Moves and Plays

Attack-minded rugby coaches look to shift defenders around, to create mismatches, 2 v 1s and gaps through the defensive line. Every team needs an armoury of core backs moves, ruck moves, back row moves and plays from penalties to break down defences and score more tries.

Coaching tips for lineout lifting - The rugby lineout is a key part of the game. Coaching your jumpers and lifters to work together is vital.

Tips to make the most of your game breakers - Some players are dynamic when faced with a broken defence and yet thrown by an organised defence. The following tips can help get them into the game.

Wrong footing the lineout tail gunner - Study their last man at your lineout and you may find yourself changing your strategy early on.

Tips for a chip and chase kick - Make kicking a first phase attacking option.

How to coach a decoy runner - The following rugby coaching tips will help integrate slow players into the wide ball game.

Coaching tips to help when kicking for pressure - We challenge teams to think beyond the adage of "don't let the ball bounce" and change their attacking tactics.

The role of the fly half - Coaching tips and tactics you can adopt to create space, and therefore time, not just for the fly half, but for all your backs.

More coaching tips to create space for your fly half - Following on from The role of the fly half, this article offers further rugby coaching tips to help your fly half create space.

The inside centre's role - A guide to the essential skills and the extra roles required from those playing number 12.

Simple rugby tactics for returning kick offs - Receiving the kick off is both an opportunity and a threat. A poor kick off reception can mean a lost psychological advantage. A solid take can give your team a lift. These three tactics are designed to give you options for what happens next.

Rugby drills to improve communication skills in attack situations - The best rugby players at any level are never quiet in attack or defence and this is essential to team success. Use these rugby coaching tips and drills to boost your players' communications skills.

Rugby drill to exploit the skills of a fast winger - Essential rugby coaching tips, drills and tactics to get your fast winger into the game.

Touch rugby top tips - Playing touch rugby can pay dividends when it comes to full contact matches.

The role of the blindside flanker - You need to blend the talents of three players to produce a back row unit whose whole is greater than the sum of its parts, says Peter Tann.

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

Backs move inspired by Lomu - A backs move inspired by Jonah Lomu, which is great for scoring tries.

How to use the smashmouth bullies tactic - A simple offensive tactic to bully your opponents.

How and when to use shortened lineouts - The when, where, how, tactics and options of shortened lineouts.

Rugby coaching tips to help players develop an offensive move - What to do when your opponents won't be "bullied" by the Smashmouth tactics outlined in the article How to use the smashmouth bullies tactic.

Never say never in your own 22 - Innovation in the way your team plays can be held back by one crucial factor - you.

The best attacking options from lineouts - It's vital you make best use of possession, says Jim Love, head coach of Viadana in Italy.

Rugby tactics to beat opponents' defence - Rugby coaching tips to help you identify your opponent's defensive tactics and refine your attacking strategy.

Rugby defensive tactics when wingers are standing back - If your winger is standing back, there are ways to identify your opponent's defensive tactics and refine your rugby players' attacking strategy.

Pop Cycles - A full session to boost your team's short passing skills.

3 Proven Kicking Tactics to Win More Games - Inexperience and youth are not the only reasons why teams kick badly.

The Dangers of the Offload - An offload is a ball that is passed after the ball carrier goes into the contact. Most commonly a player is tackled and, as they fall over, they "flip up" the ball to a player in support.

Coaching youth rugby moves and plays - Youth rugby has a number of differences from the adult version and requires different strategies. In this article I look at moves and plays.

The Best Sevens Attack in the World - "Score off scrums, stretch the defence from lineouts and breakdowns, then score", says Mike Friday, the highly successful former sevens coach.

Winning - The Stats that Matter - Let the statistics shape your season and your plans for every game.

Eight Tips to Scoring More Tries - Bored of using the same old moves and plays? Then develop some imaginative new moves!

Exeter - A Great Backs Move - A move for the opposition half, but not too close to their line.

Space – The Final Frontier - Players who are able to recognise and then exploit space effectively are highly valuable, but rare.

An Easy Move to Score Tries - A well-executed move can win a match. But this doesn't mean the move in itself has to be complex.

Unstoppable Tries - Can you plan for interceptions?

Beating Defensive Drift - Exploiting gaps in your opponent's defensive line.

Mauling with the ELVs - The ELVs (experimental law variations) are experimental no more. One of the laws causing most controversy concerns the maul.

Scrummaging with the ELVs - The ELVs (experimental law variations) came into force on August 1st. You will have to adapt your coaching, or your team will struggle.

The Scrum Half and the ELVs - How scrum halves have to adapt their defensive duties at scrums under the ELVs (experimental law variations).

