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VOLUME 1 / ISSUE 05 01

Continued on page 2

Exploit your players’ ideasTony Hanks, Director of

rugby, WaspsENGLAND

Revisit the counter attackGreig Oliver, Head coach,

GarryowenIRELAND

Secrets of the Springbok lineoutWhen opposed by an excellent lineout, you need to decide which areas of the lineout to defend, how to cover the vacuum at the back of the lineout and how to beat that lineout in attack. BY GARY GOLD, ASSISTANT COACH OF SOUTH AFRICA

In the recent Super 14 fi nal, the Vodacom Stormers knew they were facing one of the best lineout teams in the competition, the Blue Bulls. The fi nal had two of the world’s best lineout forwards competing against each other: Victor Matfi eld and Andries Bekker. I was acting as an advisor to the Stormers, providing analysis of set pieces, sources of tries and referee performances. Because I coach a number of these players when they are on international duty I have an excellent knowledge of their strengths and weaknesses. The Bulls had players like Victor Matfi eld, who has an outstanding jumping ability. With this in mind, the Stormers had to formulate a plan to deal with this threat.

Identifying the most dangerous attacking lineoutThe most dangerous ball

in the lineout is middle to back ball. It opens up the opportunity to pass the ball quickly into the back line, or peel around the back of the line into the soft underbelly of the space between 10 and the edge of the lineout. (See

Tony Hanks article on scoring against the Lions.) A throw to the back of the line is the most risky throw because there is more chance of being inaccurate. So middle ball is the most likely and

potent place in the lineout. This is where Matfi eld stands. If the ball is going to the middle, he (or the player in his position), is likely to do one of three things. He will jump before the throw, wait for the throw and jump or move back

for a lob throw. His skills are so good, that he will rarely be beaten on the jump throw.

Allocating the right resourcesA team cannot be a jack-of-all-

trades when are defending at the lineout. They have to work where they want to jump and how to cover the other areas. The Stormers, for instance, will tend to put their best jumping resources into the middle of the lineout. In practice, they will defend against the three main jumping options (jump-throw, throw-jump and lob ball). They will then plan what will happen when and if this is not successful.

Losing the ballIf the Stormers lose out at the lineout, they have specifi c plans to cover the possibilities. No matter whether they jump in the middle or decide to challenge at the back of the lineout, they will always have a player at the back of the lineout. For the Stormers and Springboks, this is Shalk Burger. He, along with the

Wt

ExploplayeideasTony HaDirector

rugby,EN

RecoatGreHe

Baby Blacks defenceAndrew Strawbridge, Assistant coach, AucklandNEW ZEALAND

Sharpen your players’ skillsMike Schmid, Head coach,

EsherENGLAND

02 VOLUME 1 / ISSUE 05

“Rugby is like a game of chess”

Many top coaches I speak to use the expression “It is like playing chess” when referring to their tactical plans. They are constantly moving their players around in set pieces and in open play to outwit their opponents’ moves. Gary Gold, the Springbok assistant coach, is one of the most open coaches in the world. He is happy to talk about the tactics and skills used by his players. Like in chess, everyone knows his team’s strengths and weaknesses. It is how the team deploy those elements, suggesting one move and then executing another that can be the difference between winning and losing the set piece. Because he is an excellent communicator, Gary talks about the lineout in particular in its simplest terms. We know exactly how each piece in chess moves. He knows how a lineout is won and lost, what areas need to be defended and how to organise your players accordingly. The rest is up to excellent execution. He has often said that teams know that Victor Matfi eld will be receiving most of the ball in the lineout. Despite that, the South African lineout rarely loses the ball because they outthink the opposition’s defence and execute their throw and jump to the highest standards. In fact, many international teams avoid kicking for touch for that very reason – they do not think they can challenge the South African lineout. After speaking to Gary about how his team outthought the British Lions with a move at the back of lineout, it was interesting to hear how London Wasps used this experience to help their team. Tony Hanks, who is director of rugby at Wasps, not only has a number of Lions in his team (like giant lock Simon Shaw), he had one of the coaches on the tour, Shaun Edwards. The Wasps coaching team were able to draw on those experiences to see how they could defend against that sort of lineout in the future.

