there are three match officials in each game. The referee keeps the score and time and applies the laws, and two touch judges decide when and where the ball goes out of play. In higher levels of rugby the touch judges also help the referee spot infringements and decide on off-side lines, indicating these cases by holding up a flag. The referee blows a whistle to start and finish the match and for infringements of the laws. He is the sole judge of fact and has the power to send off players for repeated technical infringements or for dangerous and violent play. He can also penalize dissent from players by giving the opposition an extra 10 metres.

KIT CHECK

The goal posts and any barriers close to the field should be padded. Creosote mixtures to mark out the field and organic fertilizers should be avoided.

The field of play is shown in Fig 1. After the choice of ends, based on the toss of the coin, play starts with a kick-off from the halfway line in which the ball must travel at least 10 metres. If it does not travel this far, but the receiving side decides to play it, then play continues. If the kicking side plays it first then the opposition have the option for the kick to be taken again, or a scrum on the middle spot.

Fig 1 The playing area.

Eight forwards from each side participate in the scrum. They bind on to players of their own team and pack down against the opposition, meeting at the front row of three from each team. The middle player in the front row is the hooker and he has a prop forward on either side of him. They engage through the shoulders, and the head of a player in the front row must not be next to a player of the same team. The second row generally consists of two lock forwards , who prevent the scrum being pushed back by locking out, and two flankers, who defend opposition attacks close to the scrum or support their own team attacks. At the base of the scrum is the No.8, who also has an offensive/defensive role.

Scrums are held on the 5-metre line in front of the goal-line, when the ball has been carried into the in-goal area by the attacking team, but a try has not been scored, or when the ball is carried over the goal-line by the defending side and then grounded. In each case the attacking side puts the ball into the scrum. Scrums are also awarded for a forward pass or a knock-on, which occurs when the ball strikes a player’s hand or arm and is propelled forward. (If the strike was unintentional and the player recovers control of the ball before it hits the ground, however, the ball is not a knock-on.)

A scrum is formed when, after a tackle, the ball becomes dead and does not emerge into play. The laws demand that the ball must be played away from contact situations, in order to prevent the ball dying. The onus is on tackler and tackled player to roll away from the ball and make it available and neither player is allowed to play the ball again until regaining their feet. If the referee decides the ball cannot be played, and no one in particular is responsible for the stoppage, he has to decide who puts the ball in the scrum. If the ball was held off the ground, he will decide that the ball carrier should have made it available and award the put-in to the opposition. If the ball was on the ground and the ball carrier was doing his best, he will give the ball to the carrier’s side.

Another set play on the field is the 22-metre drop-out, ordered after the ball has been taken into the in-goal area by the attacking side but grounded by the defence. This drop-out can be taken anywhere along and inside the 22-metre line.

From inside his own 22-metre line a player can kick directly to touch. Outside of his own area, the ball must first bounce in the field of play before going into touch. If the ball is kicked directly into touch outside the 22-metre area, the non-offending team have a lineout opposite where the kick took place.

If the ball carrier is tackled into touch, then his side do not get the throw-in in the lineout. If a team kicks the ball into touch, that team cannot then throw the ball in. If a penalty has been awarded, it is permissible to kick directly to touch from any area in the field and get the throw-in.

When a lineout is formed, all members of the lineout must be between the 5-metre line and the 15-metre line and the ball must be thrown at least 5 metres. If the ball is knocked-on in the lineout then a scrum is formed on the 15-metre line.

Players make progress towards the opponents’ line in a variety of ways. They can kick for territory or run forward with the ball and make it available for a support player when they are tackled. One of the difficult concepts for younger players to understand is how you can make progress if you can only pass backwards; not much progress would be made, if a player were to run 2 metres forwards and pass 3 metres backwards, for example. One way of explaining this is that a team makes ground by running 2 metres forwards but passing only half a metre backwards.

