The chip and chase made simple

The session

What you tell your players the session is about

1. Increasing attacking options against a flat defence.

2. Communication between players, the chipper and chaser.

What you tell your players to do

1. Fix the defender by feinting and start to draw the tackle.

2. Drop the ball onto the foot so your stride is not broken.

3. Kick the ball on its point to get height quickly.

4. Keep your head down over the ball.

5. Chaser: try to gather the ball on the full. Run where you think the ball will land, not behind it.

What you get your players to do

The following three practices can be used to build the techniques and skills required.

Practice 1: The simple chip. The player moves forward to the tackle line and aims a chip kick (no higher than just over the cross bar of the rugby posts) to a receiver waiting 10 metres away. The receiver gathers and they swap places.

Practice 2: The chip over a static defender. A chaser runs alongside the kicker and tries to gather the chip before the ball reaches a line 10 metres away.The defender can jump to block as the players develop.

Practice 3: The chip and chaser "live". A defender and two attackers start 20 metres apart in a channel no wider than 3 metres. The two attackers have to beat the defender. If the ball is chipped, it is allowed to go outside the channel.

Developing the session

The training session can be developed by making the channel wider and having two defenders and three attackers.

A game situation

The session can be developed further by playing the following game.

Set up two teams in a box with the ball in a ruck, maul or scrum. The ball is passed out. The attack has one chance to break down the opposition line. They can use any normal form of attack, though if this results in a ruck or maul deem the attack to have ended.

Mark out three "chip" zones. Defenders are not allowed into these zones. If an attacker can chip the ball into a zone and a chaser gathers it, then the team automatically scores a point.

If a try is then scored, another point is scored. The "chip" zones can be designated by the attacking side.