The ELVs and Lineouts - The ELVs have resulted in a number of changes to the lineout laws.

Kicking from Your 22 Under the ELVs - When the whistle blows in your next match you'd better be prepared.

Red Zone Madness - Training players to score more tries.

New and Old Ways to Beat an Aggressive Defence - Tactics to put the defence on the back foot.

Attack Doors Not Walls - Avoiding contact can be the key to rugby success.

Turnover Ball - Making the most of the attacking opportunities and limiting the opposition's threat.

Creating Depth from a Flat Line - A problem based approach by Colin Ireland to help players create depth in situations where they start off in a flat line.

How to Win 3 v 2 Situations - Letting your players work things out for themselves is an excellent variation of coaching. Sometimes it works better to give your players the chance to show you what they can do.

The Big Hit Trick - More and more sides are employing this move to create holes in the defensive line. It works by playing on the natural instinct of defenders. That is, the desire to make a "big hit" on the big runner.

Lineout Throws - A great Ford Academy training tip. Please search the site for more clips of coaching drills in action.

The Latch and Drive Training Drill - A great Western Force Drill of the Week. Please search the site for more clips of coaching drills in action.

The Kitchen Sink Training Drill - A great Western Force Drill of the Week. Please search the site for more clips of coaching drills in action.

Up 'n' Backs Contact Training Drill - A great Western Force Drill of the Week. Please search the site for more clips of coaching drills in action

Horizontal scoring techniques - Training suggestions to help players score tries in the corner.

Back line alignments - Rearranging the set up of your backs at scrums can give you a distinct advantage over the opposition. Here's how.

How to trick opponents with a deceptive ploy - Deception is a key element of successful attacking rugby. Looking as though you are going to attack one area, while actually attacking another can cause the defending team to allocate their resources to the wrong place.

Trick to break open your defence - This move works by playing on the natural instinct of defenders: the desire to make a "big hit" on the big runner.
The key is to trick the defender into making the tackle on a player who is not going to receive the ball. Instead, you work the ball into the gap left by the defender, so creating the space to release your quick winger through the defensive line.

Decoy and deception rugby drills - Turn your predictable planned moves into defence-splitting game breakers with rugby training drills using simple variations to the classic scissors move.

Skill set training drill - Rugby games involve a wide variety of skills and plays used in frequently changing situations. Here is a great all-in-one training drill session to test and improve your players’ core skills and techniques.

Draw and pass rugby training drill - Creating and completing a 2v1 situation is a fundamental skill in rugby. Paul Tyler has a drill to help the ball carrier and supporting player win these situations more often.

Drills to improve contact skills - Rugby drills and tips to boost your players' contact skills on the pitch.

Support play options - Make support play more than just about chasing after the ball carrier. Colin Ireland has some rugby drills, skills and tips to highlight the many roles a player may take to support team mates more effectively.

Coaching a circle ball play - Circle ball is a simple play to organise, which can integrate forwards and backs.

Drills to tackle bunching problems - Rugby is a game about space, finding it and exploiting it. Use these training drills to solve the common problem of young players bunching.

Coaching deceptive moves using wingers - Drill your players to use convincing deception ploys to fool the opposition.

Corner ball rugby training game - This rugby coaching game is a real brain teaser, which will appeal to your players while helping improve vital skills.

Rugby moves to create a system for attack -
Players need to know what sequence of different moves are being run. This makes it easier to run the right support lines and break down defences over a series of phases.
This advanced skills rugby coaching session runs a sequence of plays to attack close to the initial point of contact then wide out.

Rugby drill to work on catching a high ball - Most players in the team will have to catch a high ball at some stage, whether from a kick and chase, kick off or drop out restart. If they are not involved in the direct catch, they alternatively may have to support the catcher.

So, although it's primarily aimed at the back three, this rugby drill has benefits for all players.

Rugby coaching tips to train the back row - What do you expect of your back row? An effective back row blends three players whose abilities complement one another. So, a rugby coach needs to be clear about the roles to be played by each member of the unit.

Rugby coaching tips to build a coordinated attacking pattern - One-on-one, your players may use a change of pace or a sidestep to beat a defender. But when there are two or more attackers facing a similar number of defenders, a more coordinated attacking pattern is needed. Use these rugby coaching tips and plays to build moves that suit your team's strengths.

Rugby drills to boost core ruck skills - The following rugby drills aim to improve your players' ability to drive out opponents from the ruck. The objective is to secure quicker, better quality ball for your scrum half.

Ruck tackle turning drills - "Pick and go," the act of a forward scooping up the ball at the back of ruck and attacking the nearest defender, is becoming more common. In return, defences are becoming more sophisticated in dealing with this type of manoeuvre. Use these drills and coaching tips to advance your players' skills.

