Contact confidence: touch-tackle-ruck

I have found that, using the following progression of activity, players develop contact skills together.

You can adjust the pitch sizes and timings to suit your players.

1. Touch, then tackle to the ground

• Start a game of touch, with the ball being passed within two or three seconds of the touch.
• Add the touch-tackle, where both players go to ground, head to head, before the ’tackler’ kneels and the ball carrier stands passively, permitting the tackler to make the tackle.
• The ball carrier makes a presentation backwards towards their own line.
• Another player moves forwards and passes the ball to another player, and the game continues.
• Repeat until a knock-on or other mistake gives possession to the other team. If no mistakes occur, you could limit the number of touch-tackles before a turnover.

2. Touch, crouched tackle, ruck

• Encourage tackling from a crouched position.
• As above, but introduce the concept of the ruck by getting a player from the attacking team to crouch over and secure the ball before a player moves in to pass the ball away to another player. The game continues.
• Get a player from the defending team to resist the attacking player positioned over the ball. Now you have four players involved in a fairly passive ruck.
• Gradually allow and encourage the two players on their feet to contest at the point of contact.
• Encourage the tackler to release the tackled player, get to their feet and add their presence to the contest.
• Build up the numbers in the ruck as their abilities improve. At times, limit the numbers in the ruck when things become messy. Go back and build again.
• Encourage the quick movement of the ball away from the breakdown rather than engage in a massive and protracted contest. Get the players to start reading the game as to when or if to join the ruck.

3. Standing tackles

• Encourage the tackler to tackle from a standing position.
• Allow the ball carrier to be more active within certain limitations and to be more active in avoiding the efforts of the tackler. Allow the ’scrum-half’ to run with the ball, at which point you can introduce the concept of the defensive line, guards and line speed.