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DESCRIPTION
ÂTRANSCRIPT
Colin Hillman’s Expert Guide to Sevens 1
Legal notices 2
Credits 3
Foreword 4
Contributors 5
How to attack 6
How to defend 16
Tactics 24
Set pieces 30
A world class session in two hours 40
Coaching a tournament 46
The manager 50
Laws 55
Contents
Colin Hillman’s Expert Guide to Sevens 2
DisclaimerWhilsttheeditorandpublisherhavemadeeveryefforttoensuretheaccuracyandaboveallsafetyoftheinformationandadvicecontainedinthispublication,andhavegatheredtheinformationfromsourcesbelievedtobereliable,GreenStarMediaLtdmakesnowarrantyorguaranteeastothecompleteness,accuracyortimelinessoftheinformation,andisnotresponsibleforanyerrorsoromissions.
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Legal notices
Colin Hillman’s Expert Guide to Sevens 3
Credits
Author
Editor
Design, cover & illustrations
Production
Customer services
Finance manager
Publisher
Operations director
Managing director
Colin Hillman
Dan Cottrell
Artlife
Julie Lifton
Duncan Heard
Julie Heathorn
Junaid Khawaja
Toby Curthoys
Andrew Griffiths
GreenStarMediaLtdMeadowView,TanneryLane,Bramley,Guildford,SurreyGU50AB,UnitedKingdom.T:+44(0)1483892894F:+44(0)1483894148Email:[email protected]
Colin Hillman’s Expert Guide to Sevens 4
WhenDanCottrellfirstcontactedColinwiththeconceptofputtingtogetheracomprehensiveandindepthguidetosevensrugby,anexcitedColincontactedmeimmediatelytotellmethenews.Danknewonlytoowellofourloveforthegameandsoweallstartedtogatherideasfortheproject.
DaninitiallymetwithColinseveraltimesandstartedtocollateallofhisWalesandSamuraiSevenscoachingnotesandthoughtstogether.ColinandIdiscussedthecontentswheneverwemetbutunfortunately,asisoftenthecase,ourdayjobsgotinthewayandtheideawasputonhold.
InMay2009Colin’sillnesshadreallytakenholdanditwasthenthatwedecidedtokick‐starttheproject,sothatColinwouldbeabletoseeallofhisworkreachpublication.
DanstartedtoconvertColin’snotesandthought’sintoabookformat.IstartedtomeetwithasmanyofourfellowWorldSevensSeriescontactsandcoachesthatwehadbeenwithonthesevenscircuitovertheyears.EveryoneIapproachedwerehonouredtobeassociatedwiththemanualastheyallhadtheutmostrespectforColinbothasacoachandasanindividual.
CoachessuchasMikeFriday,BenRyan,GordonTietjens,PaulJohn,JoeLydon,PaulTreu,StephenGemmellwereallhappytohaveinput.AftermyinitialdiscussionstheypassedtheirideasandthoughtsontoDantocontinuetheprocess.Alas,ColinpassedawayonJuly2nd2009andwasunabletoseethefinaldraft,butbothheandhiswifeJaninewereawareofthebook’sprogressatthetimehedied.
ColinwillneverbeforgottenandthispublicationfilledwithColin’sownviewsonhowthegameofsevensshouldbeplayed,willhelppeopletoknowwhatgreatrugbyknowledgehehad.Coachesandplayerswillgainanindepthknowledgeofthegameofsevensfromthisbookandinyearstocome,willrememberwherethatknowledgecamefrom.
Colinwasmyclosestfriend,hehadtremendousenthusiasmandpassionforliferightuptothedifficultdaysheendured.Hewasarealgentlemanwhohadtimeforeveryone.Anyonethatspenttimeinhiscompanywasenrichedwithhisfriendshipandenthusiasm.
AsColinusedtosay:Nowhatifs,noifonlys,noregrets!
TerrySands,formerEnglandSevensmanager,andfounderofSamuraiInternational,RFC
Foreword
Colin Hillman’s Expert Guide to Sevens 5
About the author ColinHillmanwasassociatedwithrugbythroughouthislifewinninginternationalcapsforWelshSchoolsandWelshYouthbeforegoingontocaptaintheseniorWalessevensteam.FormostofhisseniorplayingcareerhewashookerfortheBridgendRavensbutalsoplayedfortheBarbarians,SwanseaandSouthWalesPolice.
AfterhisplayingdaysheturnedtocoachingandeventuallybecametheDirectorofRugbyattheBridgendRavens.However,itwashisroleasacoachinthesevensarenathatmanywillrememberhimfor.HecoachedtheWalessevensteamformanyyearsandwasstilltheWRUSevensTechnicalAdvisorduringtheirinfamouswinattheRugbyWorldCupSevensinDubaiMarch2009,andupuntilthetimeofhisdeathin2009.Hewasafamiliarandwellrespectedfigureonthesevenscircuit,coachingtheSamuraiInternationalInvitationteamonmanyoccasions.
Awayfromrugby,ColinworkedasaSouthWalesPoliceOfficerandservedforasignificantpartofhiscareerasaSouthWalesPoliceArmedResponseOfficer.
About the editor DanCottrellistheauthorofmanyrugbycoachingbooksandDVDs.HeisalsoeditorofBetterRugbyCoaching,thetwiceweekly,freerugbycoachingezine.HeisapractisingRFULevel3coach,aWRUcoursetutor,assistantcoachfortheWelshWomen’steamandaskillscoachwiththeYoungOspreys.
AcknowledgementsTheeditorwouldliketothankTerrySandsofSamuraiSportswearforhisenormousenergyanddrivetohelpcompletethisbook.Hewasinstrumentalinhelpingputthisbooktogetherbyfindingmanyofthecoacheswhohappilygavetheirassistance.TerryandDanwouldparticularlyliketothankMikeFriday,whohasbeenverygenerouswithhistime.
Wewouldalsoliketothank:GordonTietjens(NewZealandcoach),PaulTreu(SouthAfricacoach),BenRyan(Englandcoach),PaulJohn(Welshcoach),StephenGemmell(Scotlandcoach),JoeLydon(formerEnglandcoach,nowWelshRugbyUnionHeadofRugbyPerformance&Development),RussellEarnshaw(Englandforwardscoach),DanielConnelly(editorofrugbysevensguru.com),LiamMiddleton(formerheadcoachofZimbabwe),WayneBarnes(IRBinternationalreferee),BillyMillard(formerheadcoachofAustralia),SimonAmor(formerEnglandSevenscaptain),JohnElliot(formerinternationalSevensteammanager).
Contributors
Colin Hillman’s Expert Guide to Sevens 6
Youneedtochangethemindsetofyourplayerstoletthemexpressthemselvesinan
attackingenvironmentwheretherearefewerdefenders.However,theyshouldhavea
structuretoplaywithinandneedtounderstandwhentorun,passandkick.
Introduction 7
Developingthenon‐negotiableattackingtactics 8 •Stretchtheirdefensiveline
•Keeptestingtheirdriftdefence
•Alwaysbeathreatwiththeball
•Workasathreemanattackingunit
•No50:50passes/100%offloads
•Ifisolated,alwaysgoforward
•Cleartheballfromthepressurearea
•Nevercutbackintothepressurearea
Takingcontact 11 •Ballcarrier
•Firstsupportplayer
•Secondsupportplayer
Kicking 12
Switchkicktocountertheirsweeper 12
Individualskillsinattack 12 •Evasion
•Offloads
•Spinpassing
•Chipandchase
Attackingtactics 14 •MikeFridayonusingacompressedattack
•Advantagesofusingacompressedattack
•Pullthedefence
•Keypointsfortheattackingplayers
Sequenceplays 15
How to attack
Colin Hillman’s Expert Guide to Sevens 7
Introduction Eachindividualneedstounderstandhisrolesandresponsibilitiesinattack.Theyultimatelyarebasedonhowtheteamwantstoattack.Teamtacticsaretheplaysandmovesusedduringthegame.Beforeyoudecideontheattacktactics,youmustdecideonyourphilosophy:howyourteamwillplaythegame.
Different ways to play the game
Yourstrengths ExamplesofstyleofplayPhysical Attackthroughthemiddle,
useoffloadsSkilful Avoidcontact,usemoves,
keeppossession,twomenonlyintothecontactareatoretaintheball
Speed Keepanarrowspacing,movetheballquicklytoyourfastmen,kickandchase
Non-negotiable team tacticsThereareeightprinciplesthatyourattackingteammustfollowtowingames.Whateverwayyoudecidetoplaythegame,yourplayersneedtofollowthesepoints.Theyarenon‐negotiable.
1. Stretchtheirdefensiveline.
2.Keeptestingtheirdriftdefence.
3.Alwaysbeathreatwiththeball.
4.Workasathreemanattackingunit.
5.No50:50passes/100%offloads.
6.Ifisolated,alwaysgoforward.
7.Cleartheballfromthepressurearea.
8.Nevercutbackintothepressurearea.
How to attack
Workhardtokeepinsupportofeverybreak
Colin Hillman’s Expert Guide to Sevens 8
Developing the non-negotiable attacking tactics
1. Stretchtheirdefensiveline
Usethewidthofthepitchtostretchtheirfrontaldefence.Attackfromdeeptocreatepaceontotheballandmakeiteasiertoidentifythespaces.
Notethatthisdoesnotmeanyourteamhastospreadout.Youcaneither“fillthefield”withyourplayers,orkeepthemclosetogether.
2. Keeptestingtheirdriftdefence
Theinsidedefender,theplayerwhoisnotoppositetheballcarrier,needstobeconstantlytested.Mostdefendingteamswilldriftacrossthefieldwhentheballispassedtocovertheoverloadofplayers.Theballcarriershouldbelookingforarunneronhisinsidejustincasethedriftingdefenderdoesnotfillin.
Bytestingtheirdrift,yourattackcanlooktobreaktheirchainofdefencedownthemiddle.Theycanexploitaweakorslowerplayerinthelinewithastep,orinsidepass.
Stretching the defensive line
SPACE
SPACESPACE
1.
2.
SPACE SPACE SPACE
Createspacesintheirdefensivelinebyeitherspreadingoutinattack,sothedefendershavespacebetweenthem,orbycompressing,sothereisspaceontheoutsidesforyourfasterplayerstoexploit.
Testing the drift defence
1.
2.
Thereceivershouldtesttheinsidedefenderbyattackinghisinsideshoulderandthenfixinghim,
beforethinkingaboutpassinginsidebacktotheoriginalpasser.Ifthedefencehasbeenslowtodrift,thenthereisagapdownthemiddle.
How to attack
Getyourfastmenintospace
Colin Hillman’s Expert Guide to Sevens 9
3. Alwaysbeathreatwiththeball
Maketheirdefenceworkharderbyfixingthedefenderbeforethepass.Evenifheissomedistancefromthedefender,bysimplymovingforwardatpacetheballcarrierwillmomentarilyholdthedefender.
Allplayersshouldsupporttheirpass.Thoughthemindsetistoworkhardofftheball,theballcarriercanonlybeathreatifheisattackingthedefensiveline.Todothissuccessfully,heneedssupportplayerscloseby.
4. Workasathreemanattackingunit
Everyballcarrierworkswithtwoplayers:thepreviousballcarrierandthepotentialreceiver.Thesesupportplayersneedtoreacttothecontactarea.Oneplayerwillbetheballwinner,thenextplayertheballuser.Youmightusetwoballwinners,dependingonyourplanforthatgame.
How to attack
Fix the defender before passing
1.
2.
Theballcarriermustfixthedefenderbefore
passing,andthenonlyruninsupportoncehehaspassedtheball.
Three man attacking unit
1.
2.
