Rugby coaching tips for improving attacking skills in your players

This is now not always true and it even appears that some defending teams don’t try too hard to contest for the ball. Those teams rely on sound defence and speedy counter attacks.

Statistically, winning the ball from primary possession provides a team with a good opportunity to breach the defensive line.

However, if this is not successful, the longer the phases go the more time the defence has to structure itself and the greater chance it has to pilfer the ball from the attack.

Six questions to ask when coaching attack

1. If the team wins primary possession, will they attempt a line break or strive to set the ball up (closing down defensive threats) and attack the opposition from resultant ball?
2. Do the skills of the players only allow attack from one side of the field?
3. Are there areas/zones on the field that provide a better opportunity to attack?
4. Is there any identified weakness in the opposition player(s)?
5. How will the team deal with quickly recycled ball as against slow recycled ball?
6. How does the team turn slow ball into quick ball?

Five ways to upskill the attacking abilities of your players

1. Coach decision-making games. Often coaches organise drills where players have to practise techniques, but not decision making. On game day they make the wrong decision because they had no practice at it.
2. Experiment with different starting alignments. This will effectively change the tackle line. With the first receiver starting deep and outside supports standing flat, the outside players will have time. However, if caught, they will be quite a distance back from the advantage line.
3. If the attack is being tackled, bring the first receiver closer to the passer so that they are closer to the advantage line. By running straighter, they will stall the defence and the tackle line will effectively be closer to the advantage line.
4. If the defence uses an “umbrella” strategy have players run “unders lines’” (that is run out and then in towards the defence as you receive the ball) and change the angle of the defenders.
5. Get two attackers to run at one defender so that the defender has to make a decision as to who may receive the ball. If the pass to the attacker occurs within a metre of two of the defender, that player is under pressure to make the correct decision as to who will actually receive the ball.

Don't move the attack back

The mistake that many coaches make when their players are caught well behind the advantage line is to realign the whole attacking structure by moving it back.

All this does is effectively move the tackle line further back and provide the defence with even more opportunities.

Instead, teams need to make subtle changes. For instance, they should consider changing running lines and running speeds to restart the attack.

This article is from International Rugby Coaching.