Pressure contact

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A simple session to start with, but becoming very intense, this works on reacting quickly to different contact situations as well as making good contact. Players need to be secure in their body positions in contact, so this works well after a technical session on body profiling in contact.

Warm up time: 5-7
Session time: 8-10
Development time: 10-15
Game time: 10-15
Warm down time: 5-8

What to think about

Under pressure, players might think they can take shortcuts, especially when tired. This session should point out those shortcuts and eradicate them because players will find themselves less effective if they do so. Also, because the situations are mostly 1 v 1s, there are no hiding places. You can use this session to work on your ruck policies such as do you want to drive past the ball or stay over it?

set-up

Get square quickly, get low and drive up.
Stay on your feet in the contact by looking forward.
Stay active on your feet, take short steps and be ready to change direction.

What you get your players to do

Put two players inside the 5m square with four ruck pad holders on each side of the box labelled A, B, C and D (see picture 1). Call out a letter and that ruck pad holder moves forward. One of the players from the middle of the box has to drive him back out of the box. Call another letter and so on, so the players in the middle have a steady flow of action for 30 seconds. The middle players always have to return to the box before driving back the pad. Then swap players around.

Two players in the middle driving out ruck pad holders who you nominate to come into the square. Continue for 30 seconds.

Development

Put a ball carrier in a 3m square (see picture 2). Put two attack support players in the middle and two defenders at the sides. Shout out two ball carriers to go down (one from either side of the middle line). Those ball carriers fall to the ground, present the ball and the attack support players and defenders aim to be the first player to clear over the ball.

Set up the players in the 3m squares and the sides of the squares.

Game situation

Split into five a side. Put two teams inside a 20m square. Roll a ball to one team and nominate one side of the square as a try line. The player who receives the ball has to present it on the ground and the game continues until there is an infringement or a try is scored.

You shout which two ball carriers to go to ground. The other four players compete to see who wins the battle to be over the ball.

What to call out

“Hips facing forward”
“Dip and drive”
“Don’t lose your body shape”

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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