Training Report

Another good turn out this week for training, with 23 regular faces and 3 new ones. Firstly let me echo Podge’s welcome to Ben, Edward and Matthew, it is always great to get new players coming along to try their hand at Rugby.

With a variation on the warm up this week we started with having races using the tackle puddings in various ways. This warm up was not only done to give you guys a chance to have a bit of fun, but was also done so that you could get used to pumping your legs and driving forwards with a resistance, and then secondly to get you used to supporting each other and being ready to make a tackle.

The core skills part of our session this week was based on a few things that have been going a miss during our matches over the past few weeks – Starting with the way we approach the contact area. When the ball carrier has been tackled, whether defending or attacking the job is not done, supporting players need to hit those rucks and clear out the opposition. As Mike said last week “if in doubt in any ruck or maul, drop your shoulders and drive your legs”. It doesn’t matter if you are a back or forward if you are in close proximity to the ruck or maul you should not be stood watching you should be getting stuck in there trying to secure the ball. With that being said it doesn’t mean to say that the whole team needs to get involved. We work in groups of 5 or 6 in rucks and mauls. You have to work hard to win the ball back at all times, i have said it many times you will not lose rugby matches if you can retain the ball.

The other part of the core skills we were working on is dropping on loose balls, whether that be from a kick through or from a loose pass, instead of trying to swoop and scoop we need to slide on the floor take control of the ball first and foremost, from there the opposition has to let that player return to their feet before trying to tackle them. You have to return to your feet straight away. You were also working on either ripping the ball from your opponent or keeping hold of it in that given situation, we were doing this to go hand in hand with the dropping on the ball. You finished with some passing, using your weaker hands to pass from the floor, and then on your stronger hands.

We then split in to forwards and backs, with forwards working on line outs and scrums, which by the end were really coming together, you do need to concentrate on body positioning every single time that you scrum down. It is for your safety. The coaching team have shown you all how to scrum properly, with straight backs chins up. The backs were working on distributing the ball down the line and maintaining running in straight lines which in turn will draw the man and create gaps. If you run at an angle instead of going straight you will end up closing the space down, and narrowing the point of attack, and running out of field to play in. You have been given some a couple of moves, but nothing works better than moving the ball down the line, through the hands. If you work as a team and an attacking line instead of trying to beat the 13 defenders the team will score a lot more tries. The idea behind playing the tactics of ruck, ruck pass is to stretch defence and moving the ball down the line will aid in this.

Although it was a shortened session this week due to our squad hosting the meat raffle, you all worked hard, there were lots of positives.

We will be taking 18 players away to Portsmouth next Sunday with those not selected training with Mike Baldwin at the club.

Pony