Another difficult law for the beginner to understand is the off-side. A player is off-side if he is in front of the ball when it has been kicked, touched or is being carried by a player from his own team who is behind him. He will be penalized only if he tries to obstruct the opposition, or moves forward, or if he makes no effort to retire when he is within 10 metres of an opponent who has retrieved a ball kicked to him. Players are off-side if they are not in the lineout and are within 10 metres of the line of touch or if they are not in the ruck and maul and the offside line at the scrum is 5m behind the hindmost foot.

A ruck occurs when the ball is on the ground and one or more players from each side make physical contact over it. A maul is formed when a ball carrier stays on his feet, the ball does not touch the ground and one or more players from each team close around him.

CHAPTER 2

SAFETY AND INJURY PREVENTION

Prevention through Fitness

Injuries are inevitable in rugby union, either self-inflicted (for example, ligament strains or muscle pulls) or as the result of an impact with another player.

Fit players who have a good aerobic and muscular endurance base and who are strong and supple are less likely to be injured than those who are unfit. Injuries caused by contact between players can be reduced if players use correct techniques when making contact with the ground, tackling, scrummaging, rucking and mauling, and if they work hard to strengthen the vulnerable neck and shoulder muscles.

Prevention through Preparation

Players can also reduce the possibility of injury with a good warm-up, which consists of a set of activities to help the body adapt from a resting state to an optimal state of readiness to play. Muscles work more efficiently and are less prone to damage when they are warm.

During a warm-up the intensity of exercise should be gradually increased so that, by the end of the warm-up, the body is working at the level at which it would have to work in a game. Warm-ups should include the kind of movements that feature in the game itself, including side-stepping, jumping and passing. This can help the player prepare mentally as well physically. The ball should be used at most stages of a warm-up.

This is an example of a 20-minute warm-up:

•   Phase 1: slow jogging, stop, turn, at a low intensity, skipping, backwards and sideways jogging, passing a ball in 4s. Stretch calves, hamstrings, quads, hip flexors, lower back. All stretches held for 5 seconds.

•   Phase 2: faster jogging, striding out, changes of direction, high knees, heel flicks simple ball running work. Stretch calves, hamstrings, quads, adductors, hip flexors, lower back and gluteals. All stretches held for 10 seconds.

•   Phase 3: striding out followed by acceleration sprints, specific movements, grids, touch. Stretch calves, hamstrings, quads, hips, adductors, hips and gluteals. Stretches held for 15 seconds.

After the three phases, players should return to some high-intensity sprinting activity and perform specific movements such as lineouts. Threequarters will run through moves, hitting tackle shields, to ensure full readiness for the game.

The cool-down is the process by which a player helps the body to adjust gradually from exercise to rest. One of the main causes of muscular soreness and stiffness after a match is the accumulation of waste products, particularly lactic acid. Light activity can help in the removal of these waste products from the body, thus reducing the stiffness and soreness. Muscles are much more responsive to stretching after a good warm-up, training session or match and tend to remain at their stretched length better. Stretches in the cool-down period should focus on the major muscle groups used and can be held for longer than in the warm-up.

Prevention through Protection

A properly made mouthguard is an essential piece of equipment for the rugby player. It should provide protection for the teeth, the soft tissues of the face and the gums and will also help prevent concussion. The habit of wearing a mouthguard should be encouraged among all players from a very young age. Custom-made is the only type of recommended mouthguard.

Other equipment might include shoulder pads, headgear and fingerless gloves, and all these items must bear the IRB approval mark.

KIT CHECK

•   A player must not wear shoulder pads of the harness type. The only protective clothing allowed are RFU- approved scrum caps.

•   The studs (sprigs) on a player’s boots must conform to British Standard and are distinguished by the kite mark on them. A single stud at the toe is prohibited.

•   Wear gum shields which have been properly fitted by a dentist.

•   Use swimming trunks under shorts rather than ‘jock straps’, which can cause genital injuries.

•   Players should not wear dangerous projections such as buckles or rings.

Boots should be comfortable and strong enough to support the ankle and Achilles tendon area, but they should not rub the bones or tendons. Studs must conform to International Rugby Board’s recommendations and should be checked regularly for uneven wear. Loose studs are dangerous. A stud lost during a game can often be the cause of an ankle injury.