Thefirstplayerintocontactworkshardtostayon
hisfeet.Thenextclosestplayer,whomightbethepasser,winstheballback.Thethirdplayerusestheballorhelpswinitback.
Holdtheballintwohandsandattackthedefender
Thefirstplayerclearsthethreat,thenextplayerclearstheball
Colin Hillman’s Expert Guide to Sevens 10
5. No50:50passes/100%offloads
Thereisnoreasontopanicwheninpossessionoftheballbythrowingwildpasses.Ifnecessary,theballcarriercantakecontact,createanoffsidelineandsetupasituationfortheteamtoplaythroughthephases.
6. Ifisolated,alwaysgoforward
Therearegoingtobetimeswhentheballcarrierfindsnoonetopassto.Tobeeffectiveinmaintainingpossessionheshouldgoforward,keepstrongandwaitforsupport.Hemightbreakthetackle,butotherwiseheshouldfighttostayonhisfeet.
Ifheremainsstrong,heshouldbeabletocreateatargetforthesupportandcreateanoffsideline.
7. Cleartheballfromthepressurearea
Apressureareaiswherethereisadirectcontestfortheball.Thiscouldbealineout,scrumortacklecontest.Ifyouareinpossessionoftheballinthepressurearea,thenmoveitawayquickly,preferablywithtwopasses.
8. Nevercutbackintothepressurearea
Anyswitchofplaymustbemadeintospaceandawayfrompressure.Mostofthespaceisawayfromthepressurearea.
Avoidswitchingplayinthemiddleofthefieldtoooftenbecauseitsimplyrunstheballbackintothedriftdefence.
Create an offside line
1.
2.
OFFSIDE LINE
Ifthepassisblocked,thentheballcarriershouldnotthrowaspeculativepass.Instead,heaimstotakecontactonhisownterms.Astheruckisformed,soisanoffsideline.Thedefenderswhowereinthewayofapassnowhavetogetbackonside.
How to attack
Passawayfromthecontactareawherethe
defendersaremostlikelytobe
Colin Hillman’s Expert Guide to Sevens 11
Taking contact Playerswillhavetotakecontactatsomestage.Sometimesthereisagoodreasontotakecontact,forinstance,toregaincontrolofthegamebycreatinganoffsideline.
Stagesofcontact
1. Ballcarrier
Theballcarriershould“fight”totheground.Heshouldnotbeaneasytackle.Heshouldstayonhisfeet,aimingtowinthecontactatalltimes.
Therearethreemainwaystoplacetheballoutofthetackle:
1. Squeezeball.Placetheballthroughthe legs,withtheshouldersandheaddown thefield(thisisnotallowedatUnder18 rugbyandbelow).2. Jackknife.Twistthebodysharply,sothat theballisplacedasfartowardstheball carrier’steamaspossible.3. Outsidethetackle.Insteadofplacingthe ball,theballisrolledawayfromthetackle area.
Theballcarrierneedstomakethedecisionaboutwhichmethodisrightforhiminthemomentofthecontact.
2. Firstsupportplayer
Thefirstsupportplayertothecontactareaneedstoscanforthreats.Heneedsto:
1. Legallybridgeovertheballcarrier.2. Wipeoutimmediatethreats.
Hisdecisionishelpedbycommunicationfromthesecondsupportplayer.
3. Secondsupportplayer
Hedecideswhethertohelpsecurepossessionorcleartheballfromthecontactarea.
How to attack
Be dynamic over the ball in contact
Thebestplayersatthebreakdownprotecttheballinanactivepositiontodealwiththethreatsastheyarrive.Theykeeptheirheadsup,bodiesdynamictodriveforwardintooppositionplayerschallengingfortheball.
Fighttostayonyourfeet
Bedynamicoverthetackledplayer
Colin Hillman’s Expert Guide to Sevens 12
KickingKickingplaysanimportantroleinsevens.Youkicktoscore,tocreatepressure,andonyourowntryline,toreleasepressure.
Youcankicktotouchforalineoutfromapenaltykick,sodon’tdismissthatoptionasamethodofgainingground.Balancethisagainstthelikelychancesofwinningthelineout.
Switch kick to counter their sweeper Ifyounoticethattheotherteam’ssweeperismovinginlinewiththeball,thenapossiblewaytocounterthisisthe“switch”kick.Thispre‐determinedtacticalsoexposestheirdriftdefenceasitaimstoexploitthegapleftbythelastmanwhohastoslideinwards.
Howitworks:inthemidfieldalongdeeppassismade.Thereceiverthenswitcheswithanotherplayer,whopromptlykickstheballbackagainstthegrainofthepassoverthedefenceandintothevacantgapleftbehindbytheoutsidedefenderwhoisslidingin.
Individual skills in attackThoughsevensrequiresaplayertouseallthenormalrugbyskillsinattack,therearefourkeyareasthatstandout.
1. Evasion
i) Staybalanced.Playersshouldbeableto changedirectioneasily.ii) Acceleratethrough.Speedupafterthe evasion.iii) Conviction.Playersshouldnothesitate evenifitlooksliketheevasiveactionhas notworkedaswellastheywouldhave wanted.Thedefendermayyetmakea mistakewiththeirtackleandtheplayer needstokeepgoingforward.
How to attack
Switch kick
6
4
7
1
23
5
6 4 3 2 15
Sweeper
MikeFriday,formerEnglandcoach:Kickingisapositiveoptionnotalastresort.
MikeFriday,formerEnglandcoach:Inthecontactarea,theplayersworkintriangles.Theballcarrierlooksaftertheball,thefirstsupport
playerlooksaftertheballcarrierandthesecondsupportplayereitherclearsthethreatsormovestheballaway.
Staybalancedandgoforit!
Colin Hillman’s Expert Guide to Sevens 13
2. Offloads
i) Earntherighttooffload.Workhard throughthetacklecontacttogetbeyond thetackler.Slowingdownorstopping givesthetacklerastrongerposition.ii) Onehandortwo?Aonehandedoffload allowstheattackertofendoffthe defender,givinghimselfmorewidthto keeptheballawayfromcontact.Atwo handedoffloadallowstheplayertobe moresecure.iii) Outsideoffload.Theballcarriershould considerturningeitherwayinthe tackle,sonotjustthetraditionalroundthe backoffload.
3. Spinpassing
i) Handunderball.Getthedominanthand undertheballbeforepassingit.That is,righthandtopassleft,andlefthandto passright.ii) Openuphips.Turnthehipsinthedirection ofthepass,toreleasethearmsand shoulders.iii) Insideelbowin.Keeptheelbownearest thedirectionofthepassinandcloseto theribsastheballgoesacrossthebody, beforereleasingittowardsthereceiver.
4. Chipandchase
i) Chiponend.Thepointoftheballlandson thefoot.ii) Kickontherun.Don’tbreakthestride whenrunningtokicktheball.iii) Droptheballinthemiddleofthebody.If theballiskickedfromtheside,balance andaccuracyarelost.
Workhardtogetthroughthetacklebefore
lookingfortheoffload
How to attack
Turnthehipsinthedirectionofthepassandkeep
theinsideelbowin
Colin Hillman’s Expert Guide to Sevens 14
MikeFriday,formerEnglandcoachonusinga
compressedattack:Acompressedattackiswheretheattackingteamstandsclosertogetherthannormal,leavingmorespaceontheoutside.
Thisfitsintoasystemofattackwhereyourplayers
looktousetheballinthefollowingthreeways:
1. Givethefastmanspacetorunaround thedefender.2. Any3v3situationshouldbeseenasa chancetobeatthedefence.3. Otherwise,pullthedefencetooneside andthenattackquicklytheotherway, normallyfromabreakdownorlineout.
Advantagesofusingacompressedattack
Thereisaprincipleinsevensthatagoodwaytocreategapsistospreadtheattackersout,fromtouchlinetotouchline.Againstateamthatisdefendingwithsixplayersintheirfrontlineandasweeper,thengapswillappear.
However,therearetwogoodreasonstosqueezeclosertogether:
1. Awingerwouldprefertobeathisman withspaceontheoutside,especiallyifhe thinksheisfasterthanhisoppositeman.
2. Shorterpassesarequickerpasses,and mostplayerswillprefertopassshorter, especiallyofftheirweakerhands.
Therefore,fromlineoutsandrucks,theprincipleofalignmentistosqueezeupalittlemoreandgivethewingerthechancetorunwide.AndwhenImeanrun,Imeanreallyrun.Headdown,arcoutandgoforit!
Pullthedefence
Wherethedefenceismoreorganised,thentheaimoftheattackistopullthedefencetoonesideofthepitchandthenpasstheballquicklybacktheotherway.Withthewingerstandingfurtherinfieldthan
normal,assoonashereceivestheball,hepinshisearsbackandheadsouttobeathisoppositeman.
Keypointsfortheattackingplayers
1. Afterpassingtheball,eachplayermust moveinandbehindthepersontheyare passingto.Sometimesknownasthe “post”or“pocket”position.
2. Ifandwhenthewingerfindshecannot
beathisoppositeman,hethenmust STOP.Amazingly,butonlymomentarily, thedefenderwillstopalso.Thewinger canthenpasstheballbackintothepost positionandtheballismovedaway veryquickly.Thedefenceshouldhave beenmovedaroundenoughforspacesto openup,eitherclosetotheball,inthe middleorfurtherout.
3. Allthesepassesmustbetothenextman, withnomisspasses.
Compressed attack
SPACE
7
553
6 3
6
4
3
2
1
56
7
Pull the defence
How to attack
Attacking tactics
Colin Hillman’s Expert Guide to Sevens 15
Sequence plays
Mostteamsmovetheballtospaceaimingtocreatea2v1situation.Any3v3situationshouldberegardedasachancetocreatea2v1,usingstepsandangles.However,youcanalsocallsomesequenceplays,whereplayersrunpre‐determinedrunninglinestocreategaps.
Herearetwoplaysthatyoucandevelop.
Pivot ball open play
1 2 3
1
23
South Africa ball
54
6 7
6
4
7
5
Youneedaminimumofthreeplayers.2performsalateswitchwith3.3attacksthegapandquicklypassesinsideto1.1takesashortinsideballoff3.
Youneedaminimumoffourplayers.Thisplayisbestfollowinganormalpullball(where7goesfortheoutsidebreak).6runsintothepocket.5loopsoutside7.4comesinforashortballoff7.7hasthe
optiontopasstoanyofthethreeplayers.
How to attack
Keepoptionseithersideandbehindtheballcarrier
Colin Hillman’s Expert Guide to Sevens 16
Defenceinsevensisthemostdistinctpartofthegamefrom15‐a‐siderugby.Good
systems,alignedwithexcellentcoretacklingskills,willforceerrorsandturnovers.
Introduction 17
10basictechniquesfordefence 17
Developingthebasictechniquesfordefence 18 •Thesweeperisloud
•Don’tbebrokendownthemiddle
•Workasunits
•Takeuptheattackingspacetogether
•Noballwatching
•Usethebananalineorarcdefence
•Bepatient
•Tackletheballcarriertothegroundandcontesttheball
•Communicatethepush
•Trustyourteammates’calls
Individualskillsfordefence 20 •Whatisthebesttackle?
•Whataredefensivezones?
Defensivesystems 21 •Sixmandefensivesystem
•Sevenmandefensivesystem
Dangerball 23
How to defend
Colin Hillman’s Expert Guide to Sevens 17
IntroductionDefenceisastateofmindasmuchasaphysicalcontest,soitisworthconcentratingonthisareathemostinpreparingfortournaments.
