Wrong footing the lineout tail gunner

Study their last man at your lineout and you may find yourself changing your strategy early on.

The "first 10 checklist" is where you look for your opponents' weaknesses and strengths in the first 10 minutes of the game. You then call the strategy to deal with it.

The last player in a lineout can be called the "tail gunner". The following tips show you how to adapt your tactics if your opponent plays with a defensive tail gunner.

What can you see: Does their tail gunner chase out into the midfield to tackle your fly half (10)?

YES: Call a back peel move at the next lineout. The ball is caught at "4" in the lineout. As the ball is turned and brought down by the jumper, it is popped to the number "1" in the line as they are peeling round. The "1" then attacks in the gap at the back of the lineout, created because the tail gunner has moved out expecting to tackle your fly half.

This was a move used quite a lot by the New Zealand team in the 2003 World Cup quarter finals against Wales. Charvis, the Welsh tail gunner, was fearful of what the All Blacks backs might do, led by the talented Carlos Spencer at 10. On more than one occasion Justin Marshall, the New Zealand scrum half (9) found space at the back of the line to break through as his forwards performed the back peel.

NO: Call a flat midfield ball. The ball is again thrown to the middle of the lineout. The scrum half (9) takes the ball and passes flat to the fly half (10) or the inside centre (12) who has moved up quickly from 10 metres back. This takes advantage of the 20 metre space between the two back lines.

Now their tail gunner has to choose between staying in the lineout or chasing into the midfield. Not all sides have a fast man at the back of the lineout anyway. In any event, you have attacking options.

1. Flat off the lineout – a Bath favourite

Bath (the English premier league club) has traditionally had strong midfield runners. Use your explosive runners to smash through the opposition's back line and/or to offload to your back players from the lineout.

2. Flat off the lineout – the tail gunner switch

In a move which I think originated from the glory days of Bristol (the English premier league club) in the 1980s, the flat pass to the
the inside centre (12) is followed by a switch with your own tail gunner. By taking the ball into the open field, your tail gunner is then be fulfilling a key idea in rugby - getting a forward running at a back.

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