Scotland 6-man crash

Scotland ran this play against England in their Calcutta Cup match on the first weekend of the 2012 6 Nations. The Scots were deep inside their own half, looking to expose space in the wide channel.

This is a great play to use in your own territory when the defence have loaded their backfield ready for a kicking exit. Hitting up your forward in the wide channel ties in the opposition centres, and with quick ball the remaining backs can be picked off on the 2nd phase.

When Scotland ran this play, England had dropped their 8 into the backfield, giving the Scots a numerical advantage in the backline from which to attack. Using Denton, their best carrier, to smash the ball up, they sucked England’s 12 and 13 into the tackle, creating the space to strike wide in the 2nd phase.

How you coach this play

1. From inside your own 40 metres, set up a 6-man lineout with your power forward out wide ready to carry into the opposition backs. Deliver off the top to the 9 in motion, passing to 11 on an attacking arc, who attacks the line before pulling back a deep blocka pass to the 10 in space. 8 runs a hard line wide off the 10 into the defensive 12 and 13.
2. 3 and 6 work hard from the tail of the lineout to clean the ruck and provide quick ball for 9. The outside backs realign outside the 10 for a 2nd phase strike.
3. 10 and 13 play flat and take the ball to the defence to stop the drift and execute the 4v2 in the wide channel. Forwards from the lineout should work on the inside of the 10 to hold the defensive drift from the ruck.

How to progress this play

Completing the attack will give your attack a big gain line to play off. Look to exploit a retreating defence by playing off the 10 into the midfield to hammer home your advantage.