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- Herausgeber: Crowood
- Kategorie: Lebensstil
- Sprache: Englisch
Rugby Union Threequarter Play is a technical playing guide that examines the demands of each of the positions in the threequarters, and analyses the specific positional roles and responsibilities. The book will help coaches to place the right player in the right position. It includes the following: Checklist of positional skills and attributes to show what makes a skilled player; Analysis of the position's role within the team; Development of specialist technical and tactical skills; Developing a player's physical and mental skills; Step-by-step drills that can be easily used in training sessions; Material on threequarter players working as a unit and with other positions in the team. A reference guide to Rugby Union threequarter play aimed at all RU players and coaches. Examines the demands of each of the positions in the threequarter line and will help coaches place the right player in the right position. Superbly illustrated with 50colour photographs and 130 play/tactical diagrams. Peter Johnson is currently Manager of the RFU Apprenticeship programme and author of several books on rugby.
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Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2013
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Copyright
First published in 2013 by The Crowood Press Ltd, Ramsbury, Marlborough, Wiltshire, SN8 2HR
www.crowood.com
This e-book edition first published in 2013
© Peter Johnson 2013
All rights reserved. This e-book is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.
ISBN 978 1 84797 525 6
Acknowledgements The author would like to acknowledge the contributions of action photographs from the following Premiership Academies: London Irish, Bristol Rugby and Filton College, Leicester Tigers, Saracens and Oaklands College, Gloucester Rugby and Hartpury College, London Wasps and Henley College, Sale Sharks and Myerscough College, Worcester Warriors and Worcester VIth Form College, Exeter Chiefs and Truro College. Thanks also to Matt Sheratt of Bristol Rugby for his help on the chapter on the Threequarter Line.
CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright
Foreword
1 Introduction
2 The Scrum Half (9)
3 The Fly Half (10)
4 The Centres (12 and 13)
5 The Wings (11 and 14)
6 The Full Back (15)
7 Midfield Play
8 Back-Three Play
9 Developing Backline Play
Glossary of Technical Terms
Index
FOREWORD
by Stuart Lancaster
Understanding positional roles, the job that each player has to do on the field, is an important requirement for any coach. My experience of coaching in the Premiership, of being the RFU’s Head of Elite Player Development and Head Coach of the England team has given me enough insight to say that Peter Johnson’s book is a valuable resource for any coach or player.
I have known Peter for several years, when he was a Regional England Academy Manager from 2001 and since 2006 helping to organize the apprenticeship programme in the Premiership clubs.
This book looks at each position in the threequarter line and deals with the attributes and skills which are required for a player to fulfil that positional role. Peter then considers how a player can develop those skills to become more competent and effective.
As a player, you may already have great coaches helping you; however, you should be taking more responsibility for your own progress. You know how much time you want to devote to improving and how dedicated you are. As a coach, you want to help the players analyse their individual performances, suggest ways of improving their weaknesses, and then supervising that fault correction programme. This book can help the players become self-autonomous and coaches become more knowledgeable and helpful to their players.
Whether as a player or coach, I can highly recommend this book. Good luck with your future in rugby.
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
Core Skills
Every sport has a number of basic skills, with players being selected for a team because they demonstrate these abilities better than others. In rugby union, players are judged on their ability in the basic or core skills of handling, tackling, ball retention, kicking and evasion. In addition, they need to achieve a level of fitness that will allow them to complete their positional tasks throughout the game; they will need to be able to make correct tactical decisions with ball in hand; and they will need to be motivated by a sense of pride in their own performance.
At the highest level of the game, while the core skills requirements are such that any threequarter should be able to play in any position in the back line, there are still certain unique skills demanded of each position. This book examines the specific roles and responsibilities of each of the positions in the threequarters. It is quite likely these days that any back could play at Fly Half, but selectors will still be looking at which of those backs will make the best Fly Half and what will make him better able to fulfil that role than any of his fellow squad members. Success in match play is about getting the right player in the right position.