Thetypeofdefenceneededmaywellbedeterminedbytheareaofthepitchthat’sbeingdefended,theabilityofboththeoppositionandyoursquad.Eventhescoreandtheamountoftimeleftcandeterminethetypeofdefenceyouwillneedtoemploy.
Younormallyfindgoodteamshaveashared“mentalmodel”,meaningtheplayersknowwhattypeofdefenceisneededandwhenandhowtocommunicateit.Thereallygoodteamsareevenaggressiveindefencewhenbeingpassive!
10 basic techniques for defenceYourphilosophyfordefenceshouldbe:Bevocal,beaggressive,beintimidating.1. Thesweeperisloud.2. Don’tbebrokendownthemiddle.3. Workasunits.4. Takeuptheattackingspacetogether.5. Noballwatching.6. Usethebananalineorarcdefence.7. Bepatient.8. Tackletheballcarriertothegroundand contesttheball.9. Communicatethepush.10. Trustyourteammates’calls.
JoeLydon,formerEnglandcoach:Thereareonlytwomaintypesofdefence.
1. Passive.Suchasasidelinedriftanddrop. (Theplayersdon’tcommitbutslideacross thepitchtotraptheballcarrierbythe touchline).
2. Aggressive.Onthefrontfoot,withablitz, zoneorman‐on‐man.
How to defend
PIC
Workasunitsindefence
Colin Hillman’s Expert Guide to Sevens 18
Developing the basic techniques for defence
1. Thesweeperisloud
Theplayerrunningbehindthemaindefensivelinerunsthedefence.Hecanseewheretheballisgoing,plusthepossibleattackingoptions.Heisinanidealpositiontodirectoperations.Heissendingclearinstructionstothedefensivelineinfrontofhim,thenstaysbehindtheattackinglinetocoverkicks(thesweeper)andpossiblelinebreaks.
2. Don’tbebrokendownthemiddle
Beastrongdefensiveline.Thekeytothisdefenceisnottogetbrokendownthemiddle.Ifaplayergetsthroughthemiddlethenthesweeperhaslittlechanceofmakingthetackle,orpreventingatry.Eithertheyget“stepped”bytheattacker,orthereisa2v1situation.Thedefensivelineatthefrontmustworklikeachaintopreventthis.Eachplayerislinkedtotheplayereithersideofhim.
3. Workasunits
Ideally,defendasathreemanunit,soyourplayersneverworkalone,unlessthereisachanceofamanandballtackle.
4. Takeuptheattackingspacetogether
Keeppushingupandacrossinunitsinthedirectionoftheball.Reducethegapbetweentheattackanddefenceasagroup.Theplayerwhoisoppositetheballcarriershouldstayonhisinsideandnotpushacrosstothenextplayertooearly.
5. Noballwatching
Thisisthegoldenrule.Ifaplayerfindshimselfstandingstillthenheisnotdefending.Itisaconstantpush,push,pushupthefield,forcingtheotherteambackwards.Thethreemanunitispressurisingtheballandtheotherdefendersaregettinginamongsttheattackingteam.Youwanttheoppositionballcarriertolookupforoptionstopassandonlyseeyourshirts.
Working in threes
D1 D D1
D2 D2D2
ball
carrier
Themiddledefender(D)concentratesontheballcarrierandonlymovesforwardifheissureoftheothertwodefender’ssupport(D1).
D2sdon’tcommittothetackleline,butkeeppushingup.
How to defend
Tackletothegroundandcompetefortheball
Colin Hillman’s Expert Guide to Sevens 19
How to defend
6. Usethebananalineorarcdefence
The“bananaline”or“arcdefence”isso‐calledbecauseoftheshapeofthedefensiveline.Astheattackgobackwardsunderpressure,thedefendersgetintotheirpassinglineandcutoffthepasstoisolatetheballcarrier.Astheballismovedtooneendbytheopposition,thedefencestepsupandacross.Thisstartstoblocktheoptionsfortheballtoreturnfromwhereitcame.Itmightalsobethatplayerscanbebetweentheattackersandtheball,furtherreducingtheoptions.
7. Bepatient
Don’tpanicindefence.Allowtheattacktomakemistakeswithoutcompromisingyourdefensivechain.Onceyourdefenceisorganisedandtheattackismovingbackwards,thena“pressdefence”canbeemployed.Thisisahigh‐riskattempttoputsomuchpressureontheattackingteamsothattheymakeanerror.
Thedefendingteammovesupveryquicklyinacloseline,withthefarendmanhangingbackalittleforthekick.Withallthedefenderstakingtheirownmanandmovingstraightahead,the
attackmaynothaveenoughtimetoadjust.However,thedangersofthekickandchasebytheoppositionmakethisado‐or‐dietypedefencetousewhenaquickscoreisneededtogetbackintothegame.
8. Tackletheballcarriertothegroundandcontesttheball
Initially,thetacklershouldalwayscontesttheball.Heistheclosesttotheaction.Aruckormaulshouldbecontestedbyamaximumtwoplayersonthedefendingside.Thepitchistoowidewithonlyfourdefendersratherthanfive.
Thisisoneofthehardestdisciplinesfornon‐sevensspecialiststotakeonboard.
9. Communicatethepush
Apushismovingtheplayersacrossandupthepitch.Goodcommunicationallowstheplayersnexttoeachothertopushintothenextzonewithconfidence.
10. Trustyourteammates’calls
Goodcommunicationmeansplayerscantrusttheirinsideshoulderisbeingcovered.Thisisimportantbecausetheshiftinevitablymeansplayersneedtoturnsomewhatandwilllosesightoftheirteammatebesidethem.
Communicationalsogivesthedefenceconfidence,somethingthatwillbefeltbytheopposition.Shoutingthatamaniscoveredcanmeanthateventhoughthedefenderisnotquiteinplace,theattackermaybeconvincedofthisfact.
Arc defence cutting down the options
D1 D D1
D2
D2
passing channelpassing channel
ball
carrier
Threedefenderspressupontheballcarrier(DandD1s).Theotherdefenders(D2s)arcroundtoreducetheoptions.Theyshouldaimtogetintothepassingchannels,preventingtheballcarrierpassingtohisteammates.
Colin Hillman’s Expert Guide to Sevens 20
Individual skills for defenceEachindividualplayerinthedefencemustknowtheirroleinthesystemandtheirresponsibilities.
1. Theyshouldneverdefendalone.2. Closetheattackers’spacedown,sokeep pushingupinaline(unit)inthedirection oftheball.3. Closedowntheinsideoptionsfortheball carrier,sohecan’tpassinside.4. Stoptheoffload.5. Iftheytackletheballcarriertothe ground,thetacklerneedstogettohis feetquicklyandcontesttheball.6. Keeptotheirzoneorchannelanddonot chasetheballormanacrossthefield.7. Listentotheirinsidemanandsweeper.8. Maintaindiscipline.Keepthedefensive line.Ifhefindshimselfstandingstill, thenheisnotworking.Heisalways pushingup,andleftorright.
Whatisthebesttackle?
Theidealtackleisonewhichpreventstheballbeingoffloaded,sosomeformofsmothertackle.However,againstbiggerplayersthisismoredangerous.
Inthiscasethedefencehastobewaryofthesupportingplayers.Oftenabiggerplayerisaimingtofendoffthetackleandthenoffloadifnecessary.Thisgoesforsmallerplayerswhoaimtostepbeforebeingtackled.
Defendingplayersoneachsideofthetacklershouldbepreparedtoeithertacklethereceiveroftheoffload,sodon’tstepintoofar,ormakeafurthertackle.Soasanattackerapproachesthedefensiveline,thedefendersneedtogettightertoeachother.Iftheythenmovebackfromtheline,thelineneedstospreadout.
Whataredefensivezones?
Adefensivezoneislikeachannelthatthedefenderhasresponsibilityfor.Nooppositionplayershouldbeallowedtomovethroughthiszone.Thedefendermustnotbetemptedoutoftheirzonebyswitchplaysorloopsbytheattackers.
Azonedefenceiseasiertocoach,understandandputintoactionthanaslidingdefence.However,itdoessufferfromtheproblemthatmakessevenssuchadifferentgameinmanywaysto15‐a‐side.Sixorsevenplayerscannotcoverthewholeofthepitchjustbytakingzones.
Ashiftingzoneismoreeffectiveandislikea“man‐on‐man”defence.Eachplayernumbersoffacrossthepitchandlooksatthemaninfrontofthem.Theoutsidedefenderalwaystakestheoutsiderunner,evenifthereisaswitchofplayersacrossthepitch.Thisrequiresconstantcommunicationandtrustbetweenplayers.
How to defend
LiamMiddleton,formerheadcoachof
Zimbabwe:Whenintheir22marea,useaquicklinedefence,puttingthemundermorepressuretomakeamistake.Increasethatpressurebypushingup.Iftheybreak,thenwehaveplentyofroomtorunthebreakingplayerdown.Itisamatterofriskandreward.
Insideourown22marea,itisnoteasywithasixmanfrontline.However,westillemployquicklinespeedtomakethetackleasfarfromourgoallineaspossible.
Colin Hillman’s Expert Guide to Sevens 21
Defensive systemsTherearetwobasicdefensivesystems,thesixmanandsevenmandefence.Herearethekeypointsforboth.
Six man defensive system Themostcommonformofdefenceisthesixupandonesweepercombination.Theadvantagesofsuchasystemare:
• Oneplayercanbeassignedtosweepand beaspecialistinthatrole.• Thesweeperisnormallyplacedina positionwhichallowshimtoorganisethe defence.• Ifthereisaturnover,thesweepercan quicklyaddanextraattackingmanfrom depth.
Asixmandefenceisoftenperceivedtobefacingasevenmanattack.Thisistrueofthemostbasicformsofattack,butmostsideswillnotspreadoutinthisconvenientmanner,soitmakeslessdifferenceifitissixorsevenmeninthefrontline.
Communicationandtrust
Thesixmandefenceneedsgoodcommunicationandtrustbetweenplayers.
Theslide
Thecrucialelementofanyfrontdefenceistheabilitytoshiftfromsidetosidetocoverthewidthofthepitch.Withsixmenratherthanseven,thisismoredifficult.
Imagineeachoppositionplayeroccupiesachannelthroughwhichtheycanattack.Thischannelneedstobedefendedwhentheballcarrierreachesthedefensiveline.Therearesevenattackingchannelsandonlysixdefenders,sothedefendersneedtoslidebetweenthechannels.
Initssimplestterms,oneoftheoutsidechannelscannotbedefended,sothismustbetheone
furthestfromtheball.Whentheballmovesright,thelefthandoutsidechannelisnotdefended,andtheplayersmoveright.
Theslidearc
Playerscanarcroundbehindtheballtocutoffthereturnpass.Theslidelendsitselfmorenaturallytothistypeofdefence.Ifthedefenceatoneendletstheattackersmoveupalittlemorethantheyexpect,the“sliders”cancomeroundfrombehind,reducingtheoptionsfortheattackingteam.
Slide arc defence
Sweeper
Sliders
Thedefenceneartheballcarrierdoesnotmoveupasfastastheotherdefenders,whoarc.
How to defend
Colin Hillman’s Expert Guide to Sevens 22
Thesweeper
Thereareanumberofoptionsforhowthesweepercanpositionthemselves.Thenormalmodeisfortheplayertofollowinsidetheballasitmovesalongtheattackingline.
Thesweeper’sroleistocoveranykicksplustackleanybreakthroughs.Withaslidingdefencethereismorechancethaninaman‐on‐manforbreakthroughsbecausedog‐legscanbecreatedmoreeasily.
Asweepercouldalsomovejustbetweenthetwo15mlines,followinginsidetheball.Thiscangivethemmorevisionoftheattackandiftheballisswitchedquickly,theyarelesslikelytobewrongfooted.