Dan Cottrelldan.cottrell@rugby-coach.com

other players at the back of lineout, will chase out into the midfi eld. With the Stormers and the national team we reckon that there is a vacuum at the back of the lineout and we need to cover this. The Springbok backs coach Dick Muir, emphasises how important the battle for the gain line is. If his backline can be over this line, then the forwards are in position to attack on the front foot. Therefore we want our players out from the back of the lineout to run into their backline to hit their backs before they reach the gain line. In my experience, more teams are playing off the top of the lineout (throwing the ball down to the scrum half who then passes it away) to make the gain line. This makes the players at the back crucial. They cannot be tied up in jumping for the ball. Catch and drive lineouts are used close to the scoring areas. This ball is not good for the backs to use because the defence can mark across from the midfi eld. Therefore we should be prepared to stop these players by pulling down the jumper before the maul forms.

Throw, jump, lobThere are three main types of throw and jump combinations. Each has its strengths.A throw-jump is where the hooker throws in the ball and the jumper takes his trigger from the throw, jumping to meet the throw. The ball tends to have a slight lobbed trajectory. The jumper knows he will have to reach higher to

get the ball than a hard throw from the jump-throw.A jump-throw has the jumper going up and then the hooker throwing in the ball. The throw is a hard fl at throw. The jumper, like Victor Matfi eld, beats the opposition jumping pod into the air. His jump triggers a “rocket ball” throw.The lob is a variation of the throw-jump, where the ball is thrown in with a looping trajectory. The jumper steps back about half a metre and takes the throw behind the opposition pod marking him.

Gary GoldSpingboks assistant coach

Gary is currently assistant coach with South Africa. Last year, South Africa won the Tri Nations and beat the Lions. Previously Gary was forwards coach with the Super 15 team the Stormers, consistently one of the best teams in the competition.He has a wide experience of coaching, having been London Irish Head Coach from 2002-2005. His infl uence can be seen on the current success of the London Irish. He is a popular guest at many venues because of his enthusiasm for the game and openness to share his ideas.He is a key force behind rugbyiq.com, where he continues to talk frankly about his coaching thoughts through his blog and Facebook pages.

Defending the lineout• You cannot cover all the threats in the lineout.• Identify their most lethal threat and mark that area the most.• Work out the defence plan if the ball is lost or the ball is not thrown to that area.

• Always cover the back of the lineout with a player on the ground.

Why is back of the lineout ball so potent?• When the scrum half takes

the ball, he is closer to the back line.

• Easier to peel round the back of the lineout into the 10m gap between the lineout and their backline.

• It is often the least well defended.

Set piece: lineouts

VOLUME 1 / ISSUE 05 03

Throw and jump tacticsWhich throw you use depends on how the opposition pod is marking your jumping pod.

1 If the opposition jumper is watching your jumper, then he will not be watching the hooker throw. Therefore you should use the throw-jump. The throw comes in and then your jumper jumps to meet the ball. The reaction time of the opposition jumping is based on the trigger of the jumper going up. A good jumper will be up before this pod, so the ball will meet the jumper before the opposition pod is up.2 If the opposition jumper is watching the hooker throw for a trigger, then you should use the jump-throw. The jumper goes up and the hard, fl at throw gives the opposition no chance to beat the jumper to the ball.3 If you are facing a team with a lean, quick jumper, who gets off the ground quickly, then a lob is best. The throw goes up, and so does the opposition pod marking your jumping pod. However, the ball aims to go over the opposition jump. In the meantime, your jumping pod takes a step back and then jumps into the space behind the opposition pod. The ball drops into your jumper. Often a player like Victor Matfi eld is taking the ball at only three quarters of his normal jumping extension.

1 Throw-jumpIf the defending pod is watching the jumping pod, the throw comes fi rst, followed by the jump.

2 Jump-throwIf the defending pod is watching the thrower, then the jump comes fi rst

3 Lob jumpAgainst a quick defending pod, move back a few steps and jump to meet the throw

Visit Gary Gold at rugbyiq.com and his Facebook page, Gary Gold's Rugby Stuff