Rocket ball rugby drill for contact

This rugby drill is ideal for training players to drive through contact situations

What you tell your players this rugby drill is about

Smashing through a tight defence by doubling up into contact.
Better go forward and continuity for the team.

What you tell your players to do in the drill

The ball carrier drives into a defender.
A supporting player drives onto ball carrier. The two attackers' momentum together should drive them through the one defender.
Let your momentum take its natural course. Go to ground only as a last resort. In which case the supporting player must seal over the ball carrier.
Once you go to ground, a second supporting player picks and goes.
Protect the ball at all times.

What you get your players to do

Set up a narrow channel, with three attackers facing one defender. One attacker picks up the ball and drives into the defender.

The supporting player directly behind him, binds onto the ball carrier (never the ball). He pushes ("rockets") the ball carrier through the defender. The ball and players will eventually go to ground.

A second supporting player picks up the ball and goes round into the next channel, where you repeat the drill.

How to develop the drill

Add another defender.
Have two lines of defenders, set about five metres apart, and encourage the three attackers to break through.

What to call out

Some handy pharses to call out to the players to ensure proper technique:

Ball carrier – "Take short steps and get into a low body position for contact."
Ball carrier – "Keep the ball away from the defender into contact."
Support player – "Drive on the hips of the ball carrier. Leave the ball alone."
Ball carrier – "Tell the supporter when to let go of you" (once through the tackle).

What to look for

Players falling over too easily. The ball carrier must accelerate into the contact area, taking a low to high body position into contact.
Supporting players impeding the ball carrier by grabbing onto them, rather than driving them up.

How would I put this drill into a game situation?

Split your players into at least one pair of teams, attackers and defenders, with one more defender on that team. Lay out a box with six lines of cones set out about five metres apart for each pair of teams.

The attackers start from one set of cones, facing the defenders at the next set of cones. Adjust the starting line according to the skill levels of the players involved.

Throw a ball to an attacker. The attacking team has to "rocket" the ball carrier and then pick and go to get over the defenders' line. If successful, the attacking team moves up a line and the defending team back a line, or vice versa if unsuccessful.

What to think about

Key considerations for your team:

When do you want your players to use "rockets" and can they decide this for themselves during the match?
Do you want to use a pre-planned call to signal "rockets," or to use it in a pre-planned move?
Can your players use "rockets" close to a breakdown and/or in the midfield? Can they turn a "rocket" into a mini-maul, to drag in more defenders and create gaps elsewhere?
How, when and to whom do you want them to release the ball?