This book looks at what is required of the player in each position, and the essential specific skills that are distinctive to each position, with a heavy emphasis on the technical and tactical demands and how these can be developed. It aims to help coaches, players and anyone interested in developing an understanding of the role of the threequarters. For coaches and players, there are suggestions on how to develop the requisite positional skills on the training field, with skill practices for specific technical and tactical aspects, showing progressions into the game.
Strength and conditioning programmes are not discussed here but the physical skills for each position can be developed through game-related exercises and some examples are provided. The mental skills discussed are common to all positions but, due to the differing roles and responsibilities of each position, the emphasis changes. For example, decision-making is important for every position, but the Fly Half is required to take more decisions under pressure of time and space, and with a huge amount of cues to filter, than any other player on the pitch.
Each chapter on the role and responsibilities of each positional is divided into five elements: a checklist of positional skills and attributes; the specialist role; development of specialist technical and tactical skills; development of specialist physical skills; development of specialist mental skills. These are followed by two chapters on the mini units of the threequarter line – the midfield and back three – explaining how these operate together in attack and defence.
The final chapter gives advice on getting the whole threequarter line working together. Rather than describing the set piece moves, it presents ideas on how back lines can be developed in an enjoyable way, with more game-related practice.
Ambition, attitude, achievement.
Ambition: ‘Aspire to climb as high as you can dream.’ Anon
Attitude: ‘If it is to be, it is up to me.’ Anon
Achievement: ‘Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow.’ Anon
CHAPTER 2
THE SCRUM HALF (9)
Checklist of Positional Skills and Attributes
Technical
Has a range of passes.Clears the ball quickly and accurately off either hand, from the ground and from the chest.Accurate kicker off either foot to relieve pressure and create attack options.Tackles aggressively to stop forward movement of player or ball.Tactical
Understands the lineout calls, back-row moves and back-line plays and when to use them.Has vision and ability to use blind-side.Makes the right tactical decisions – pass, kick or run.Communicates and organizes defensive screens with loose forwards and others, for example, Fly Half and Blind-side WingPhysical
Acceleration: shows speed off the mark and outpaces opponents. Explosive runner from base of scrums and phase plays (speed and strength).Power: drives through tackles as ball carrier and influences contact as tackler.Strength: is able to withstand contact without detriment to skill levels.High work rate: has endurance, is energetic, is a ‘livewire’.Agility: outmanoeuvres opponents.Mental
Organizational and talking skills.Perky, cheeky, adventurous.Personal impact on game: has positive influence on team-mates, makes big plays, makes team-mates better.Mental toughness: rises to the occasion, has a killer instinct.Determined, competitive.Composure and self-discipline: in control of emotions and distractions, maintains discipline to team plan.Knowledge of the laws.A ‘nose’ for the ball.Good anticipation and ability to adjust to situations.The Specialist Role of the Scrum Half
The Scrum Half is a key player in the team, performing a pivotal role as the link between the forwards and the backs. The position requires someone who is a leader with good communication skills, to boss the forwards in attack and defence; a decision-maker who decides when the ball is produced and what happens next; and a reader of the game, a tactician.
In the chain of command, the Scrum Half is the first decision-maker at the secondary phases. His field of vision is fairly narrow around the immediate vicinity of the centre of action, while the Fly Half has a broader view. The Scrum Half may call for a runner from the forwards to take a short pass and crash into the channel close to the breakdown, but the Fly Half may over-rule the 9’s call, because he can see an opportunity a bit further away from the breakdown, perhaps a gap in the midfield. The backs further out may in turn over-rule the Fly Half’s call, if they see something on for themselves, perhaps an overlap.
As well as possessing the essential tactical and mental skills, a good Scrum Half must also be accomplished in a wide range of technical skills and have the physical attributes to cope with the robust nature of the position.
