Rugby coaching tips on making space to beat players

It's not easy playing in the centre. Some of the specifics are difficult to define, but here is a clever little "adjustment" you can use.

Gavin Henson, the (sometimes) Wales centre, often seems to be at the wrong end of the newspapers in terms of headlines. However, when he first emerged as an international player in 2004 he was a revelation. Not least because of his timing and strength, but also because of his general all-round rugby ability and skills.

Henson is extremely good at making space for himself to beat players. In one Heineken Cup game he realigned himself in the centre just as the ball was going into the scrum. This meant that his opposite number was not looking at him. When the defender looked up again, Henson was coming at him from an altogether different angle.

Centre Shift

With this run, Henson knew he had a good chance of beating the defender with a good hand off, so he placed the ball on his outside arm. As he handed off the player he was then in a position to release an inside runner if necessary. As it was, he broke the tackle and was able to make a significant break through the defensive line.

What I also liked about this move was that Henson remembered to try to beat the tackler before trying to offload. This is a bugbear of mine and something I have often highlighted in Better Rugby Coaching.