It is advisable to have an anti-tetanus injection before playing rugby and to have a regular booster as advised by a doctor.

Self-Discipline and Dangerous Play

Self-control is all-important in a contact sport, and retaliation must not be encouraged by emotive words and phrases and abuse of the referee by players or spectators.

Punching, kicking, tripping an opponent or stamping on him is dangerous play and will be penalized.

Late and early tackles, tackling a player above the line of the shoulders, tackling a player whilst he is in the air and charging a player without making an attempt to grab him are all deemed as dangerous tackles.

Collapsing the scrum, taking an opponent up and out of the scrum, or charging into a scrum are also illegal because they are physically dangerous.

Safe Techniques

Fig 2 Tackling.

Fig 3 Rucking.

Fig 4 Scrummaging.

CHAPTER 3

PRINCIPLES OF WINNING RUGBY

Win Primary Possession

Kick-offs, scrums and lineouts are different ways of restarting the game. They are called primary or set phase areas of the game. If the ball is won cleanly and delivered as the platform is moving forwards, there is a good opportunity to make use of it.

The team needs two or three lineout forwards, who can win their own ball, and an accurate thrower. The forwards must be able to form a stable scrum to resist the opposition’s attempts to push them back and disrupt their possession.Receiving and chasing kick-offs must be well organized.

Delivery of the Ball

Lineout forwards vary the timing of the release of the ball to create uncertainty in the defence. Sometimes, the ball can be caught and driven before releasing the ball. This commits the opposition back-row forwards to resisting the drive. Sometimes the ball can be deflected off the top of the jump to the scrum half, to give a very quick ball to the backs. At the scrum, Channel One ball (emerging between the legs of the left flanker and left lock) is quicker than Channel Two ball (emerging at the legs of the No.8 who is propping between the two locks). Ruck ball tends to be delivered faster than maul ball.

Score Tries by Moving the Ball

Good ball should never be wasted: players should always attack. Players must be able to pass accurately under pressure. A side needs at least three runners with pace, and it is the team’s aim is to get the ball to them.

Fig 5 Mark Easter winning the lineout for Northampton Saints.

Fig 6 Leeds Carnegie destroy the Worcester scrum.

Fig 7 Score tries.

STAR TIP

Teams will be more effective if 9 and 10 are put in an armchair. Half backs know that they want a fast ball or not at all. Scrum halfs should therefore be assertive. His communication, however, must be slow and controlled so that the pack do not get panic messages and get flustered.

Richard Harding

(England)

Fig 8 Charlie Armstrong of Truro College heading for space.

Fig 9 Pat Sanderson of Worcester Warriors drives forward.

Have a Selection of Moves

Understand the options available in different parts of the field from the various types of possession. The players must be familiar with the moves and patterns of play. The strategic and tactical decision-makers are at half-back. Does your team have these people?

Go Forwards

Gain ground. Get a ball carrier behind the defence. A team that is tackled in front of the gain-line has the advantage of the forwards being able to run ahead to ruck or maul and be dynamic. The opposition is on its heels, whilst the attacking side is on its toes.

Support the Ball Carrier

The ball carrier should have immediate help, if required, and passing options on either side of him. The ball carrier must not get isolated. If support is not close, he should go looking for it. Support players require an understanding of body language – knowing whether the ball carrier will plant the ball on the ground or pass it – which will be learned in practice.

The players must be physically fit to be good at support play, but getting immediate support also demands formal communication so that the players know in which area or channel of the field the ball is to be used and the breakdown planned. The wider the ball is played from the forwards, the fewer can get to the breakdown, and the harder it is to retain the ball. The further behind the gain-line the breakdown occurs, the more difficult it is to retain the ball; the further in front, the better.

Disorganize the Defence

A team needs players who can take the ball into contact to disrupt the defence, and players who are able to react to the disorganized defence.

Retain Possession

Ball retention at contact is the key to success. Much depends on player attitude, skills and tactics. The ball carrier must be aware of his responsibility which ends only when he makes the ball available to another player. Much depends on his work rate between the point at which he is tackled and when he hits the ground.

