Elusive line running

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Running hard and straight, before changing angle sharply, can wrong-foot a defence and create gaps to exploit. All players should work on this technique. Elements of this session could become part of your team’s warm-up.

Warm up time: 5
Session time: 8-12
Development time: 8-12
Game time: 8-12
Warm down time: 7

What to think about

If a supporting runner or ball carrier can run straight at a defender then he is forced into making the decision to tackle. Once he is committed to tackling the ball carrier, the ball carrier can then change his line of attack to exploit the space or release a supporting run. The runners should accelerate off their driving foot. This session builds the confidence to be moving faster in the first place, and then change direction.

set-up

Run straight and balanced, while looking for signs to change direction.
Accelerate and attack the gap, even if it closes.

What you get your players to do

Set up the cones as in the top picture. A player runs through a gate consisting of two cones and runs to an indicated cone – which can either be a coloured cone that you hold up or a colour that you shout out. He has to run over that colour of cone. Change the distances and widths to challenge and make different angles. Add more cones and make the players change direction more than once so they might go for one colour and then have to change midway through their run to go for another.

The runner reacts to the visual cue (or you can shout), changing directions to go over that cone.

Development

Set up the cones and ruck pad holders as in the middle picture. The runner comes through the gate and receives a pass. In the meantime, the ruck pad holders run forward and through two of the gates (indicated by you), leaving one free. Develop by taking away the pads and allowing the defenders to tackle the ball carrier if they make it through the gates in time.

Related Files

Advanced-290-elusive-line-running.pdfPDF, 185 KB

The receiver attacks the gap where the pads have not moved into.

Game situation

Set up five attackers and three defenders in the box as in the bottom picture. 9 releases the ball to 10 who has one pass to release one of his runners. One of the defenders, running from next to 9, can only tackle 10. Play full tackling, and allow offloads.

10 has one pass to hit a runner who has angled into the space. He is also under pressure from a defender.

What to call out

“Head up”
“Keep going forward”
“Hips up the pitch and then hips at the gap”

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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