Rugby coaching line speed tips

In Holding the line rugby drill, I showed you how the defence must work together as a straight line. Now, the players can progress to improving their line speed as a group.

Defenders must all move at the same speed. Any player moving at a different speed to the rest of the line will create gaps that the attacking team can easily exploit.

The picture below shows clearly what happens when a player moves up faster or slower then the rest of the line.

Key rugby coaching tips for alignment

Players moving up too quickly are usually over eager to get to their opposite man and make the tackle. They will often tell you they were looking for the interception.

Put them in charge of the defensive line. They then have responsibility for ensuring the line is straight and moves up as a group.

Players dropping behind the line are usually tired, unfit or just the slower members of the team. Get slower players closer to the breakdown where they will be less exposed.

If they are in midfield, then the rest of the line must move up at their speed, however slow it is.

The straight line is more important than moving up quickly.

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Click here for rugby coaching tips to get players working on a spread defence.