Seven man defensive systemBasicsevenup
Ifyouareastrong,physicalteam,withoutasmuchpaceasothersides,thenthebasicsevenupdefenceisideal.
Eachmantakestheplayer/zoneinfrontofthem.Theydonotneedtoslideontoanotherplayerwhentheballismoved,meaningslowerplayersmightnotbeexposed.Theslidedefencemeansthatcleverattackingteamshaveachancetodosomethingfancy.Abasicsevenupdefenceisa“manin”defence.Thisputspressureontheplayerassoonashegetstheball.
Press
Defendersraceuptoputpressureontheballcarrier.Thiscanbedoneeitherasagroupofthree(theballcarriertargetedbythemiddledefender)orthewholeteam.Thiscanpressurisethedefenceintomakingamistake.Thisisahighriskstrategyandonlyworthdoingiftheballisawayfromthekeyplaymakers.
How to defend
Pressupindefencetoforceerrors
Role of the sweeper in the six man defence
Sweeper
Thesweeperkeepsinsidetheballasitmovesacrosstheattackingline.Thismeansthesweepercanseewhenandwheretocallthedefenceacrossandforward.
Colin Hillman’s Expert Guide to Sevens 23
Thesweeper
Inasevenupdefence,yourplayersneedtobeabletocoverthekickoverthetop,orthebreak.Thesimplestpatternisfortheendmanwhoisfurthestawayfromtheballtodropback.Theplayershouldonlygobackfarenoughtoensurehecanreturntotheline.
Amoresophisticatedplayer,whoisperhapstheplaymakerinthemidfield,couldalsodropbackiftheballreachestheend,butcertainlynotasfarasonewouldexpectanendmantobe.
Danger ballThemostdangeroustimesforadefence,otherthanadirectbreachorkickover,arewhentheyaredisorganised,mostoftenfromaturnover.Thisis“dangerball”andthedefencemustrealignandorganisethemselvesasquicklyaspossible.
Inthiscase,playersshouldfillinfromtheballoutwards,leavingthespaces,initially,wideout.Manytriesfromturnoversarescoredfromspaceeithersideofaturnoverfollowingatackle.
Seven man defensive sweeper
Sweeper
OPTION 1
OPTION 2
Sweeper
Ballcarrier
Ballcarrier
Option1:Theendmanfurthestfromtheballdropsbackassweeper.
Option2:Themiddleplayerdropsbackoncetheballisonthewing,butmovesbackupiftheballismovedintothemiddle.
MikeFriday,formerEnglandcoach:Thisisagreatgametousefora3mandefence.
Westartonhalfthewidthofthepitchandmatchthreedefendersagainstfiveattackers.The
defendershavetoshiftacrossandupthefield
andpressurisefortwominutes.
Itisamazinghowsuccessfultheyareiftheyfollowthe“chain”principles.
Increasethewidthofthepitchasthedefencebecomesmoresuccessful.
How to defend
Colin Hillman’s Expert Guide to Sevens 24
Tacticsarethechoicesofplaysyouaregoingtouseineachgame.Thesedependonyour
team,theopposition,thepitchandweatherconditions.
Introduction 25 •Aquickteam
•Aphysicallystrongteam
•Afitteam
Reactivetactics 26 •Theirplaymaker
•Theirspeedsterandstepper
•Theircontactpolicy
•Playingwithasinbinnedplayer
Analysingtheopposition 27 •BenRyanonanalysingandobservingtheopposition
Kicking 28 •Kickingfortouch
•Kickingforgoal
•Kickinginopenplay
Theweather 29 •Wetconditions
•Windyconditions
Anarrowpitch 29
Tactics
Colin Hillman’s Expert Guide to Sevens 25
IntroductionYourteamcanplayasindividualsorworktogetherwithacommontheme.Youneedtoconsiderwhatyourteam’sstrengthsare.Herearesomewaysofexploitingyourstrengths:
Aquickteam
Compressyourattack,whichmeansstandingclosertogether.Thisgivesyourfasterplayersmoreroomtorunoutside.Ifthedefencespreadsout,thenyoucanfloodthroughthegaps.
Aphysicallystrongteam
Takecontactupthemiddleofthefield,splittingtheirdefence.Attackaroundthefringesofthebreakdown.Createoffsidelinesbycreatingrucks.Suckintheirplayerstothecontactsituation.
Afitteam
RussellEarnshaw,Englandforwardscoach:Ifyourstrengthisfitness,youcanberelentless
indefence,makinglowtechnicaltacklesandgettingtoyourfeettocompete.Itisthenpossibletoholdyourwidthasadefensivelineandthentaketheattack’sspace,thuscreatingturnoveropportunities.
LiamMiddleton,formerheadcoachof
Zimbabwe:Whenwediscussmatchtactics,Itendtofocusontwoareasinattackandindefence.Inattack,Imightsayfirst,“keepourwidth”,and
second,“holdontotheballanddon’tkick”.
Indefence,Imightsayfirst,“holdourshapeand
don’tbeindividuals”,andsecond,“competereallyhardatthebreakdown”.
Tactics
Thinkaboutthestrengthsofyourteamtowork
outwhichtacticstouse
Colin Hillman’s Expert Guide to Sevens 26
Reactive tacticsMosttopteamswillhaveaprettygoodideaofwhattheirmainoppositionwillbelike.However,fromtournamenttotournamentthepersonnelmaybedifferentfromthepreviouscompetitions.Therefore,youshouldwatchtheotherteamscarefullytoseewhattheirstrengthsare.Youneedtoidentify:
1. Theirplaymaker
2. Theirspeedsterandstepper
3. Theircontactpolicy
Ifyouknowateamwell,likeyoumaygettoknowontheIRBWorldCircuit,youcanchangeyourapproachslightlyineachgame.
Someexamples:
• Ifateamcompeteshardandpiles numbersintoacounterruck,youneedto havenumberstokeepandrecycletheball.• Someteamsrestartdeeptoyou.• Someteamsplayadirectbrand,some teamsplaywithbigwidthanddepth.• Someteamsarequickerthanyou,but physicallyweaker,soyoumaydecideto playdirect(andviceversa,ifthey arebiggerandslower).
• Youcanusuallyidentifyindividualswho areathreat.Forexample,theyhave astep,theychipandchase,theyget directandoffload.Also,it’sgoodto highlightandtrytoisolatepoordefenders.
4. Playingwithasinbinnedplayer
MikeFriday,formerEnglandcoach:
Bedisciplineddefensivelyasaunit,sohehasnowheretogoandtakehisspacetogether.Neverjumpoutofthelinetobeahero!
Tactics
SimonAmor,formerEnglandsevenscaptain:Inattack,thefocusmustbetoretainpossessionandideallyscore,enablingthesinbinclocktocountdownduringtheconversionandrestart.However,ifunderpressure,itispreferabletogettheballoffthepitch,takingvaluablesecondsto
formthelineout,thanturntheballoverinopenplay.Thisisthemostdangerousscenarioforateamwithamanadvantagetoattackfrom.Indefence,thesweeperneedstojointhedefensivelineand,dependinguponwhichsideofthepitchtheballison,theblindsidewingermustdropdeeperthanusualtocovertheattackingkickthrough.
Theteammustworkincrediblyharddefensivelyduringthisperiod,butatthesametime,mustbepatientinthecontactareaandnotcompeteforanypossessionthatthedefensiveteamisnot100%certainofgaining.
Thegoalforthesinbinnedteamduringthesinbinperiodistoplaysmartandgetthroughtheperiodwithoutconcedinganytries.Ifthisisachieveditwillprovideamoraleboosttotheteam.
BillyMillard,formerheadcoachofAustralia:
Itisimportanttoplayamanshortinsomepracticematchesandattrainingfortworeasons:1.Getusedtothedifference.2.Playerscanseethe
negativeeffectithasontheteam.Thatis,how
hardyouhavetoworkwithamandown.
• Indefenceplaysixinthefrontline.The nonthreatenedwingerdropsinandaround tocoverkicks.It’shardwork!• Getandholdpossession.Todothisyoucan eitherplayreallydeepandmovetheball around,orplayabittighterandhave numberstowinthebreakdown.
• Kicktotouchonpenaltiesandwalk.• Workhardtogetthroughthetwominutes.
RussellEarnshaw,Englandforwardscoach:Forsideswitha“stepper”,wecrowdhimindefenceandalwaysmoveforward.Forsomeonewithgenuinespeed,wedefendoutsidehimtoforcehimbackin.
MikeFriday,formerEnglandcoach:Maketheir“speedster”trytogoroundyouanduseyouranglesonthesidelinepressandtouchlinetostop.Nevergetbeatenupthemiddlebythespeedster.
Colin Hillman’s Expert Guide to Sevens 27
Analysing the opposition
Tactics
BenRyan,Englandheadcoach,onanalysingand
observingtheopposition:
1. Whataretheirsystemweaknesses? Isthereanythingfundamentaltheydo notcoverorhaveaweaknessin?For instance,dotheyleaveholesinthemiddle whendefendingornotaccuratelycover thefieldwhilstdefendingpenaltiesor
othersetpieces.
2. Withintheirsystems,whatarethey notdoingordoingbadly?Arethey overchasing,overcommittingtothe breakdown,ortoohighincontact?Do theydefendbadlyafteracoupleof phasesorarethereweaknessesintheir defenceofasetpiece?Dotheyuseshort runnersinattack?Howoftendotheykick? Wheredoestheirsweeperstand?What tacticsdotheyemployatthebreakdown orin“redzones”(nearthetryline)?
3. Whoaretheirkeyindividuals?Canwe pickoutaplayerforamis‐matchoran overload?Whichplayershavealefthand or“leftshoulder”(tackling)weakness? Doestheteamoffloadorsettargets?Is
oneplayernotasfitastheothers?Istherea
speedmis‐match?What’stheircontrolof emotionslike?
4. Wedothesamewithrefereesandalso lookattheenvironmentweareplayingin. However,noteverythingwefindfrom
analysisdoweinformtheplayersabout. Wepicksomekeypointsandexploit them.
Colin Hillman’s Expert Guide to Sevens 28
Kicking
Traditionally,kickingawaypossessionisfrownedupon.However,itstillhasaroletoplay.
Kickingfortouch
Kickingfortouchisawayof“slowingthetempoofthegame”saysStephenGemmell,theScotlandcoach.Ifyouthinkyourdefensivelineoutissuperior,thenitisanevenmorepotentweapon.
Kickingfortouchfromapenaltyshouldnotbeignoredeither.
Kickingforgoal
Underthelawsofsevens,therearenoplacekicks,soapenaltykickatgoalmustbeadropkick.
Manycoachesrecognisethatsometimesadropkickatgoalisawayofbuildingpointsasthegamenearsfulltime.
Kickinginopenplay
Onyourownline,itmaybebettertokickdownfieldandchasewell,thanrisklosingonyourownline.Inattackingphases,yourplayercoulduseachipandchasewherethesweeperhasnotcoveredacrosssufficiently.
Playershavetobalancetherisksofnotretainingpossessionfromthekickwiththepotentialtryscoringopportunities.
MikeFriday,formerEnglandcoach:Kickfortouchtogetfieldpositionorrelievepressureto
slowdownthegame.
Tactics
Sometimesadropgoalmightbethebestoptionto
winthegame
StephenGemmell,Scotlandheadcoach:Kickingforgoaleitherasapenaltyoradropkickinopenplayarebothwaysofcreatingorenhancingaleadinamatch.Asanumberofgamescanbetight,beingabletoscorelikethiscanproveinvaluable.
Colin Hillman’s Expert Guide to Sevens 29
The weather Wetconditions
Playinginwetconditionswillrequireamodifiedapproachtoyourtactics.
