Support play options

The tendency for support players is to be overly keen and get too close to the ball carrier. So when the ball carrier is stopped or slows down, the support players overrun them and become ineffective (being in front of the ball).

The diamond option

In open play the players should try and achieve a diamond shape of support. This gives the ball carrier options left and right, with a player coming from deeper who can react to what happens to the ball carrier.



Practise this formation in training drills by getting your players set up and running across the pitch in the diamond shape. As they run, the ball carrier passes to either the player on the left or right. The new ball carrier moves to the front of the diamond. The player at the back moves up to take the place of the new ball carrier.

Support from behind: Get “Through the gate”

When faced with a well-organised defence, it is essential that your team supports the ball carrier from behind and in numbers. You can practise this with the following drill.

Set up a gate about three metres wide using poles or cones.

Start in groups of eight, with four in front and four behind.

The ball is passed along the front line to the fourth player who runs through the gate. The support players (the second line of four) follow the ball carrier through the gate and receive a pass. This group then spreads out, running and passing.

Using the gate ensures the support comes from behind and is close to the ball carrier, so the group has options once the defence is beaten.

Options and communication

The ball carrier who takes the ball up to the defence has a number of options. The player can:

• Pass just before the contact.
  
  
• Pass out of the contact.
  
  
• Pass when tackled.
  
  
• Pass if he gets through and beyond the tackle, or run on.

For these options to succeed, the ball carrier relies on communication from the support players telling him exactly where they are and what his best options are. However, the tackle and contact situation is not always predictable, so the support play formation of the diamond enables the ball carrier to release the ball in all possible directions.

Development of “Through the gate”

If you add opponents to the drill and make it full contact, it will improve the communication of the support players, and the decision making of both the support players and ball carrier. It will also give the support players an appreciation of where they need to be positioned to be most effective and how deep they have to be to be able to react to the ball carrier’s actions.

Support in the game

Once your players get the idea of supporting from behind the ball carrier you can start to plan who supports where from each re-start. For instance, in a scrum situation where the ball is moved wide to the winger, the nearest two or three players (other backs) have to become the initial support players. This allows the forwards to re-align and become the second wave of attack.

Practising this is a simple way to start introducing structure and a game plan into your training drills, without taking away the “play” element.