Five tactics for playing in the rain

Wet weather changes the shape of the game. Here are five tactics to put into your rainy-day game plan.

1. TURNOVER AND KICK

The high ball is an obvious weapon in wet weather. If the opposition fail to catch the high ball or knock it on, and your team gather it, it makes sense to play the percentages. Keep the ball tight for one phase, so no wild passes. Make as much distance going forward as possible until a ruck forms. From the ruck, kick behind the ruck, where the defence is least likely to be in position. The pressure is once again placed on the opposition further down the field than before.

2. 100% CONTACT BALL

Wet weather produces spilt balls by the player in possession. Players need to have a safety-first attitude toward contact. This means two hands on the ball into contact and turning away from the defenders early. The fingers should spread over the ball because they act to soften the hits.

Ball placement is another area of contact where the ball is often knocked on or lost. The tackled player should delay the placement away from the body until the very last moment. Though it risks being gathered by an opposition player, it’s a calculated risk. 

In training, put the pressure on by practising with wet and old, over-pumped balls in close-contact situations. 

3. TACKLE LOW

Wet weather changes the effective height in tackling. Low tackles in dry weather allow the tackled player to offload the ball. In wet weather, offloads are dangerous. Therefore your players can tackle low and prevent momentum. A good low tackle will bring the ball carrier down faster, with the added chance of the ball being dislodged or the ball carrier losing a certain amount of ball control.

4. PICK-AND-GO AND KICK

Many teams resort to the pick-and-go game in wet weather. The ball is picked up or popped up from the base of the ruck and taken up close by. It is low risk. However, it is easy to defend. In wet weather, it is sometimes better to give the attacking problems to the other team to deal with. Pick-and-go to set up a position to kick. Then let the opposition work out how to play with a wet ball.

5. COMPRESS AND SPREAD

You can still attack wide out with the ball in hand in wet weather. Compress your backline together to have shorter passes. The winger, on receiving the ball, arcs out and around into the wider space. The lateral movement of the pass is replaced by giving your fastest player more space to run on the outside.