Useful rucking drills

Thursday September 09 2004

Coaching

Let's ruck again. The wise old Guru continues to talk about rucking, this time passing on drills which he has found useful.

One of my tasks this year has been to nurture a team whose rucking has been execrable with the result that from tackled ball we give away turnover after turnover. Finally I could take it no longer and went back to basics.

Their first fault was that they did not control themselves in a tackle- they let the tackler dominate and therefore they seldom placed the ball correctly for the ensuing ruck to be successful from their point of view.

Drill: The old one. Place five players holding contact shields in a horseshoe shape each about eight metres from the other. Split the remainder into groups of three, each group carrying a ball.

The first group sets off with the ball, passing it. The first man to the first shield runs into the shield with his shoulder down, pumps his legs, slides to ground, placing the ball an arm's length from his body (coaches argue about where exactly it should be placed - close to the body or an arm's distance). No.2 of the group scoops ball up and passes to No.3 while running at the next shield. He hits shield, drives it back while placing the ball for his partner who picks it up and passes.

Meanwhile the second group has started its run. They run the shape of the horse shoe - obviously from the middle of the horseshoe down the second leg of it. The bags are facing the other way. At the last shield, the ball is placed. The next man picks up and passes to the third man and he grubbers to the goal-line for his partner to collect and score

(It adds a bit of fun and variety).

When they have mastered the placing of the ball, you change the drill slightly. Now the first man before making contact with the shield must side-step before contact so that the shield carrier has to move to him to hit him, simulating the game situation where the ball-carrier should try to put the tackler at a disadvantage so that he can place the ball where he wants to and not where the tackler wants him to. Dominate the tackle!

Their second fault was that they went feebly into a ruck situation clinging rather limply to their fellows rather like a strand of wisteria hanging over a garden fence. Furthermore, it is my opinion that the most important part of a ruck is its prelude - the placing of the ball, and whether I like it or not, the clearing out of the players in proximity to the placed ball and our attempts at this were pathetically futile.

Drill: Have one ten-metre square marked out with cones; one man in the middle carrying a contact shield. The rest of your team distributed on the sides of the square. One man comes into the square to engage the shield carrier. His task is to drive the shield carrier out of the square. He does this by coming into him in low body position, pumping his legs, taking small strides, binding all the time on the shield. The shield-carrier does not stand meekly by but also tries to drive the clinging violet out of the square. When either one is driven out, the shield returns to the middle and then the next man from the next square side comes in to engage in combat. So you work around the square in clockwise direction. When the shield carrier is exhausted, replace him. Body angle is important as is pumping the legs as are keeping on the feet and holding the bind.

Now put two shield-carriers into the square, make them bind onto one another and then send in two drivers at a time from the same side of the square to run in, bind together, and drive the shields out of the square, with opposition from the shield-carriers, of course.

This drill alone worked wonders for our rucking but I felt it necessary now to develop this further.

I consider the most important part of rucking is the clean-out and I believe that should be the object of the first two people to the tackle, be they forwards or backs. They clear out the closest opponents. The next two come in almost simultaneously, if possible, linking together and driving beyond the ball placed so neatly on the ground.

Drill: Much the same as the 1st one. A double line of shield-carriers, each pair standing shoulder to shoulder, plenty of space between the pairs. Groups of four, each group with a ball. Group 1 moves towards first shield. The ball-carrier sidesteps and hits a shield; he drives the shield-carrier and places the ball. No.2 and No.3, following closely, clear out the bags and No.4 picks up the ball moving to the next shield where, runners, playing different roles each time, the drill is repeated, with other groups following.

Build up the group so that you have six in it. No.1, hits and places. No.2 and No.3 clear out the two bags, No.4 and No.5 bind and drive over the ball, No.6 picks up and moves to the next shield.

I then moved on to a simulated game which combined defence lines and rucking. Three or four men carrying shields play against the rest of the side. The ball is put into the unopposed forwards' scrum; they heel it back to the scrumhalf, who passes out to his line or back inside to his forwards . The shields are lined in defence and come up in a line to hit the ball carrier and also to block him off from his supporters- they must all come up quickly and smother the ball carrier and his outside supporters. On being hit, the ball-carrier goes to ground and places the ball. The first two closest clean out, the next two drive over and the nearest player picks up the ball and plays either side. The shields must quickly re-align in defence, on side... and so the game continues.

Finally: I was also unhappy with the way tacklers just lay on the ground after completing a tackle without getting to their feet and competing for the ball.

Drill: five tackle bags in single file ten metres apart, held by five players. The rest of the side is split into pairs, each pair with a ball. first pair runs; the man with the ball runs past the bag and places the ball behind it. His partner tackles the bag, gets to his feet, picks up the ball and runs past the second bag, placing the ball. His partner tackles the bag, gets to his feet, picks up the ball, runs past the third bag, placing the ball, his partner tackles the bag, picks up the ball...

Eventually, as they were getting tired, I made them give a mark out of ten to each pair. They had to explain the mark to the pair. It added a bit of fun and interest but also made them concentrate on the basics of what they were doing.

This Saturday we play a side that beat us first time around because they out-rucked us and turned over much of our ball. I cannot wait to see what happens!