The ball carrier needs to be able to recognize high-risk situations. He should take care not to take the ball too far, put effort into retaining possession, and be calm on the ball.

A team’s options are to pass, run or kick. Which is best for your team, if you wish to succeed in ball retention?

Continuity is the Key

Recycle the ball quickly in contact situations. Sustain the attack. The speed of delivery of the ball in the tackle to the next wave of attackers depends on the determination of the ball carrier to get the ball back in a controlled fashion and the speed of the support players to the breakdown.

Communication

There should be lineout signals, and coded calls for moves in the threequarters. The back row should be told where the threequarters are going to strike so they can make their way to the estimated collision point. Threequarters should be told where the ball is to be thrown in the lineout. The back row should tell the threequarters if they are doing a back-row move. The fly half should override back-row moves if there is a clash. If kicking, the chasers must be told. In defence, there should be communication between players so no one is in doubt about who is going to tackle which opposing player.

Head for Space

Space always exists on the pitch, but it gets moved around. There is space between defenders, on the edges of a group of defenders, behind and in front of defenders. Move quickly into the space in front of defenders. To turn defences, kick the ball into the space behind defenders.

Recognize the shape of the game: if the defence is spread, penetrate by attacking the space between defenders; if the defence is concentrated, outflank it.

The ball carrier bases his decisions on the distribution of the defenders. Split fields, as in the case of a midfield scrum, give the attacking side more options and the defence is spread over a wider area.

Kick Only When Necessary

The team should have a kicking strategy. For example, long tactical kicking down the tram-lines forces the opposition to find touch. It can win distance, and your side can recover the ball by gaining the throw at the resultant lineout.

It is important to follow all kicks in organized depth to pressurize the opposition. Tackle them deep in their own territory or force a mistake. Tactical kickers at fly half and full back are needed.

Fig 10 Mark Hopley (Northampton Saints), the ball carrier, being closely supported by Ben Lewitt.

Fig 11 Carlos Spencer makes a tactical kick into space.

Kick Goals

Goal-kickers win matches. Is there a goal-kicker in the team?

Pressurize the Opposition Ball

Go forward to defend. Defend your own 22-metre area as if it were your goal-line. A tackle should be a means of winning back the ball. All players must be capable of making offensive tackles.

Each player should understand the defensive organization and his role in it. Does the team have the ability to spread defenders across the field who are able to defend their own channels?

Cover Back as a Scramble Defence

If the ball has been kicked behind your own defence, players must get back quickly between the ball and their own goal-line.

Play with Confidence

Do the players have the necessary mental skills? Are the players patient or do they panic? Do they have confidence in the game plan and their own ability to cope with it? Are they positive? Do they recognize the difference between a risk and a gamble? Do the players support each other’s mistakes and encourage each other?

Self-Discipline

Do the players know the laws? Can they keep their mouths shut or do they upset the referee? Do they retaliate if provoked?

Change Gear

Do the players change gear at breakdowns? Do they lift their game at key times and positions? Do they turn 50/50 ball into 60/40 ball?

CHAPTER 4

STRATEGY AND TACTICS

Preparation

Team preparation is the responsibility of the coach and poor preparation will lead to a poor performance. For the coach, the most exciting part of rugby is putting together a range of options, patterns of play and contingency game plans that are suitable to the individual and unit skills of his team, in order to produce a winning combination.

In order to achieve success, the coach has to make every player in his team aware of his positional role, its requirements, why he personally has been selected, his potential contribution to the team, his own limitations and what the other players of his team are capable of doing.

Strategy

Strategy dictates the pattern that the players are trying to execute. It is based upon an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the team. A team’s style of play depends on the individual and collective skills of the players and units. The first decision – which channel to strike in – is taken at first phase. Other decisions involve how to recycle the ball (ruck or maul), how to play after a breakdown (again, which channel to strike in) and where and when to kick.

A game plan is part of the strategic plan. It is designed for a specific game, when the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition have been analysed.

Tactics