Mostofthetopcoachesrecognisethattheballisslipperyandpronetobeingdroppedorknockedon,whateverthelevel.Inwhichcase,youshouldemployakickinggame,gettingtheoppositiontoplayoutofdeeppositions.
Windyconditions
Inwindyconditions,youshouldsqueezetogetherinattackandkicklongwiththewind.Indefencewiththewindinyourface,yoursweeperwillbedeeperandviceversawiththewindwithyou.
A narrow pitchOnanarrowpitch,thegameismorecompact,andhencethereismorecontact.Thekeyistoselectamorephysicalteamifyouhavetheoption.
JoeLydon,formerEnglandcoach:MymindgoesbacktoEnglandvWales,whowerecoachedbyColininMalaysia.Weplayed,orshouldIsaypaddled,justafteramonsoon.Therewerenotactics,justaneedtostopplayersdrowning!
BillyMillard,formerheadcoachofAustralia:
Itisthesameas15s.Yourcoreskillsneedtobesharpandobviouslyyouwillnotbeabletoplaywiththesamewidth.Althoughyouareplayingalittlemoredirect,youshouldstillhavetheabilitytostretchonceyouhavesomegoforwardandcommitdefenderstothetackle.Kickingwilloccurmorethanusual,asfieldpositionisimportant
whenconditionsarewet.
SimonAmor,formerEnglandsevenscaptain:Playinginthewet:bestsolutionistopracticetraininginthewetmoreoften.Generallythough,defenceshavetheadvantageduetothegreaterdifficultyinpassingwidthandaccuracyandthe
abilityforplayerstousetheirexplosiveskills.
Thereis,therefore,anargumentthatthetacticsofalongkickinggametoputtheoppositionunderpressureintheirown22hasitsadvantages.Greaternumbersandeffectivenesstothe
breakdowninattacktocontrolpossessionmustalsobeafocus.
JoeLydon,formerEnglandcoach:GordonTietjens’s(Titch)selectionoftheAllBlacksCommonwealthGamessquadinManchesterwaspickedwithcarefulreferencetothesizeofthepitch.Abiglearningcurveforme.Ipickedasquadtoplaysevens.Titchpickedasquadtoplaysevensonanarrowshortpitch.Theywon,wedidn’t.
BillyMillard,formerheadcoachofAustralia:
Coreskillsareimportantandyouneedtoadjustyourcatchandpass.Passwithconfidenceand
firmness.Youcanstillplaywidth.Kickingwith
astrongbreezeisagoodtactic.Findspaceinbehindthesweeperandwithachaseline.Maketheattackersworktogetbackandsupporthim.
Tactics
Colin Hillman’s Expert Guide to Sevens 30
Therearefourmainsetpiecesinsevens:kickoffs,scrums,lineouts,andpenalties.Setpieceorganisationiscrucialsincepossessionisparamountinsevens.
Kickoffs 31
•Kickingoff
•Kickoffreception
Scrums 33 •Scrumdefence
•Scrumattack
Lineoutattack 35 •Jokerball
•Cancelball
Lineoutattackploys 37
Lineoutdefence 38
Penalties 39
Set pieces
Colin Hillman’s Expert Guide to Sevens 31
Kick offsInsevens,theteamthathasjustscoredkicksoff,unlikeinthe15‐a‐sideversion.
Kickingoff
Therearethreeoptionsfortakingakickoff:
1. Shorttotheside.2. Longtotheside.3. Split.
Ashortkickoffaimstowintheballback.Alongkickoffputspressureontheoppositiontorunoutfromdeep,orkickbacktoyou.Youwanttotrapthemontoatouchline.Asplitkickoffputsthreeplayerseithersideofthekicker.Coachyourplayerstoaimtokicktowardswheretheoppositionlookweakest,butalwaysshort.
Set pieces
RussellEarnshaw,Englandforwardscoach:Wehavestartedusingasplitkickoffalongside
thestandardsetup.Itgivesusmanymorekickingoptionsandkeepstheoppositionguessingallthetime.
Kicking off short
4 5
6 7
1
23
1.Ballwinnerorsupports3.2.Ballwinnerorsupports1.3.Wrapsinbehindforthetapdown.4.Supports1or3andcoverstheblind.5.Kicksoffandthendropsbacktosweep.
6.Pushesupwithapressdefence.7.Pushesupwithapressdefence.
MikeFriday,formerEnglandcoach:Alwayskickshortifyouhaveagoodkickoffman[drop
kicker]andamanwhoisgoodatleapingandretrievingtheball.
Kicking off long
4 56 71 2 3
Everyplayerpushesupinapressdefenceexcept5whoremainsinthesweeperrole.Theaimistoforcethereceivingteamintocontactortokick.Thishappensbecauseyourplayerspushuphardintotheirpassinglines.Inthecontact,theyshouldpreventthequickrecycleoftheball.
Colin Hillman’s Expert Guide to Sevens 32
Kickoffreception
Mostteamsloadonesideofthepitchwithplayersfortheirkickoff.Youcanspreadyourdefenceacrosstothepostsonthatsidewhenyourteamlinesup.Whentheattacklookslikesplittingtheirforwards,thenyouwillhavetospreadevenlyacrossthepitch.
Putfourplayersatthefrontandthreeattheback.
Reception short
64
5 7
1 2
3
ATTACKING
LINE
1or2securetheballandsupporteachother.4dropsinbehindthem.Theotherplayersformanattackingline.7pushesupwithapressdefence.
Reception long
64
57
1 2
3
3securestheball.Hetheneitherpassestheballto5whokicksonalongdiagonal,ortakestheballintocontactandcreatesanoffsideline.Theaimof
thisistorecycleaquickballfromwhichtoattack.Allplayersmustworkbackbehindtheball.
Set pieces
Shortkickoffsgiveyouachancetowintheballback
Alongkickoffputspressureontheopposition
Colin Hillman’s Expert Guide to Sevens 33
ScrumsSevensusesthreemanscrums.Ingeneral,modernteamsbindasanormalfrontrowmight.Essentially,theplayersmustscrummageastheymightinanormalgame,withalowsquarestance.
Whetheryourhookerstrikesfortheballornotdependsontherelativestrengthsofthescrum.Agooddrivecanproducejustthesameasagoodballbecauseitissixfeetvsixfeetinthecontestbecausethehookerispushing.
Scrumdefence
Whentheballcomesintothescrum,youwanttodriveupontheir“1”.Inotherwords,wheelthescrumonthelooseheadsidebecauseyouareturningthescrumtowardsyourscrumhalf.
Afterthat,thehookerneedstogetoutofthescrumquicklyandcoverthelefthandsideofthescrum.
Whendefendingthescrum,thebacksmatchupagainsttheiroppositenumber.
Set pieces
RussellEarnshaw,Englandforwardscoach:Scrummagingissimple:getlow,hithardandchaseyourfeet.Ontheoppositionscrums,wedothesame,makingsurewewaitfortheputin.Alowsetpriortoscrummagingisessential.
MikeFriday,formerEnglandcoach:Thehookerhookshisownballandvariesthelengthofthestrikeonthescrumhalf’spreference.
Scrum defence left
6
4
5 7
1 23
Scrum defence right
6
4
57
1 23
1.Driveupandwheelthescrumtowardstheirscrumhalf.2.Talkto4andcoverbreakoutblind.3.Pullbacktoassistthewheel.Iftheballislostthen1and3breakout,pushupinfield.
4.Looktowintheballfromthebackofthescrum,butdonotchasetheirscrumhalf.Iftheballislostthendropintothesweeperrolequickly,dependingonwhat7isdoing.5,6,7.Pressdefence.7.Holdbackslightlyincase4doesnotcomebackintothesweeperrole.
MikeFriday,formerEnglandcoach:Thehookeralwaysgetsoutandgoesleftontheoppositionball.Thepropsscrummagethroughandcomeouttheotherside.
MikeFriday,formerEnglandcoach:Thescrumhalfcompetesatthebaseandthendropstosweep.
Colin Hillman’s Expert Guide to Sevens 34
Set pieces
Scrumattack
Yourteamcanemployalltheregulartypesofbacksmoves,likeswitches,loopsandmisspasses.Thesimplestmoveistogettheballwidetothewingerandthensetupasupportsequence.Othermovesconcentrateoncreatinganextraplayer.
Fromamidfieldscrumthereareacoupleofoptions,aspictured.
Forotherideasofmovesyoucanuse,lookatthelineoutattacksectiononthenextpage.
Sequence move - wing ball/pull-out ball
1
2 3
4
5
6 7
5
6
7
4
1 2 3
7receivestheballandaimswide.Hecaneitherpassapopballto5cominginhardonhisshoulder,orturnandpassbackto6.6dropsintothepocketbehind7toofferdeepsupport.Ifhethenreceives
theball,hepassesitbackbehind5to4.5comesinhardonashortball.
Attack options centre field - scrum
1
2 3
4
5
67
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
4passestheballto5.5passesto6(onanangledrun)andloopsround.2comesoutofthescrumandtakesacircleballwith6.2thenpassesto5ORattacksasheseesit.Thereshouldbeplayersonhisinsideandoutsideinsupport.
Workhardtowinthescrum
Colin Hillman’s Expert Guide to Sevens 35
Lineout attackYoucanputasmanyassixplayersintothelineoutinattack.However,mostteamssticktotwoplayersandaplayerinthehalfbackpositionorreceiverposition.
Inthenewlaws,thereissomedebateoverwhetherornotthereceivercancomeintothelineout.Refereeshaveinterpretedthisindifferentways.Alltheselineoutsarevalidifthereceivercancomeintothelineout.However,iftherefereedoesnotallowareceiverintothelineoutbeforethethrow,juststartthreeplayersinthelineoutandhavenoreceiver.
Herearesomebasicsetplaystowinthelineout.
Safe ball
1
2
3
1
2
3
4
4
3dummiesbackandrunsforwardtotaketheballatthefront.
MikeFriday,formerEnglandcoach:Mytacticistokeepthelineoutsimpleandusetimingtowintheball.Wehaveusedasixmanlineoutbeforeontheir5mlinetocreateamaulandscore.
Thai ball
1
2
3
1
2
3
4
4
Thai ball 1
1
2
3
1
2
3
4
4
2comesinattheback,movesforwardfollowedby1.2getsliftedatthefront.4movesintothescrumhalfposition.
2getsliftedinthemiddlewith4movingintothescrumhalfposition.
Set pieces
Colin Hillman’s Expert Guide to Sevens 36
Set pieces
Jokerball
Somethingfewteamsexpectatthelineoutisacatchanddrive.Wecallthisthejokerball.Theployhasbeenusedintoptournaments,onoraroundtheir5mline.
Cancelcall
If“cancel”iscalledbyanyone,thatisthethrower,jumper,orlifter,thenalwaysreverttoThaiball(middlelift).
Thai ball 2
1
2
3
1
23
4
4
2comesinatthefront,movesbackfollowedby3.2getsliftedatthefront.4movesintothescrumhalfposition.
Option ball
1
2
3
1 2
3
4
4
2comesinatthefront,movesbackfollowedby3andisliftedattheback.Assoonas2reaches1,1loopshimtotaketheballatthefront.
1
23
A B C
Scrum half options
4
Thescrumhalfhastheoptiontotaketheballoff
thejumperatthreedifferentpositions:A,BorC.
Thescrumhalfshouldgiveanearlycall.
Agoodlineoutballisagreatattackingplatform
Colin Hillman’s Expert Guide to Sevens 37
Lineout attack ploysHerearefourattackingploysfromalineout.
