Rugby coaching drill tips to build a defensive system

As a rugby coach you need a defensive system that you and your players are comfortable with. It needs to be simple to set up and run and must cover the two challenges of broken play, when there's no time to organise, and set pieces.

Building a solid defensive system or improving a sieve-like defence requires time but try using this 30-minute rugby coaching session to make sure you've covered every eventuality for your next match.

Practise principles (5 minutes)

Whatever system you use, you need to deny the opposition time and space. Start the rugby drill by working on:

Line speed.
Maintaining the line.

Work in groups of at least four, with the players running up together in a straight line for no more than 10 metres. Use triggers to bring the players up, such as shouts, or you passing a ball to an imaginary back line.

Broken play defence (10 minutes)

Put a ball on the ground, with two cones either side to indicate the back foot at the ruck, and ask the team to line up. Stand back and adjust their positions.
A basic defence will have a player either side of the ruck with the others spread out to each touchline. Adjust the spacings between the players, so there are smaller gaps closer to the ruck.
Now mark out three or four coned areas to represent rucks. Run to the different "rucks" indicating it is now the "live ruck" and see how well the defence adjusts.
Let the players organise themselves, then feedback on what they could improve.
Next use a couple of players to act as the opposition scrum half and fly half, to pass the ball away from the ruck situation. You can reassess your defensive line speed and how well the defence maintain the line.

Set pieces (5 minutes)

Don't split into forwards and backs for set-piece defence drills. Though each unit needs to concentrate on how they will defend the set piece in the different segments of the pitch, they need to be able to do this together.
For the forwards, lineout and scrum, tactics should have been decided already. But what happens once the set piece is over is equally important.
Whether the team is going to drift or go straight up in defence, the breakaway forwards need to know the roles of the fly half and the blindside winger. Use spare players, such as the openside wing and full back, to run against set pieces to check the system in different parts of the field.

Finishing off: the whole game (10 minutes)

Once you have run through set pieces, finish off with a "keep ball" game of touch, where attacking team must run at the defending team while aiming to retain possession.
Always have the loose forwards (6, 7, 8) and half backs on the defending side.
Stop game to emphasise any coaching points, but otherwise stand behind the defensive team to check for gaps. Restart with dummy set piece plays, where backs and forwards work together.

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Click here for more rugby coaching tips on organising defensive systems.