Create quicker ruck ball by creating more ball freedom

Excellent ball placement comes from ball freedom. The supporting players must know their roles to secure the ball.

Key factors

1. Avoid ball before body in the contact.

2. Take contact on your terms with the right footwork.

3. Get to the side of the tackler to make it more difficult for their fetcher to grab the ball.

4. The first support player does not target threats, instead they target the space over the ball.

5. The second support player works to the outside of the first support player.

THE ROLE OF THE BALL CARRIER

The ball carrier must win the tackle contest, if they have to take a tackle in the first place. The main error that the ball carrier makes is that they do not give the ball freedom in the contact. That means it becomes the ball and not the body that makes contact with the tackler and any tackle assists. If that happens, they now have to fight with the tackler and their teammates before they can possibly place the ball back to their team.

To create freedom, the ball carrier first uses evasive skills before the tackler. Their lead foot and same shoulder move quickly into the likely contact therefore vitally winning the crucial last few inches before contact. In the meantime, the ball, ideally being kept in two hands, is moved to the other hip.

The body is not rotated, and the chin must remain pointing “north”, that is up the pitch. If the ball carrier runs square on into the defender, then they invite the defender to go for the ball. So, while they are still running up the pitch, they are aiming to take the engagement at the side. If they do take the engagement, they need to use shorter steps to create good leg drive.

The arm on the impact side of the body can be used to fend or manage the contact, but that does depend on the height of the tackle. However, if the ball carrier can stay on their feet, they should be able to offload the ball to their supporting player.

Otherwise, if they are tackled, they can place the ball back very quickly because they have “freedom” with the ball. If they have used their footwork correctly, they have stepped to one side of the potential opposition “fetcher”. This player now has to step across and back through the tackle gate before they go for the ball.

CREATE FREEDOM FOR THE BALL

1. Attack the ball and engage the defender
2. Use evasive skills just before the defender
3. Get the lead foot and same shoulder to move into a likely contact, shifting the ball to far hip
4. Ideally carry the ball in two hands, but use the free arm to fend or manage the contact depending on the height of the tackle

STEP AWAY FROM THE FETCHER

1. As the ball carrier takes the ball, they aim to beat the defender. 
2. Good footwork puts them outside the tackler
3. The fetcher coming from the inside must go through the gate to get to the ball. If the ball carrier is tackled on the tackle line, then the fetcher can run the shorter line “A”. If the ball carrier gets beyond this line, the fetcher has further to go: “B”.

THE ROLE OF THE FIRST SUPPORT PLAYER

The first attacking player needs to focus on taking the space over the ball. Notice the emphasis here. They are not targeting any threats. That does not mean they will not have to deal with threats to the ball, but they are not focused on moving towards them – they are over the ball instead.

The height of arrival is important. They must have a wide base, wide hands, with lots of knee bend. Their hands act as a guide, like a blind man’s stick, feeling their way over the prone body and ball. In the meantime, their head is up, scanning for threats. In this process, they might have to put their hands on the ground to maintain some balance before returning to their feet.

This role of the support player has evolved for me. I used to want the first support player to take out the threat. Now, there are focused on getting over the ball.

THE NEW ROLE OF THE SECOND SUPPORT PLAYER

With a player over the ball, the real danger to your ball security comes from the “fetcher”, either being in a simultaneous battle for the space or arriving to clear away the first support player. If the opposition do not send in a fetcher or are too slow, then this player can clear the ball immediately (pass or pick and go).

If required, the second support player runs an “outside” line, coming in from the far side of the tackle. They target the outside leg of their fetcher, aiming to get them off their feet as soon as possible and, therefore, in the eyes of the referee, out of the game.

The third support player to the breakdown should take the same line as the second, working out whether they can keep the ball moving or go into the secure the ball. However, it is important they do not go in unless they are really needed. Otherwise, they might chase a lost cause and perhaps go off their feet.

1. A tackle is made. The first support player gets over the ball.
2. The second support player must decide whether they can pick and go OR protect against a “fetcher”. In which case, they go OUTSIDE the first supporter.

CHANGING THE THINKING

Watching the real masters of the breakdown at work, the All Blacks, you can see that they have evolved the detail and adapted extremely well. They don’t seem to put as many numbers into the breakdown as other teams because they have such good ball security in the first place, and then they put the second man beyond the ball. Other teams are also good at getting one player beyond the ball and another on the outside.

Other teams have tended to think in terms of using their bullets, in other words using one body to stop one body.

They also tend to stop at the ball rather taking the space. Some teams have had a tendency to focus on clearing out the threats. Sometimes this has meant they have to clear and then if that clear is not good, clear again.