Hilton Head Rugby Club

As I said in the last post, focus on the defense. Top teams all have a similar defensive strategy and tactics clearly shown by both Ulster and Clermont as they make tackles and reset their defenses when a ruck has formed.

Here's the link again:
Clermont vs. Ulster

0:45- one player is directly behind the ruck and one player covers each side. The ruck can't be pushed by either team, the defense doesn't contest the ball and as additional players arrive they try to quickly get enough players in a flat line, about 2 arms lengths apart. You can't see it here, but the fullback and wings will be covering deep and all other players are in this flat line.

1:08- from a quick ruck the ball is moved left and then there's a quick pass back inside. Because the 1st inside defender has continued to move towards the attack (up and out), he's able to stop the 1st runner inside. But the 2nd inside defender hasn't and a break is on.

1:25- stop it here and you can see how both the backs and the forwards are set on defense. The defense doesn't have enough defenders on the weak side and they narrowly miss getting beat here. It takes more defenders to stop a weak side break than a strong side break. I don't really know why, but most teams will try to out-man the attackers on the weak side.

2:28- cheap little bump out of bounds for some inexplicable reason doesn't draw a yellow card.

3:35- the defense doesn't have a man directly behind the ruck, the other team sees it and they're off to the races. Only a sweet tap tackle stops a try.

There are several other chances to see the defensive alignment and watch how the defense comes up together as you watch the rest. Please notice how the defense moves as a unit up the field and across. No one comes charging up on his man creating a big hole in the line behind him and no one takes the play off and leaves a big hole in the line that way either.

The reason "modern" defenses are so solid is because each player understands that he is part of a whole with a specific job to do that depends on where he is relative to his teammates and what has just happened in the game.

Do you know your teams defensive tactics and how to execute you role?