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Supreme Being
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 17/01/2012 20:00:07
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Dear All,
Just a question prompted by a recent email (from Dan, re Smart Sessions) on the subject of offloads. Leaving aside the "how?" aspects for a moment it occurs to me that when teaching the skill one needs to also reinforce context - when, where, & why. In some ways the skills themselves are not very hard to teach, but if players get used to using them in the wrong context (time in the game, field position, numbers in a tackle, direction of momentum, scoreboard, weight of posession in the game, etc.) over a period of time the problem could be hard to curb. Using the right skill at the right time is the key.
Do you have any rules of thumb you like to give your players when looking at the context in which the offload might be appropriate?
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Supreme Being
Group: Administrators
Last Login: 06/01/2012 09:46:25
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| I'm not sure that there are any rules of thumb, other than the offload in union is sometimes thought to be a "risky" option, so one which creates scores or keeps the ball alive when the alternative is a ruck. 1. The offload is best used to break the defensive line, just like in league. That is a player takes a tackle and passes to a supporting player, to exploit the space immediately behind the tackler. Generally the supporting player is running into position to take the pass at pace. The stats at the elite level show that over 50% of tries in the 2005 Six Nations tournament and in the 2003 Rugby World Cup contained at least one offload during their build up. 2. Alternatively the offload is the last chance to recycle the ball before a ruck is formed, but it can be more risky than a pass. An offload into the space right behind the tackle is usually safest. The support is more likely to be there and the opposition further away. However, I think that league players, in terms of the timing and angles of their supporting runs, use the offload to more effect. Moreover, they tend to be more comfortable in the tackle (rucks don't form also) and so keener to look for the offload.
Toby Curthoys
Publisher, Better Rugby Coaching www.betterrugbycoaching.com
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Supreme Being
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 17/01/2012 20:00:07
Posts: 213,
Visits: 505
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Toby, you touch on an important point when you mention risk. It is probably a more complex issue than just not doing it on your own line!
As you note there are what one might call post-line offloads, where contact has been made and the ball carrier manages to get just beyond the tackler, breaking the tackle line (if only by a bit) picking out waist-down defenders & taking the line on with the lead contact point being the ball-carrying arm (low tackle - ready off-load), and pre-line offloads, taking contact but not looking to get across the tackle line, non-ball-carrying arm being the lead contact point for the "flop-back" or "flick-out" or the pre-contact spin and pop on defenders who have over-read defensively.
Whether the offload is a risk or not will depend to an extent on the abilities of your players and the limitations of your opponents.
If we think about offloads postline - after contact physical aspects to consider will include; the ball carry (one or two hands), the type of grip, body positioning, individual's strenghts (height, long arms, power at the contact, good feet, natural bump, good balance, etc), pass types (6 o'clock, spiral, flick, falling), & weight distribution on contact with the ground. Some techniques will suit some players better than others.
The decision re off-loading post-contact should, I would argue, be about the momentum generated after contact - has the ball-carrier got the dominance over the defender(s)? If the ball-carrier has a clean path to off-load the ball then he should promote the ball, nothing breaks defences open better than second phase ball like that as you note. If the ball carrier doesn't have a clear path then work on the next facet of the game, working to get clean ball available for the scrum-half & the team.
The next area is the support players. They have a role to position themselves properly through timing onto the ball both passive & aggressive. This is the physical aspect. However one must also consider the mental aspects - is the support player both confident in the passers' skill level & self-assured enough to attack the ball aggressively OR is he unsure of either or both & just runs as a passive observer keeping defenders slightly interested in him to minimise tacklers on the ball-carrier. Or does not really make a run at all, assuming no offload and preparing to ruck or maul.
I guess it is a question of understanding where the players are really at physically (inc skills wise) and mentally and not where you think they're at, then one can outline a plan/guidelines that suits your players.
You are right in that league players do this better, but then they can commit runners either side of the ball carrier knowing that players will not be needed to ruck or maul if the ball carrier is unable to get the ball away. Perhaps the "support diamonds" mentioned recently in Dan's publication might be a way forward?
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