Be a line break guru

There are two main focal points for an attack to have an effective shot at the defensive line.

These are how quickly attacking players scan the defensive line before delivery of the ball, and hard work off the ball to be in a positive position to then manipulate the defence.

Without these two elements, line-breaking at the top level would be more accidental and reliant on individual brilliance.

The critical aspect in coaching players to create and preserve space is their ability, through running angle and foot speed, to manipulate the shoulder position of selected defenders.

Space will not simply open up at higher levels, created through the attack being able to disrupt or bend the defensive line out of shape. 

I think there is an order of events that leads to a line break. With this in mind, you can create skill-based activities to develop players to make more line breaks.

Order of events

The following is a suggested model of order of events to put players into positions to potentially break the line.

01 - Align/realign off ball ahead of the catch

This will ensure players are in an effective position to take the catch.

It gives them greater time to scan the defensive line and make a decision, and to provide options for support players.

Prioritise this before scanning in the order of events [see point 2], because, if a player is in a poor position to begin with, scanning and decision-making performance will decrease.

02 - Scan the defensive line

Make sure the chin is forward and off your chest, and identify areas of space or weak defenders.

03 - DECISION-MAKING

Scanning early as players are aligning will provide greater time to make a decision. Be aware of defenders and where your support players are positioned.

04 - GO FORWARD

The first option as a ball carrier should be to go forward to cross the gain line, unless a support player is in a better position to promote the ball to the gain line.

Foot speed and angle of run need to be effective in manipulating the shoulders of the defenders.

Use in-to-out or out-to-in running to make defenders turn shoulders the wrong way to tackle.

05 - SUPPORT PLAYERS

They need to scan and align off the ball carrier into a position to go forward. They should alter their running line depending on the running line of the ball carrier.

06 - Passing

Pass if the support player is in a better position than the ball carrier. 

Use the right pass: Draw and give, spiral or offload, for instance.

07 - Dominant ball carry

If the ball carrier enters contact, the priority order of responses should be:

• Break through the tackle
• Stay on their feet and generate an offload
• Quick ground ball recycle.

08 - Support players

They must constantly work off the ball to realign in an effective position off the ball carrier.