Ideally, the Scrum Half will be equally skilled off both the right and the left side. However, it is the case that much of the Scrum Half’s activity goes from left to right, so it can be an advantage in the early years of a Scrum Half’s career to be left-handed and right-footed. From scrums, the Scrum Half tends to use the left more often than the right hand, for example, when passing from left to right, but also when passing from right to left, when a pivot pass will often be used. This means that the body is between the ball and the opposing Scrum Half, preventing the possibility of interference. Generally, the only position where a right-handed pass would be made from set-piece play is from a lineout on the right side of the field. From breakdowns, the 9 has a choice.
The right foot is pointing at the receiver, thus getting the knee out of the way and opening up a passing channel.
Note the right foot: to get more length on the pass, many Scrum Halfs will generate more power by swinging the back foot behind them, creating a ‘whiplash’ effect.
Development of Specialist Technical and Tactical Skills
Passing from Set Pieces
Attacking Scrums
At an attacking scrum, the Fly Half has priority if the ball is required. If not, then the Scrum Half organizes a back-row move. An early call is desirable, and all the forwards should know their role in the planned move.
The most important skill of the Scrum Half is to pass quickly and accurately to the Fly Half. Quite simply, if this does not happen, the team’s back line will fail to function. Every good back line is made by a good Scrum-Half pass. Speed and accuracy go together and neither a slow accurate pass, nor a fast inaccurate one, is acceptable to the Fly Half.
The length of the pass should also be taken into account. This will depend on the strength of the wrists and forearms and on getting into the right body position to prevent wind up and back swing.
The obvious advantage of a long pass from the Scrum Half is that it probably puts the Fly Half out of reach of the defending open-side flanker. However, one disadvantage of a long pass is that the outside backs have less space in which to operate. If, for example, the pass is 15 metres rather than 10 metres, that is 5 metres of space they have lost. A Scrum Half needs to be able to pass long, but he must always take into account the time a long pass takes to reach the receiver. Any ‘loop’ on the flight will give extra time for the defenders to come up to and drift on to the receiver. If a long pass will put a runner outside the defence, it must be flat and fast, and travel horizontally, and be run on to by a player going forward at speed.
A throw to the back of the lineout takes out the opposition back row and thus relieves the pressure on the Fly Half ‘s kicking option. The other lineout option achieving the same result is a catch at 4 and a subsequent drive pulls in the back row.
Attacking Lineouts
At an attacking lineout, the Scrum Half is responsible for an early call. Is the call ‘off the top’ or drive or catch and give? If the plan is to get a Centre or Forward to go crashing into the opposition midfield, the 9 should aim for a flat pass to the Fly Half.
The ball is trapped under bodies and the Scrum Half has to go in to pull it out.
Note again the back foot. Although the Scrum Half gets more power and length on the pass, if his leg were following the ball, he would be off the blocks sooner and be getting to the next breakdown quicker.
Decision-Making at Phase Play Attack
Scanning
One priority for the Scrum Half is to arrive quickly at the breakdown. Whilst approaching it, 9 should scan the areas immediately to the sides of the centre of the action to consider the way the defence is organized in width and depth. On approaching the breakdown, the 9 must talk to the forwards and either call a move involving them or let them know where the ball is going.
Shape of the Defence
If the defence is spread out in a single line of players, with little depth, then the Scrum Half can call for a runner from the forwards to drive at the defending line. If a runner can take out a single defender and off-load to a second runner, coming from depth and at speed, then the attacking team has got in behind the tackle line. If the defending players are bunched near the breakdown, the decision should be to move the ball wider to the Fly Half, who in turn decides the next point of attack.
The ball should be pulled back, the player should step back and clear any groping hands to make space for the pass away.
If passing to a forward off the edge of the ruck, the Scrum Half may have to take a couple of paces sideways so that the pass is made to a forward on the gain-line and not behind it. If it is necessary to clear the ball from the breakdown, then it must be done quickly. If the ball is stuck among bodies, it may have to be pulled out of the ruck.
