Defending drill to protect the inside

Set-up

A 10m by 20m box with two extra cones
A ball

What you get your players to do

Put an attacker with a ball on one corner, and a defender on another - as in picture 1. Get the attacker to walk across the edge of the box until you blow the whistle. On the whistle he runs into the box, aiming to score in either 1,2 or 4 point zones - as in pictures 2 and 3. At the same time the defender comes out. He must touch the attacker with two hands on the body before he reaches the scoring line. The attacker can hand off the defender.

Look for

The defender turning his shoulders so can easily be stepped on the inside. He should keep inside the attacker. The defender planting his feet. He needs to keep moving forward, if only with short steps.

Development

Swap directions (protecting inside right, not inside left). Use two attackers and two defenders. Adjust the lengths of the box. Move to full tackling, but it is about footwork more than the tackle.

Notes

Queue up no more than three players as attackers or defenders. With more numbers, run two boxes. Make sure you match up the players, say prop against prop, before challenging different positions.