Training - attacking lines and rucking

This weeks training at Broom Road saw the U11s joined by one of the proffessional LIONS coaches. With a brief to work on the ruck and our 'lines of attack' and 'getting the ball wide and into space' (at least two passes away), two practice drills were developed which led into some developed game play.

The first drill included working on running forwards with straight lines of attack and making the quick pass to the supporting player. The second drill practised the repositioning of the attacking line after the ruck, working on communicating with team mates and making decisions as to where to reorganise, which side to attack and looking for the open space. This was followed by some specific practise on the correct body positioning at the ruck for both 1 on 1 and 2 on 2 situations, with the emphasis on contesting and driving over the ball after the tackle.

The remainder of the session used structured gameplay to develop and practise these skills, including using a new practise tool, the touch-tackle. To encourage the U11s to look for space through passing of the ball, the games were played 'across the width of the pitch'. All players were encouraged to contest the rucks, working on low body positions and to take time to set the correct lines of running after recycling the ball at the breakdown.

It was fantastic to see all U11s getting the hang of reorganising the line, putting in some great passes, thinking about space and contesting at the ruck with some excellent turnovers won. A big thank you to Ryan for leading the session and for providing some useful drills and developments for the coming weeks ahead. Things to work on include tackling practise (always keeping it in the foreground) and with some specific scrummaging practise, in particular putting the ball in and contesting the hook.

Remember, no training next week. Enjoy you half term break!