It is important you get your players to consistently produce quick attacking ruck ball. Quick ruck ball is a classic case of the "winning difference", because if your team is winning the ball quickly, your opponents are constantly on the back foot. To produce regular quick ruck ball your rugby players must be better in five crucial areas. 1. Win the contact contest The ball carrier has to win the initial contact contest. He needs to target the spaces either side of the defender and make the defender move. This makes the tackle less effective. Once contact is made the ball carrier has to stay on his feet and drive his legs to get beyond the tackle. This means the defenders around him have to retreat before they can enter the ruck and your players are moving forward. Ideally the ball carrier stays on his feet until his support players tell him to go to ground and drive over. 2. Win the ground war On the ground, the ball carrier must immediately get the ball back towards his team. He has to do everything he can legally to prevent the opposition getting their hands on the ball. 3. Win the hit Support players arriving must be quick to the breakdown. Each player should then target an individual opposition player to drive away from the ball. Your players also need to get lower than the opposition. In training get your players to touch the ground or pick up some grass before they hit every ruck. 4. Win the metres Driving to the ball and then stopping leaves your team open to "counter rucking". That is, a secondary drive from the opposition. The aims of "counter rucking" are to knock back a player protecting the ball and disrupt the scrum half, may be even to result in turnover ball. Consequently, your team must drive beyond the ball. 5. Win the scrum half battle For really quick ball, the scrum half must be at the back of the ruck almost as the ball carrier is going to ground. As soon as the ball is available he should aim to get the pass away. This article is taken from Rugby Coach Weekly. |