Set pieces
6 dummy
1
2
3
45 6 7
4takestheballfromthelineoutandrunsacross.5driftsout.4dummyswitcheswith6andpassesto5,whopassesonto7.
7 circle
1
2
3
4
56
7
4takestheballfromthelineoutandrunsflat,
passingto7cuttingin.5and6loopoutside7.4takesacircleballoff7andpassesto5,whopasses
onto6.
Blindside bomb ball
1
2
3
4
56 7
3
7
6
5
41
2
4passestheballto5andthendropsback.5passestheballto6.6hitsuphardintothecentreofthefieldandintothecontact.3isthefirstsupport
playeratthecontact,theballwinner.7isthesecondsupportatcontactandistheballuser.7passestheballto5,whoattacksthenarrowsideusing5,4,2and1.
Blindside 7 switch
1
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5 67
3
6
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1 2
4passesoutto5.5runssidewayswith6andpassesto7comingbackontheswitch.7takestheswitchandlinkswith1,2,3and4whohavedroppedoff
thelineout.
Colin Hillman’s Expert Guide to Sevens 38
Lineout defenceInthedefensivelineout,youhaveachoiceofcompetingfortheballwithagroupofthreeplayerstoliftandjump,orjustcompetingwithtwoplayersandcoveringthedefensiveareas.
RussellEarnshaw,Englandforwardscoach:Defensively,weneverallowtheoppositionaguaranteedlineoutballandcompeteheavily.
BenRyan,Englandcoach:Ibelieveitishorsesforcourses.Wewillhaveanalysedtheoppositionanddecidedwhetherwewanttobeaggressiveordefensiveinourlineoutsystems.
Themostcommonisamirrorsystemtomatchandoutjumptheoppositionand/orcoverall.Iftheoppositionhookerthrowsunderarmintothelineoutthenwewouldlooktogetinfrontandchallengemostofthetime.
Territoryalsohasaroletoplayandyoumaywanttokeepplayersonthegrounddefendingclosetoyourline.Theplayersneedtohaveaframeworkofpossibilitiesandwithinthattheymakeinformeddecisions.
64
57
1
2
3
Lineout defence
1and3competefortheball,disrupt,pushupandinfield.2coversthetailandlooksforthe
overthrow.4remainsinpositionandcoverstheblindside.5and6pressdefence.7becomesthesweeper.Heshouldtrusthispaceandifpossiblewaittoseeiftheballiswonorlost.Iftheballisoverthrownbytheopposition,hemaywellbeneededinattack.
Set pieces
Youneedtodecideonwhethertocompeteforthe
lineoutballornot
Colin Hillman’s Expert Guide to Sevens 39
PenaltiesFromafreekickorpenalty,mostteamswillchoosetotapandgostraightaway.Thedefencewillberetiringanddisorganisedandtherearemorespacesonthefield.Ifyoudecideonamove,keepitsimpleandattackspace.Playersinanypositionshouldalwaysexpecttheball.
Ifthereisadelayforsomereasonandyourteamneedstosetupapre‐plannedplay,herearethetwomainsetupsyoucanuse.
Youcanchoosetokickfortouchordropkickforgoal.Kickingfortouchrunsdowntheclockandgivesyouterritory.Ifyouareinfrontoftheposts,thenakickatgoalcanalsorundowntheclockandgiveyouvaluableextrapointsinatightgame.
Double posts
4 5
6
12
3 7
4 5
6
1 2
3 7
OPTION 1
OPTION 2
Option1:4passestheballto5andrunsbehind.5passestheballto4asherunsround.4workswith2,6,and7.
Option2:4passestheballto5andrunsbehind.5passestheballto7runningtheotherway,whoworkswith1and3.
Fix and switch
1
2
3
1
23
Theballcarrierfixesthedefenceandyourplayers
workoffhim.Therearenumerousoptions.Here
arethethreemainones:
i) Aswitchwith1or2.ii) Adummyswitchwith1,switchwith2or hithimstraight.iii) Adummyswitchwith1and2andthen feed3.
Set pieces
Aquicktappedpenaltywillnotgivethedefencea
chancetoreorganise
Colin Hillman’s Expert Guide to Sevens 40
Sometimes,orevenmanytimes,youwillhaveonlyonesessiontopulltogetheryour
sevensteam.Thischapterhassomeideasonwhattodo.
Whattodofirst? 41
Whattodointwohours? 41
MikeFriday’sdrillsandexercises 42
Defensivedrills 42 •Cuttingdowntheangle
•Creatingatrap
•Subduebeforesupport
•Athreemanhold
Attackingdrills 44 •Passanddrop
•Pass,dropandpunch
•Pass,drop,punchandreturn
A world class session in two hours
Colin Hillman’s Expert Guide to Sevens 41
What to do first?Allthetopcoachessayworkondefencefirst.
What to do in two hours?1. Organiseyourdefensivesystem.2. Workonyourkickoffreceiptsandchases.3. Firstphasework.Agoodscrum(lowand strong)andalineoutwithseveraloptions.4. Anattackingframework.
A world class session in two hours
RussellEarnshaw,Englandforwardscoach:Weconcentrateondefence.Youcanplaydefenceandrelyuponyourattackinginstinctsandturnoverball.
RussellEarnshaw,Englandforwardscoach:Winningkickoffsisvital.Possessionisthekeyto
sevens.
JoeLydon,formerEnglandcoach:Understandtheteam’sdynamicsbeforetrainingstartsifpossible.Iwouldworkon:
1. Defensivesystemalignment(spatial awareness).
2. Recyclingtheballbothinandoutofcontact (forinstance,towardsthesideline).
3. Thequalityofpassingandhandling.
BillyMillard,formerheadcoachofAustralia:
Attackwise,showthemhowtousethewidthofafieldwithsevenplayers.Attackersshould
neverberedundant,theyalwaysneedtopassandwork.Theballcarrierneedstwoplayerswithhimwhenhegoesintocontact.Oneactsasasupportplayer(tosealtheball)andtheotherahalfbacktoshifttheball.
Talkaboutwhatyoudowhenyougetintowidechannels.Ittakesalotofhardworkandexperiencetoplaya“pulloutplay”and“hitapocket”andgoback.Ithinkit’sbetteronceyouarewide,tohaveacrackatgoingintocontactonyourterms,thenstretchthemagain.Theplayerscanhavealookatmis‐matchesontheway.
Youneedtolookatrestarts,scrumsandlineouts.Possessionisthekeytosevens.
Setupasixmanfrontlinedefenceandasweeper.
Thebestwaytolearnsevensistoplayit.SoIwouldsuggestputthebasicsintoplace,thenplayasmanypracticegamesaspossible.
Colin Hillman’s Expert Guide to Sevens 42
Mike Friday’s drills and exercisesWhenyou’reshortoftime,practisingtherightdrillisparamount.HerearesevendrillsandexercisesusedbyMikeFridayyoucanchoose
from.
Defensive drills1. Cuttingdowntheangle
Objective:Understandinghowtotrackbackasasingledefender
Spreadoutfourattackersover20metresfromtheedgeofthetouchline.Startadefenderabout5metresawayfromthefirstattacker,whoisthefurthestinfield.Makethisattackerrunforwardwithaball.Hepassestheballoncethedefenderiscoveringhim.Therestoftheattackersdothesame.
Inthemeantime,thedefendercoversacrossandbacksoheisinapositiontopushthefinalattackerintotouch.
Startslowlytogivethedefendertheconfidenceandtechniquetokeepametreinsidetheballcarrier.Speeduptherunningandpassing,withtheattackersaimingtoscore30mahead.However,theycannotswitchorpasstheballbackinside.Usetouchtackling.
2. Creatingatrap
Objective:Trappingagainstthetouchline
Spreadoutfourattackersover20metresfromtheedgeofthetouchline.Startadefenderabout5metresawayfromthefirstattackerwhoisthefurthestinfield.Putanothertwodefendersabout2metresawayfromthefirstdefender.
Theattackersaimtoscore30metresahead.Thefirstdefenderaimstocutdowntheangle,whilsttheothertwodefendersmustruntotwoconesabout3metresaway,beforeracingacrosstohelpcreateatrap.
Thedefendersaimtocoverthepassingchannelssotheattackernearestthetouchlinecannotpasstheballback.
Cutting down the angle
Creating a trap
A world class session in two hours
Colin Hillman’s Expert Guide to Sevens 43
3. Subduebeforesupport
Objective:Realigningindefenceaftertheballhasbeenmovedaway
Setupa3v3ina20metrewidechannelnexttothetouchline.Spreadoutanotherfourattackersacrosstherestofthepitch,withthreemoredefendersattheedgeofthechannel.
Initially,playtouchrugbyinthe3v3channel.Whenthereisatackle,theattackingteampassestheballtotheattackersontherestofthepitch.Alltheplayersnowbecomeactivewithfullcontacttackles.
Thedefencehastoholdandpushtheattackacrosstothefartouchline,whilsttheirteammatesrunbackintodefensivepositions.
4. Athreemanhold
Objective:Holdingtheattackuntiltherestofthedefenceisinposition
Usethewholepitch.Putsevenattackersalongthe10metrelinefacingtheposts.Putthreedefendersonthe22metrelineandanotherthreeonthehalfway.Gettheattackerstopasstheballbetweenthemupanddowntheline.Whenyoushout“go”,makethemattacktheposts.Thedefendersinfrontofthemhavetoholdthemwhilsttheotherdefendersrunbacktogetintoposition.
Subdue before support
Three man hold
A world class session in two hours
Colin Hillman’s Expert Guide to Sevens 44
Attacking drills1. Passanddrop
Objective:Understandinghowtopassanddropintoapositiontosupporttheballcarrier
Putfourplayersacrossoneedgeofa15metrewideby5metrelongbox.Putthreeplayersbehindthem.
Starttheballononeside.Makethisballcarrierrunforward5metresandthenpasstotheplayernexttohim.Afterhepasses,herunsintowherethereceiverstartedfrom.Allthepassersandreceiversrepeatuntilitreachestheendplayer.
Makethelastplayerontheendofthelineturnaroundandpasstheballbackinside.
Theplayerswhowerenotinvolvedinthefirstsetofpassesnowmoveforwardtorepeattheexercisewiththeballbeingpassedintheotherdirection.
Thisisacontinuousexercise,withplayerspassinganddroppinginbehindandtheballmovingfromtheside.
Developthisexercisebyhavingonlyonelineofplayers.Theendplayernowpassesbacktotheplayerbehindhim,whothenpassestheballbackalongthelinetheotherway.
Makesurethereceiversrunstraight,attackingtowardstheball.Widentheboxtochallengetheplayerswithlongerpasses.
2. Pass,dropandpunch
Objective:Buildinganattackingpatternfortheendoftheline
Spreadoutfourplayersabout30metresfromthetouchline.Starttheballwiththeplayerfurthestfromthetouchline.Havetheplayerspasstheballdowntheline.Whentheballreachestheendplayerheturnsandpassestheballtooneoftwoplayers:
i) Eitherhepassestheballtotheplayerwho hasjustpassedhimtheball.Thisplayer hasdroppedinbehindhim.ii) Orhepassestheballtothe“punch” runner.Thisplayerwasthelastbutone totouchtheball,andhasrunatan angletoreceiveashortflatpassfromthe endplayer.
Iftheballgoestotheplayerbehindtheendman,itispassedbackinsidetothefirstpasser.
Pass and drop
7 6 5
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Pass, drop and punch
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A world class session in two hours
Colin Hillman’s Expert Guide to Sevens 45
3. Pass,drop,punchandreturn
Objective:Buildingupapatternofplaytotaketheballacrossthewidthofthepitch
Markalineupthemiddleofthepitch.Putfourplayersononesideandthreeontheother.Starttheballonthelineandmaketheplayerspasstheballalongthelineoneway.Theyuseapass,dropandpunchpatternwhentheballreachestheendoftheline.
