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LOGINMaking your 10 bring players into the game
Former Harlequins coach and Wales fly-half PAUL TURNER on the 10’s vital role in ball distribution and creating a range of threats to keep defences guessing.
The fly-half is the ultimate distributor of the ball - statistically, they will receive the most passes and what they do with the ball shapes the way a game is played.
This includes bringing players into the game - giving the ball to them at the right time so that they can make a difference at the tackle line. It might be a pop ball to the inside centre, a miss pass to the outside centre, or an inside flick to the blindside winger.
Also key is using the bigger carriers to go forward and create momentum for their side. Their manipulation of heavier forwards is vital to the team’s success.
The passes made by the fly-half make the receivers play, giving them confidence to be more involved in the game.
Imagine a winger who rarely sees the ball. Their first touch of the ball might be catching a high kick. They need to have a chance to show what they can do, and this can’t wait until sometime in the second half.
The fly-half plays a game of draughts, taking opposition players out of defensive positions and then manipulating the space created.
They do this by putting ball carriers into one area and then playing into the space that has been created. They bring in different players to probe and attack.
Key questions for the 10
- Which of my players are comfortable carrying into contact and which will want to attack space?
- How can I bring all the backs into the game in the first part of the match?
- How can I shift the point of contact so that the defence is stretched in the next phase of play?
- Which plays do I need to be flat to the line and which do I need to be deeper?
Manipulating defences from 10
- From the set-piece scrum, 10 uses 12 to drive close. It could be with a pop ball, like an ’unders’ or ’in’ attacking line, or a simple switch
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- From the next ruck, they use 15 in a wider channel, spreading out the defence and creating a bigger blindside
- In this way, the 10 has created spaces to attack and brought four of their five backline players into the game
- With quick ball from the ruck, 10 takes the ball back the other way, using 12 and 11 to attack the blindside
Paul Turner
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