I noticed tonight in the 3 on 3 at the end that quite a few potential overlap opportunities were missed from not getting into the right mind set just yet, so here is some food for thought

If you are in the middle and have 2 defenders in front of you then think smart – don’t run at the person in front of you and hope that something will just happen. Rather angle your run a little (don’t go too far and lose the space on the outside) so you are either between 2 defenders, forcing them both to commit, or go towards the winger and try to draw them into the touch. If you then do a quick dump split to the outside then you will have your free space to either score, or at least get the opposition scrambling and out of shape

So in the diagram below B has the ball, aims to dump on the oppo outside body and does a quick split to the left. Provided A is on their game then they want to rush in, do a quick scoop and pop back out to B who is narrow and runs / dives over the line

Remember that when you are retreating in defence you have go in a straight line. This means that you can not change direction until you are in an onside position and not that the line has to be parallel to the sideline

When you are close to your own line there is often a need to cover gaps and ensure the blind side is closed off. In order to do this players need to go back together at a 45 degree angle, avoiding any gaps or dog legs

Remember to push hard for the first few strides to get into position early, communicate with your team mates and be aware of your surroundings

Turn Defence into Attack as quickly as possible

3 Man Powers – keep running at the same defender and remember Dump, Dummy, Receiver

When you are the Receiver start out wide, hold the run to avoid a forward pass and angle to end up in front of the previous Dumper

You might as well run on the angle straight away because most people know what you are doing and if you do it quickly and efficiently enough then it won’t make a difference anyway

The 6 players on the pitch are split into 3 positions – 2 Middle, 2 Links and 2 Wingers

Middles

As the name suggests the Mids are the 2 players in the centre. They do most of the donkey work and are the brains of the operation

Links

These are the speedy little feckers that do all the loops, wraps and backdoor stuff when the Mids tell them to

Wingers

Unlike other forms of Rugby these are not all about speed. In attack hog the touchline, stay behind the ball and catch anything that comes at you. In defence shout at everybody – most tries are your fault!!

For the sake of moves the positions are given numbers and these depend on where you are standing on the pitch. The wingers will be 1s, the links will be 2s and the mids 3s. The difference here is that if, for example, a mid stands in the link position then they can still call themselves a mid, but they are now a 2 and not a 3

If that sounds confusing then just come training more often and it will become clear 🙂

‘Run straight’ can at times be confusing for people new to the game because it doesn’t always mean run parallel to the sideline, but it’s a lot easier to shout than ‘continue along a direct path’!

It basically means take the shortest route to get where you going, whether that is the Sub Box, the Tackle or the Try Line

Putting the ball down correctly is such a vital part of playing well

There are few things more frustrating than working your ass off in a game to make good ground and then lose the ball because of a basic skill error. Refs are usually pretty quick to blow up and award the turnover if the ball is not placed correctly and in the right place

Not just that, but also if you do it right and do it well then it is a huge benefit to your team mates

Rules and Guidelines for the Rollball – Read Rule 9 for more details

• The Rollball must be performed correctly
• Position on the Mark
• Face the opponent’s Scoreline
• Stand parallel to the Sidelines
• Place the ball on the ground between the feet in a controlled manner and either step Forward over the ball, or roll the ball back no more than one (1) metre
• The Rollball must be performed without delay

Keys to a good Dump

• Don’t panic and rush it, slow down as you get close to contact if needs be
• Dictate the contact area, don’t wait to be touched
• Keep your body low so the ball has less distance to travel
• Keep moving after to clear the path for the Half
• If you overstep the Mark stop and go back – don’t risk no-one noticing
• Try planting the ball to the side of the defender
• Make sure you practise planting with both your left and right hand
• Aim to leave the ball as still and square as possible
• Realign and get back in the game as quickly as possible after