Decision-making rugby drill for forwards - Despite what the press might say, forwards need to be thinkers. They can't just run into any ruck or maul. They need to consider when and where to add their weight. The following rugby drill is designed to help them build up some rhythm to make better decisions.

Rugby footwork drill for a good step into contact - If the ball carrier is powerful in the contact area, they can offload or maintain possession more effectively but less experienced and younger players have a tendency to fall over or crumple unless they practise good body positions and use a strong step into contact. The following "big step" rugby drill concentrates on improving these footwork skills.

Rugby coaching tips for a dynamic power step - In this version of the power step, the ball carrier must first fix the defender and attack the space to one side of them. The ball carrier's next step is to get their inside foot outside the defender.

Rugby set plays using gates to add match pressure - Unopposed practice drills can lead to poor outcomes. This system, devised by Mark Calverley, an IRB Level 4 coach working in school and club rugby in New Zealand, closely mirrors rugby matches. It forces players to take good options and be accurate in their play.

Drill to make the most of attacks close to the try line - When your players have the ball near the try line you want them to make the most of the position, to score over the line. Which is just what this drill session is all about. It's also a great way to teach your defenders about protecting the try line from the opposition.

Rugby coaching drill for kick offs -
You are guaranteed at least one kick off chase and one receipt in every game. Since they can define the way the game is going to proceed, kick offs are an important aspect to spend time on during your training drills.
Use the following rugby coaching tips to organise and run a 30 minute training drill session focusing on the kick off.

Rugby drill tips for the two-man tackle - If you can get two tacklers in the tackle, you will increase your chances of winning turnover ball. You're both more likely to win the contact contest and more able to compete for the ball. Use the following drills and coaching tips to help advance your players' skills.

Lineout 3v3 rugby drill - To help you build better coordination in your lineout pods, try the following rugby training drill, working on attack and defence.

Rugby drill to coach hit and spin technique - Attack rugby is about attacking the space. However, in close-quarter situations it is not always possible to find space. Instead, attacking players need to make themselves hard to tackle and ensure they can keep the ball alive. Coach the following rugby drill to teach hit and spin skills.

Two v one continuous rugby drill -
One of the staple drills for many rugby coaches is the "round-the-corner" drill, where two attackers run back to a cone each, turn and attack into a box as a defender runs in the opposite direction before turning to defend. But a more effective drill is suggested here to get attackers and defenders working on decision-making skills.

Ruck through the phases with patterns of play - This rugby training drill session is designed to develop your team's play through the phases and improve your players' footwork. It's such a straight forward session to set up that you will be using it time and again.

Rugby drill to work on awareness and vision of the scrum half - Before passing the ball from the back of a ruck, the scrum half has to be able to weigh up the options and make the right decision. He needs to be alert to everything going on around him, including the whereabouts of his team mates, the opposition and the ball. These rugby drills will improve his awareness and decision-making by working on his peripheral vision.

Rush defence rugby drill - So many teams think they know how the rush defence ("blitz") works and yet it is more than just a fast rush up. This rugby training drill session looks at one version of the system, with your players asked to make more than one decision about their defensive roles.

Rugby drills to help players create pace on the ball - Using a one-element rugby drill session is a good solution for an area of the game you have identified as a problem. These drills focus on putting more pace on the ball.

Rugby drill to coach simple loops - Loops are a great way to create an "extra" man in attack. Here's a rugby drill session to help you coach the technique.

Rugby coaching tips for avoiding contact -
Rugby is a contact sport and there are some tactics used to break down a defence for which contact is essential. However, for many teams, the winning difference is the opposite - to avoid contact.

Rugby drill to get players attacking from a penalty - Plays direct from penalties and free kicks are more important than ever. Use the following rugby coaching drill to get your players practising this move.

Rugby coaching tips for jumping - Use the following rugby coaching tips to improve the vertical distance your players can achieve with their jumps.

Rugby drills to prepare the back line - Use the following rugby coaching drills and tips to work on moves for your back line. Ignore the gentle handling moves up and down the pitch and cut straight to the pressure situations your team will face. A key rugby coaching tip is knowing when to turn up the pressure.

Rugby warm up drill for backs - Your backs need to work through their preferred moves before a match. Use these rugby drills and moves for warming up. But check out the state of the ground before you warm up.

Throwers and jumpers rugby drill - If you warm up your players so they are ready to time their jumps and win the ball from the first lineout to the last, you may be making the "winning difference" for your team. This rugby drill is a good warm-up for your thrower and jumpers.

Punch runner tactic - A number of sides are employing the so-called "punch runner" to give the back line more space. This is a great rugby tactic to use with Two waves tactic. Here's my take on it.

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