Twist and shape

WHY USE IT

After the tackle is made, the further away your player can place the ball from the defence, the harder it is for the opposition to disrupt it. Encourage good placement habits with these exercises.

set up

One ball and three cones per player and a ruck pad for the development.

HOW TO PLAY

Activity: There are three placements – sideways, jack-knife and long, with long the best (see top illustration). Get players to lie between three different-coloured cones. You call out a colour and the ball carrier uses their core to shift the ball to that cone (see middle illustration). Spread the cones out at different distances, so some placements are stretches.

Development: Once players are used to placing the ball, get a ball carrier to run into a ruck pad-holder, drive them back half a metre, go to ground and place the ball as far as possible from the support defender (see bottom illustration).

coaching points

• Having gone to ground, the tackled player looks to place the ball long, as far from the defenders as possible, and reducing the width of the tackle gate. Use of the core (middle of the body) is vital.

TECHNIQUE

1. Sideways placement: Easy for more than one defender to come through the tackle gate and steal the ball

2. Jack-knife placement: Narrower gate and more likely to be safe if the tackled player is held by the tackler

3. Long placement: The best option, with the ball placed furthest from the defence, but takes it further from the gain line

ACTIVITY

1. A ball carrier lies between three coloured cones in any direction

2. Call out a colour

3. The ball carrier has to use their core (middle) to shift around so they are placing the ball towards the elected cone

DEVELOPMENT

1. The ball carrier moves forward into the ruck pad
2. They drive forward 0.5m
3. The ball carrier goes to ground and presents the ball, the defender moves forward to reach for the ball, the ruck pad holder moves away