Theballisthenpassedbacktheotherway,withtheotherplayersrealigningthemselvestoreceiveapass.Theexerciseisthenrepeatedontheotherendoftheline.
Pass, drop, punch and return
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A world class session in two hours
Colin Hillman’s Expert Guide to Sevens 46
Unlikethe15‐a‐sidegame,youcanexertalotmoreinfluenceonyourteamduringatournamentbecausetherearegapsbetweengames.Maximiseyourtimebeforeand
afterthegamestokeepyourplayersinthebeststatetoplaywell.
Runningatournamentplan 47
Pickingtheteam 47
Mindandbody 48
•Warmingup
•Examplewarmupsession
•Thetopteamsusingthebesttechnology
Eatinganddrinking 49
Substitutionsandrotation 49
Postmatchroutines 49
Coaching a tournament
Colin Hillman’s Expert Guide to Sevens 47
Running a tournament planBeforeatournamentbegins,findoutwhattimeallthegamesaregoingtostartandwhere.Evenifthisisonlyavailableontheday,itisessentialthatthetimingsforthedayaresetoutforalltheplayerstosee.
Workbackfromthestartofeachgametotellyourplayerswheretheyaresupposedtobeandwhattheyneedtobedoing.Forinstance,youcanusethe“45minuterule”forgettingtheplayersintoplace.Inonedaytournaments,wheretherearelotsofgames,thismightbeimpractical.Butthegeneralruleshouldalwaysbe:“Warmuptogetherfromthestartofthematchbeforeours.”
Betweengames,whilstyourplayersaregoingthroughsomerecoveryroutines,youshouldbeanalysingyouropponentsandformingtheplanforthenextgame.Thisplancanbeoutlinedaspartofthewarmuproutine.
Picking the teamYouwillhaveasquadofplayersfortheday.HereisMikeFriday’sguideforpickingasquadof12(ifyouhavesuchaluxury!)
• Twoplayerswhoaregoodatkick offtime,thatmeanswinning possession.• Twomenwhoare“dogs”ontheground andincontact.Inotherwords,thehard menofanyside.• Threeplayerscapableofplayinghalf back.Thescrumhalfmustbegood roundthebase.• Twokickoffrestartmenwhocanget goodhangtime.• Atleasttwostepperswithgas(speed).• Twoout‐and‐outgasmeninthesquad.• Twoutilityplayerswhocanplayupfront andintheback.
Somecoachessayyoushouldalwaysstartwithyourbestteam,nomatterhowgoodtheoppositionare.Itisarguedthatitsetsthetoneforthedayandgivestheteamtherightmomentum.
MikeFriday,formerEnglandcoach:Itisimportanttohaveabestteam,whichmeansablendoftheplayerscomethefinal.Butyoucan’t
playthisteamthroughoutthetournament.
Haveasetsystemtorotateplayersduringthepoolmatchesandthenplaythebestteamcomefinalsday.
Coaching a tournament
Colin Hillman’s Expert Guide to Sevens 48
Mind and bodyTomaintainyourplayers’energylevelsduringtheday,youneedtomanagetheirintakeandpre‐and‐postmatchexercises.
Warmingup
Allthetopcoachesseethisasavitalelementinyourroleasthecoach.
Warmupscanbelimitedbyspaceontheday.Yourplayersneedtohavetheirmindsandbodiesactivated,butwithaslittlerunningaspossible.
Thementalpreparationforagamestartsassoonasthepreviousgamefinishes.Yourteamwillneedtobeconsideringhowtobeatthenextopponents.Whatplayswillwork?Howmanyplayersareneededinthecontactarea?Whoaretheirgreatestthreats?Whatsortofdefenceisrequired?
Takeadvantageofanyopportunitytowatchotherteamsplaywhenyouareresting.
Physicalpreparationforagameshouldbeshort.Itwillreplicateanormal15‐a‐sidewarmup,butfocusingonthespecificskillsforyourgameplan.Forinstance,thereshouldbearehearsalofsetpieceplays,handlingandcontactskillsandsomedefensiveorganisation.
Examplewarmupsession
Thetopteamsusingthebesttechnology
EnglandcoachBenRyangivesusaninsightintowhatthetopteamscandowithallthetechnologythatisnowavailable.
RussellEarnshaw,Englandforwardscoach:Thecombinationsarecrucialonthesevensfield.I
wouldalwaysaimforaconsistencyofselection.
Coaching a tournament
BenRyanEnglandheadcoach:Weliketousea30minuteblowoutorhardsessiononthefieldat
leastthreehoursbeforethefirstgame.
JoeLydon,formerEnglandcoach:Youmightwanttovaryyourwarmuproutinestokeeptheplayers’mindsfresh.Otherwisethewarmuphasaplaceboeffect,wherethemindthinksitis
warmingup,butthebodyisjustgoingthroughthemotions.
BenRyan,Englandcoach:Wewarmupfor15minutestypically,butwithouruseofGPSit’smoreaboutdistancecoveredatdifferentspeeds,
theirindividualheartratesandhowsettheyareindividually.Wehaveinformationinrealtimesowecanbespokethisforeachplayer.
Individualsmayberequiredtodohydrationtestinginbetweengamesaswell.Theplayershaveicebathsaftereverygame.
DanielConnelly,anexperiencedsevensplayerandeditorofwww.rugbysevensguru.com,suggestssomeexercisesthatyoucoulduseaspartofyourwarmup:
1. Runsomeshuttles,playsomelight touchrugbyorhandlinggamesto encouragemovementinterspersedwith dynamicstretching.(10minutes)2. Workonyourattackanddefensive patterns.Runthroughsomegame situationswithyourstartingteamwiththe substitutesrunningasopposition. (5minutes)3. Usesomehighintensitydrillsto encouragefootwork.Forinstance,with laddersornon‐contactone‐on‐onesina narrowchannel.(5minutes)
Colin Hillman’s Expert Guide to Sevens 49
Eating and drinkingPlayersareawareofwhatfoodsanddrinkstheycancomfortablyconsumebeforetheyplay.Fruit,energybarsandenergydrinkswillbeastapleonthedayofthecompetitiontoreplacelostfuel.
Avoidfizzydrinksandfoodswhichtaketimetodigest,butencouragetheplayerstokeepsnackinganddrinkingallday.
Substitutions and rotationWithasquadof10or12players,youcansubstituteplayerstogreateffectinthegame.Afreshpairoflegsmightbecrucialinmakingalinebreakorcoveringacrossindefence.
However,youshouldapproachthisaspectofthegamewithsomeclearobjectivesonhowyouaregoingtousethisopportunitytoadjusttheteam.
Youcanobservewhichplayersareextremelyfatiguedandhavelittlechanceofrecovery.Thiswillformpartoftheinformationtojudgewhentosubstituteplayers.
Youmayalsowanttochangetheshapeofthegamebyaddingpaceorstrength.
Post match routinesThewarmdownismoreimportantthanthewarmup.Aperiodofgentlestretchingandlightactivityshouldhappenstraightafterthegame.Icebathsarealuxury,buticepackscanbehelpfultoo.
Playersshouldtaketheweightofftheirfeet,getoutofthesunifnecessaryandstarttoeatanddrink.
RussellEarnshaw,Englandforwardscoach:Weeatthreehoursbeforekickoffandsoonafterthe
endofthegame.Weneverstopdrinking!
MikeFriday,formerEnglandcoach:Recoveryismassivebetweengamesintermsofactiverecovery,icebaths,hydration,restandfood.
MikeFriday,formerEnglandcoach:Setsubstitutionsinyourheadbeforethegameandthenreactdependingonthesituation.
Coaching a tournament
PaulJohn,theWelshcoach:Straightafterthegametheplayerswouldbeintotheicebathandstretching.Thisisrapidlyfollowedbyfoodtorefuel.Thenwewouldbeanalysingournextopponents,basedonprevioustournamentsandthecurrenttournament
SimonAmor,formerEnglandsevenscaptain:Athalf‐timewehaveasimplerule:makethreepointsmaximum.Anymore,andnopointswillberemembered.Personally,Ialsofeelitisbetterinsevenstopickuponbigthemesratherthanthelittledetails.
Colin Hillman’s Expert Guide to Sevens 50
JohnElliothasmanagedinternationalsevensteamsallovertheworldandinmany
differenttypesoftournaments,includingtheCommonwealthGamesinManchester2002.Inthischapter,Johnshareshisexperienceoftheroleofthesevensmanager.
Introduction 51
Pre‐tournament 51
Non‐controllable 51 •Theweather
•Tournamentrules
•Lawsofthegame
•Drugtesting
•Stadiumorground
Controllable 53 •Playerinformation
•Travelandaccommodation
•Medical
•Equipmentandkit
•Videoing
•Opponents
Tournamentdays 54
The manager
Colin Hillman’s Expert Guide to Sevens 51
IntroductionTheroleofthesevensteammanageristoensureallsupportingblocksareinplacetoallowtheplayerstoperformtothebestoftheirabilityandthecoaches,andothersupportstaff,tomaximisetheircontribution.
Theworkofthemanagerwillfallintotwoverydistinctareas:pre‐tournament,andtheday(s)ofthetournament.
Pre-tournamentThoroughplanningbeforethetournamentbeginsisessential.Attentiontodetailcouldmeanthedifferencebetweenwinningandlosing.
Astheplanningprocessstartstotakeshape,themanagerwillbefacedwithtwodistinctchallenges.Thosethemanagerhasincontrolandthosehedoesnot.
Non-controllableForanytournament,anywhereintheworld,therewillalwaysbefactorsthatarenon‐controllable.Becauseofthis,itisvitalthatthemanagerisfullyawareofthemasearlyaspossible.Remember“forewarnedisforearmed”.
Priorknowledgeofthenon‐controllableissueswillenablethemanager,alongwiththerestofthemanagementteam,toagreeastrategythatcouldgivetheteamadistinctadvantageforthetournament.
Thenon‐controllablefactorsinclude:
Theweather
Priortothetournamentyoushouldregularlychecktheweatherforecastandkeepthecoachinformedofwhattoexpectonmatchday.
Knowingthelikelyweatherexpected,youcanthenensurethattheplayershaveeverythingnecessarytosuittheconditions.Thiswillincludekit(forplayingandinbetweengames),nutrition,andpossiblyshelterfromthesunorrain.
Tournamentrules
Themanagershouldbefullyawareofthetournamentrules,forinstancethenumberofplayersinthesquadorwhathappenswhenagameendsinadraw.
Youshouldknowandunderstandthedisciplinaryprocessfollowingtheissueofyellowandredcards.
Ifthereareanyissuesonthedaytheremaybeverylittletimetoresolvethem.
ForinternationalcompetitionsthemanagershouldbeconversantwithIRBRegulation17.
Youmusthavefullknowledgeoftheplayingprogrammelikekickofftimesandthelengthoftimebetweengames.
Lawsofthegame
Itwillbeusefulifyouhaveareasonableknowledgeofthelawsofthegame,particularlythe“seven‐a‐sidevariations”.
The manager
Colin Hillman’s Expert Guide to Sevens 52
Drugtesting
Youmayhavetobepreparedforthesquadtobedrugtestedbeforeorduringthetournament.Ifso,youneedtounderstandtheroleofthedrugtesters,therightsoftheplayers,aswellasbeingawareofIRBregulation21–Anti‐Doping.
Forinternationalsquads,localgoverningbodieswillneedtobeinformedofwhenandwherethesquadwilltrainandcompeteandofanydeviationfromtheproposedschedule.
