Slow ball plays

It’s easy to define the length of time before a ruck becomes regarded as slow. It is the length of time it takes for the defence to get reorganised.

At the top level, this is a matter of a few seconds, while at the lowest end of the game, it might not even happen at all.

So, these ’restart’ plays are only appropriate if you are faced with teams who organise their defences effectively.

In other words, they put in place players either side of the ruck and then spread out across the field. 

Against this, try to run the ball any wider than three passes from the ruck and your team will be tackled a long way back from the gain line, with more chances of a turnover against you.

Though you could risk going wide, the most two realistic options are to kick or recreate quick ball. 

Tactically, kicking away slow ball is risky – the defence is likely to be in position to deal with it. It’s always better to kick quick ball.

You can see that you are probably down to one option – create quick ball – which nearly always means that defenders are out of position. 

The most dangerous quick ball is when you are going forward, too. That means you are getting over the gain line, so defenders must go backwards before they can re-position themselves for the next play.

While we would love to be able to penetrate the line with every play, that’s not always possible. But a good dent makes a difference. 

This means the ball carrier at least meets the opposition on the gain line, and, with good footwork, might be able to steal half a metre. Some sides use a ’latch’, where the ball carrier is driven through the gain line.

Whichever one you prefer, you need to have at least one, but preferably two, support players close by to deal with the threats to the ball. That’s why it takes a little bit of organisation. 

You can use this session to improve your play in this area.

Essentials

• A short, fast and flat pass from the base of the ruck
  The ball must be in the air for the least amount of time, and as close to the gain line as possible so the receiver has less distance to travel. The more time in the air, the more chance the opposition has to be in position. It must be straight from the base and not picked up and then passed for the same reason.
• Little or no run up from the receiver
  The receiver moves forward with the pass, not before the pass. This removes some of the risks of timing. It also allows the receiver to be more balanced.