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Using Game Sense to Coach Your Team – Defending Out Wide

About this session

This session is based on the concept of 'using game sense to coach your team' as outlined in the article with that heading.

Defending out wide has a major component of 'decision making', an understanding of how the mini group come together to work as 'one', and the technical aspects that will bring success.
The scenario may well start with a backline marking up against another backline or at phase play when there is a mix of backs and forwards defending together. Create a situation where the defenders are outnumbered and the wide attackers attack the last player in the defensive line.

Step 1: Play a game

The attack start on the 22 and must score out wide. They have the width of the field to make it difficult for the defence. They cannot kick but must pass and support to score. The attack has a first passer (Distributor) who cannot run and 5 attackers in a line.

The defence has 4 defenders with the first defender marking up on the first receiver and so on.

The attack will carry out two attacks from each side of the field.  Start 15metres in and play the openside.

Step 2: Tactical feedback

Discuss with the players (and those observing) what they have seen and what they might do differently. In particular ask the last player in the line why they were or weren’t able to stop the attack from scoring. What do they need to happen inside them? How do they know what is happening so that they can make a good decision?

What is each player doing once the player they were marking has passed the ball? How do they know what is going on and what decision to make?

What are the key understandings that enable the four defenders to act as 'one'?

What the coach is looking to draw out

The defence are outnumbered so they are going to run up in balance on their opponent and accelerate on to the next player once the ball carrier has passed.

Each defender needs to stay close to their inside defender so that there are no gaps and they know what their inside defender is doing. They cannot get in front of them. As the inside defender accelerates out on to the next attacker the defenders all start to move out on to the next attacker. (Drift defence)

The final player in the defensive line must stay in touch with their inside defenders so they are in the line but slightly behind the defender on their inside. They will continue to drift out as the defenders on their inside continue to drift across. The inside defenders need to stay up in the line and not drop in behind.

The coach can also talk about not getting caught facing 'in' with the shoulders on defence so that the defender can accelerate outwards once the pass has been made.

Make it harder

Once the concept is understood, more complicated games can be introduced. The attack can bring extra attackers into the line to make the decisions different for the defence. Attackers could keep wrapping so that the two wider defenders have decisions to make about who to tackle and when to go up hard.

Keep the plan so that the penetrators are out wide.

A simple attack / defence drill where the coach calls two numbers say “5-4” means the attack has 5 players and the defence has 4 players. They run around a cone, re-align and the first receiver gets a pass. This is a good activity for coach input just reminding defenders about the key components and is useful as a warm up at training once the concepts have been understood.

Games may then be developed with say 10 v 6/7 or 12 v 8/9 where the ball must be passed wide from phase play and then back wide again if they do not penetrate.

Step 3: Skills feedback

Once the concepts are understood a short game with full on tackling could be introduced, once again with the attack having the greater numbers and having to score out wide.

Discuss what type of tackles need to be made, and remember the tackle must be below the sternum in community rugby. Discuss what the law states that relates to recovering the ball, and the associated skills that need to be practiced.

Questions to ask

Once the games being played are fully understood, the coach could introduce questions for both the attack and the defence.

  • 'What do you have to do to ensure you are committing the inside tacklers?'
  • 'What would be the best form of continuity once we get the ball out wide and the defence is thin'?
  • 'What skills could you use to beat that last defender in a 1 v 1 '?
  • 'What are we going to do if we have more defenders than they have attackers'?
  • 'Where is the space likely to be after our winger is tackled and we recover quick ball'?
  • 'How do we stop the drift on defence'?
  • 'Where do you go on defence if you are the first player out of the ruck and the players outside you are doing a drift defence'?

Why it matters

Being able to make good defensive decisions when the ball is being passed wide is crucial but more often than not the players out there are never sure just exactly what they should be doing, or if they have been told they often don't get the chance to practice being in those situations.

It can be a lonely spot in defence out on the wing or if you are a forward left out there on phase defence.  Try these activities for a few sessions.