Stadiumorground
Pre‐tournament,wheneverpossible,areconnaissancemissiontothestadiumorgroundisessential.Inordertoplanproperly,youmustbefullyawarewhattheteamwillbefacedwithonmatchday.Achecklistwillbeuseful.
Onyourvisitfindoutabout:
• Whatthesurfaceislikelytobelikeon matchday?
• Isthepitchfullsize?Ifnot,whatareits dimensions?
• Aretherealternatepitchesthatmaybe used?Ifso,wherearetheyrelativetothe mainpitch?
• Howbigisthechangingroom?
• Wherewilltheteamwarmup?Howfaris thisfromthematchpitch?
• Aretheresuitableareasforrestand recovery,includingareassuitablefor possibleicebaths?
• Where,andwhat,willtheplayerseat?
• Wherewilltheteam’sphysiotherapistbe abletosetuphistabletostrapand treatplayers?
Ifitisnotpracticaltodothis,youmustdoallyoucantoanswerthesequestions,oftenbyspeakingtocontactswhomayhavepreviousexperienceofthestadiumorground.
Ifthetournamentisspreadovertwodaysandaccommodationisprovided,thenthismustbecheckedoutandeveryeffortmadetoensurethattheplayersandcoachingstaffareabletohaveagoodnight’ssleeppriortothesecondday.
Otherinformationthatcouldbeusefultothecoachesandplayersinclude:‐
• Whowillberefereeing?
• Whatballswillbeused?
The manager
Colin Hillman’s Expert Guide to Sevens 53
Controllable Playerinformation
Youshouldhaveonrecordcomprehensivedetailsoftheplayers.Theserecordsshouldincludeallcontactdetailsandthenameofwhotocontactif,forexample,theplayerisinjuredandneedshospitaltreatment.
Youshouldalsohaveanyinformationregardingpreviousdisciplinaryproceduresandsanctionsagainstanyplayerselectedinthesquad.Thiswouldbeneededifthereisadisciplinaryissueduringthetournament.
Youneedtoensurethattheplayershaveyourcontactdetails,aswellasthoseoftheothermembersofthemanagementteam,soyoucanbecontactedforanyreason.
Iftheteamtravelsabroad,itisusefultohaveonfilepassportdetails(suchasaphotocopy)fortheplayersandmanagement.
Travelandaccommodation
Itgoeswithoutsayingthattheplayersmustbeintherightframeofmindandinthebestphysicalconditionatthestartofthetournament.
Indiscussionswiththecoachandmedicalstaff,youneedtodecideontheoptimumtimefortheplayerstoarriveattheground,toprepareforthefirstgame.
Ifflightsarerequired,andthebudgetislimitedtoeconomyclasstravel,youshouldattempttoreserveexitseatsfortheplayerswithlonglegs.
Youmayhavetomakeadecisionaboutwhetherovernightaccommodationisrequired.Theselectionofasuitablehotelisveryimportant.
Medical
Itisvitalthatyoucheckwiththeorganisersastoexactlywhatmedicalsupportwillbeavailableatthetournament.
Teamsmaytaketheirownphysiotherapist.Ifthisisthecase,checkwiththephysiotherapistastoexactlywhatequipmentherequiresinadditiontowhathewillbringhimself.
Ificebathsaretobeused,thenyouneedtocheckwhetherornottheywillbeprovidedbythetournamenthosts.Otherwisearrangementsneedtobemadetotakeyourown.Alocalsupplieroficemayhavetobesourced.
Equipmentandkit
Inliaisonwiththecoach,youshouldagreewhatequipmentwillbeneededontheday.Donotrelyonthehostsupplyinganything.
Alwaysmakesurethattheteamhaseverythingyoufeeltheywillneed,includingalltheequipmentandkitneededforthegames,warmups,andrestperiods.
Itisalwaysadvisabletohaveasparesetofkitincasetheoriginalgetsrippedorwet.Also,itisagoodideatohaveanalternativeincaseofaclashofcolours,evenifbeforethetournamentaclashisnotanticipated.
Videoing
Generallythecoachesandplayerswouldappreciateavideoofallthegames.Ifthisisnotdonebytheorganisersthenarrangementsshouldbemadeforsomeoneassociatedwiththeteamtovideothosegamesrequestedbythecoach.
Ahighvantagepointisdesirableandadviceshouldbetakenfromthecoachastoifhewantsthegamesvideoingfromthesideorendon.
The manager
Colin Hillman’s Expert Guide to Sevens 54
Allvideosshouldbekeptinasuitable“library”,withauthorisedaccess.Carelessnesscouldleadtovideosfallingintothewronghands,thusgivingpossibleoppositionanadvantage.
Opponents
Anyinformationontheotherteamsplayinginthecompetitionshouldbesourcedandmadeavailabletothecoaches.Thiscouldincludevideofootageanddetailsaboutotherteamselections.
Tournament daysIamtemptedtosaythatifallthepre‐planninghasbeendonethoroughly,thentherewillbeverylittleforthemanagertodoonmatchday.Butasweknowthisisrarelythecase.
Itshouldalsogowithoutsaying,butalwaysallowplentyoftimesothatnothingisunnecessarilyrushedastheteampreparesforagame.
Youmustbereadyforanyunforeseenproblemsthatmaycropup,andhavetheconfidencetofindanimmediatesolution,astimewillnotbeonyourside.
Thiscouldmeanhavingreadilytohand,inadditiontothetournamentrulesforthecompetition,acopyofthe“LawsoftheGame”andthevariousIRBRegulations.
However,therearecertainthingsyoumustdo.Thefollowingpointscanformthebasisofthemanager’schecklist:
• Finalcheckonthelocalweatherforecast.
• Arealltheplayersfitandreadyforthe tournament?
• Havewegotalltheessentials?Kitand equipment(playingandwarmup), sufficientfoodanddrinks,icebaths,ice.
• Arriveatthegroundingoodtime.Contact theorganiserstomakesurethereareno
lastminutechangesandsubmitthesquad asperthetournamentrules.
• Iseverythingasplanned?Forinstance, pitches,changingrooms,thescheduleof games,facilities,etc.
• Establishasuitablebaseasameeting point,andsomewheresecurewherekit andvaluablescanbeleft.
• Issuetheteam’splayingkit.
• Ensuretheplayersarefullyawareofthe programmeforthedayandknowwhere tobeandwhen.Itmaybethatbetween gamesyouarehappytolettheplayers “wander”buttheyneedtoknowwhen theteamisduetocometogetherto prepareforthenextmatch.
• Ifthedrugtestersappear,everyeffort shouldbemadetoaccommodatetheir requirements.Butatthesametime, ensuringtheplayersrightsareupheld.
• Makesureallthearrangementsarein placeifthegamesaregoingtobevideoed byamemberofthemanagementteam.
Inaddition,youneedtobepreparedforanyunforeseenproblems.Thesecouldincludedisciplinary,seriousinjuries,orashortageoffoodanddrink.
Inthecaseofadisciplinaryhearing,youmayhavetorepresenttheplayerandshouldthereforebefullyconversantwiththeprocedures.
Afterall,noonewould“PlantoFail”,soit
wouldbeshortsightedto“FailtoPlan”.
The manager
Colin Hillman’s Expert Guide to Sevens 55
Apartfromthegamebeingplayedwithsevenratherthan15players,thereareanumber
ofuniquelawstosevens.
Introduction 56
Law5: Time 56
Law9: Methodofscoring 56
Law10: Foulplay 56
Law13: Kickoffandrestartkicks 56
Law20: Scrum 57
Law21: Penaltyandfreekicks 57
Laws
Colin Hillman’s Expert Guide to Sevens 56
IntroductionTherearesixareaswheretheIRBLawdiffersfromthe15‐a‐sidegame.Alsobeawarethattournamentsmayhave“local”rulesonsubstitutes,numberofplayersinasquadandplayingtimes.
Law 5: TimeAmatchlastsnolongerthan14minutes,pluslosttimeandextratime.
Thefinalcanbe20minutes.
Halftimeisoneminute,ortwominutesinafinal.
Law 9: Method of scoringConversionkicksmustbeadropgoal.Thekickmustbetakenwithin40secondsofthetrybeingscoredotherwisethekickisdisallowed.
Alltheopposingteammustassembleclosetotheirown10mline(therecanbenochargingdownofthekick).
Law 10: Foul playAsinbinnedplayerissuspendedfortwominutes.
Law 13: Kick off and restart kicksTheteamthatjustscoredtakestherestartkick.Ifthekicker’steamisnotbehindthekickattherestart,thenthenon‐offendingteamisawardedafreekickatthecentreofthehalfwayline.
Ifthekickoffdoesnotreachthe10mlineorbeyondandisnotplayedbyanopponent,thenthenon‐offendingteamisawardedafreekickatthecentreofthehalfwayline.
Ifthekickoffgoesdirectlyintotouch,thenthenon‐offendingteamisawardedafreekickatthecentreofthehalfwayline.
Ifthekickoffgoesintothein‐goalareaandtheopposingteammakeitdeadortheballrollsdead,thenthenon‐offendingteamisawardedafreekickatthecentreofthehalfwayline.
Laws
WayneBarnes,IRBinternationalreferee:Theshortenedversionofthegamehasmanyuniquequalities,butasareferee,itsdistinctivefeatureisthewayplayers,coaches,managersandofficials
interact.HavingbeenluckyenoughtotourtheWorldSevensCircuit,Iexperiencedfirsthandtheway
inwhichallthoseinvolvedcouldsitbackintheeveninganddissect,scrutiniseandanalysetheday’splayoverabeerortwo.Oftenmanagersandcoaches,whohadharanguedrefereesfor14minutesandthenanotherfiveminutesasthe
poorofficialleftthefield,couldbeseensatona
stoolsharingthoughts.Colinwasasvociferousasany,buthewouldalwaystaketimeattheendofthedaytosharehispearlsofwisdomwiththerefereesandtouchjudges.Whetherexplainingwhataforwardpasslookedlikeorshowingwhatapunchactuallylookedlike,healwayshadaview.
CharacterssuchasColinarewhatmakessevenstheuniquegameitis.Hewasafriendofreferees,(wellmostofthetime)andhis“pearls”willbesorelymissed.
Colin Hillman’s Expert Guide to Sevens 57
Law 20: ScrumThreeplayersmakeupthescrum.
Allthreeplayersmustremainboundtothescrumuntilitends,otherwiseitisapenalty.
Noplayeristokicktheballoutofthetunnelorthescruminthedirectionoftheopponent’sgoalline,otherwiseitisapenalty.
Law 21: Penalty and free kicksApenaltycannotbeaplacekick,butcanbeadropkick.
Theballmaybekickedwithanypartofthelegfrombelowthekneetothetoesbutnotwiththeheel.
Anypenaltyshotatgoalmustbetakenwithin30secondsofbeingawarded,otherwiseitisascrumtotheoppositionatthemarkofthepenalty.
WayneBarnes,IRBinternationalreferee:
Thelineoutisanareawhichvisuallyseeshugedifferencesbetweenthe15‐a‐sidegameandthe
shortenedversion.Whatshouldberememberedisthatunlessthetournamentrulesstatedifferently,thelawsofthegameareexactlythe
same.Thus,anon‐throwinginreceivermuststandtwometresfromthelineoftouchandhecannotjointhelineuntilthelineouthasbegun‐namelyuntiltheballhasbeenthrown.Fastassomeofthesenumber9sare,Iwouldimagineitnearonimpossibleforascrumhalftoenterthelineaftertheballhasbeenthrown,thenbeliftedandcatchtheball.
Laws
Youcannotkicktheballthroughthescrum