Centre the maul

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Once a maul starts, the opposition will try to stop it by either packing players in to drive it back or by splintering it into sections. However, if your players can drive in towards the centre of the maul, they will form an arrowhead, which is tough to stop or break up.

Warm up time: 5
Session time: 5-8
Development time: 6-9
Game time: 15-20
Warm down time: 7

What to think about

Most mauls occur from lineouts, but increasingly teams are setting up mauls from slow ball situations at rucks. Players who join the maul should focus on driving towards a point which is about a metre in front of the attack point of the maul. By doing this, they turn their shoulders inwards, reducing the target area for the defence. Mauls should move forward steadily. The ball needs to be at the back of the maul and in easy reach of the scrum half.

set-up

In the maul, drive inwards.
Form an arrowhead formation.
Go forward at a balanced steady pace.

What you get your players to do

Split into pairs. Put each pair 1m in front of a ruck pad holder. They have to drive into the ruck pad together, binding on to the pad and each other. Stand behind and check to see that they are turning into contact so their outside shoulders are not exposed. Develop by having the ruck pad holder drop the pad on impact and try to split the pairing. Add a partner to the ruck pad holder who also tries to split the mauling pair. Finally, add a ball carrier, so that the players can bind over and beyond him.

As the attackers bind on to the maul, they turn inwards.

Development

Put five attackers about two metres away from two ruck pad holders. The attackers drive into the pad holders, and form a maul. As they move forward through the pad holders, have two more defenders come forward to stop them or splinter the maul. Finish when the maul is stopped or it reaches the far end of the box.

Related Files

Advanced-283-centre-the-maul.pdfPDF, 154 KB

The attack drives into the pads, setting up a maul. The non-pad-holding defenders come forward to stop or splinter the maul.

Game situation

Set up six attackers and six defenders (two with ruck pads) as in the bottom picture. Shout which pad to attack. An attacker with a ball steps towards this pad and the attackers aim to drive the ball over the try line behind that pad. In the meantime, all the defenders run round to stop the maul. The attempt finishes if the maul is stopped or a try is scored.

Shout which pad to form a maul on. The attackers aim to drive the ball over the try line behind that pad. The other defenders try to stop the maul.

What to call out

“Heads in”
“Don’t expose your outside shoulder”
“Know where the ball is – communicate”

Dan Cottrell

Dan is a practising RFU Level 3 coach and coach educator. He coaches with the Bristol Bears DPP programme, is head coach of Bristol Schools U18s and the Rugby Performance coach for Bristol Grammar School.

He was head coach of Swansea Schools U15, Young Ospreys Academy, assistant coach with the Wales Women's Team for the 2010 World Cup, director of rugby for Cranleigh School, Surrey. He played for Bath, Bristol, Esher and Clifton, South West division, Gloucestershire and Surrey.

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