Contestable kick-offs

Kick-off 1

• 11 and 4 compete for the ball
• 12 and 6 will track to re-gather any knock downs
• 10, 15 and 14 will fill the backfield for kick return opportunities

Kick-off 2

• 15 and 7 compete for the ball
• 9, 1, 3 and 2 track to re-gather any knock downs
• 10, 11 and 14 will fill the backfield for kick return opportunities

Kick-off 3 

• 14 and 8 compete for the ball
• 13 and 5 will track to regather any knock downs
• 10, 15 and 11 will fill the backfield for kick return opportunities

Key skills

• Drop kicks for 1 and 3 need to have a flatter trajectory for the wide players (11/4 and 14/8) to attack from out to in, in order to have an advantage over the stationary opposition.
• These are the most difficult to execute and require practice because there is little room for error. You risk giving up an attacking midfield scrum, if it fails to travel 10 metres, or a lineout if it lands directly in touch.
• The drop kick for 2 needs to be lofted with enough hang time for 15 and 7 to attack.
• The players in the roles of 11/4, 14/8 and 15/7 can change, depending on the specific skillset of your players.
• Place 9 centrally behind the kicker so the opposition can’t easily read which one of the three kick-off options the team might use.

When should a contestable kick-off potentially not be used?

1. If your kicker can’t be consistently accurate with the shorter kicks, you run the risk of the ball not travelling over the 10m line, which will possibly result in an opposition attacking midfield scrum back on the halfway line.
2. If you are defending a narrow lead with the game nearly over, a deeper kick-off for territory will be more beneficial, giving the opposition more distance to your try-line to score a try or kick a penalty.
3. Through analysis, you might be aware that if you kick-off deep into the opposition’s 22 they might normally kick the ball back. This might be deep or into touch, giving you a kick return or lineout opportunity to exploit.