la bible du 7

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


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Legal notices


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]


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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!


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


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


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


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


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


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


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.


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.


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


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.


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


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


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


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.


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.


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.


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!


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.


Coreskillsareimportantandyouneedtoadjustyourcatchandpass.Passwithconfidenceand

firmness.Youcanstillplaywidth.Kickingwith

astrongbreezeisagoodtactic.Findspaceinbehindthesweeperandwithachaseline.Maketheattackersworktogetbackandsupporthim.

Tactics


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


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.


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


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.


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


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


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


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

2

3

4

5 67

3

6

7

5

4

1 2

4passesoutto5.5runssidewayswith6andpassesto7comingbackontheswitch.7takestheswitchandlinkswith1,2,3and4whohavedroppedoff

thelineout.


Lineout defenceInthedefensivelineout,youhaveachoiceofcompetingfortheballwithagroupofthreeplayerstoliftandjump,orjustcompetingwithtwoplayersandcoveringthedefensiveareas.

RussellEarnshaw,Englandforwardscoach:Defensively,weneverallowtheoppositionaguaranteedlineoutballandcompeteheavily.

BenRyan,Englandcoach:Ibelieveitishorsesforcourses.Wewillhaveanalysedtheoppositionanddecidedwhetherwewanttobeaggressiveordefensiveinourlineoutsystems.

Themostcommonisamirrorsystemtomatchandoutjumptheoppositionand/orcoverall.Iftheoppositionhookerthrowsunderarmintothelineoutthenwewouldlooktogetinfrontandchallengemostofthetime.

Territoryalsohasaroletoplayandyoumaywanttokeepplayersonthegrounddefendingclosetoyourline.Theplayersneedtohaveaframeworkofpossibilitiesandwithinthattheymakeinformeddecisions.

64

57

1

2

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Lineout defence

1and3competefortheball,disrupt,pushupandinfield.2coversthetailandlooksforthe

overthrow.4remainsinpositionandcoverstheblindside.5and6pressdefence.7becomesthesweeper.Heshouldtrusthispaceandifpossiblewaittoseeiftheballiswonorlost.Iftheballisoverthrownbytheopposition,hemaywellbeneededinattack.

Set pieces

Youneedtodecideonwhethertocompeteforthe

lineoutballornot


PenaltiesFromafreekickorpenalty,mostteamswillchoosetotapandgostraightaway.Thedefencewillberetiringanddisorganisedandtherearemorespacesonthefield.Ifyoudecideonamove,keepitsimpleandattackspace.Playersinanypositionshouldalwaysexpecttheball.

Ifthereisadelayforsomereasonandyourteamneedstosetupapre‐plannedplay,herearethetwomainsetupsyoucanuse.

Youcanchoosetokickfortouchordropkickforgoal.Kickingfortouchrunsdowntheclockandgivesyouterritory.Ifyouareinfrontoftheposts,thenakickatgoalcanalsorundowntheclockandgiveyouvaluableextrapointsinatightgame.

Double posts

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OPTION 1

OPTION 2

Option1:4passestheballto5andrunsbehind.5passestheballto4asherunsround.4workswith2,6,and7.

Option2:4passestheballto5andrunsbehind.5passestheballto7runningtheotherway,whoworkswith1and3.

Fix and switch

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23

Theballcarrierfixesthedefenceandyourplayers

workoffhim.Therearenumerousoptions.Here

arethethreemainones:

i) Aswitchwith1or2.ii) Adummyswitchwith1,switchwith2or hithimstraight.iii) Adummyswitchwith1and2andthen feed3.

Set pieces

Aquicktappedpenaltywillnotgivethedefencea

chancetoreorganise


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


What to do first?Allthetopcoachessayworkondefencefirst.

What to do in two hours?1. Organiseyourdefensivesystem.2. Workonyourkickoffreceiptsandchases.3. Firstphasework.Agoodscrum(lowand strong)andalineoutwithseveraloptions.4. Anattackingframework.


RussellEarnshaw,Englandforwardscoach:Weconcentrateondefence.Youcanplaydefenceandrelyuponyourattackinginstinctsandturnoverball.

RussellEarnshaw,Englandforwardscoach:Winningkickoffsisvital.Possessionisthekeyto

sevens.

JoeLydon,formerEnglandcoach:Understandtheteam’sdynamicsbeforetrainingstartsifpossible.Iwouldworkon:

1. Defensivesystemalignment(spatial awareness).

2. Recyclingtheballbothinandoutofcontact (forinstance,towardsthesideline).

3. Thequalityofpassingandhandling.


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.


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



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



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

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Pass, drop and punch

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3. Pass,drop,punchandreturn

Objective:Buildingupapatternofplaytotaketheballacrossthewidthofthepitch

Markalineupthemiddleofthepitch.Putfourplayersononesideandthreeontheother.Starttheballonthelineandmaketheplayerspasstheballalongthelineoneway.Theyuseapass,dropandpunchpatternwhentheballreachestheendoftheline.

Theballisthenpassedbacktheotherway,withtheotherplayersrealigningthemselvestoreceiveapass.Theexerciseisthenrepeatedontheotherendoftheline.

Pass, drop, punch and return

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Unlikethe15‐a‐sidegame,youcanexertalotmoreinfluenceonyourteamduringatournamentbecausetherearegapsbetweengames.Maximiseyourtimebeforeand

afterthegamestokeepyourplayersinthebeststatetoplaywell.

Runningatournamentplan 47

Pickingtheteam 47

Mindandbody 48

•Warmingup

•Examplewarmupsession

•Thetopteamsusingthebesttechnology

Eatinganddrinking 49

Substitutionsandrotation 49

Postmatchroutines 49

Coaching a tournament


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.



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.


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)


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.


PaulJohn,theWelshcoach:Straightafterthegametheplayerswouldbeintotheicebathandstretching.Thisisrapidlyfollowedbyfoodtorefuel.Thenwewouldbeanalysingournextopponents,basedonprevioustournamentsandthecurrenttournament

SimonAmor,formerEnglandsevenscaptain:Athalf‐timewehaveasimplerule:makethreepointsmaximum.Anymore,andnopointswillberemembered.Personally,Ialsofeelitisbetterinsevenstopickuponbigthemesratherthanthelittledetails.


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


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


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


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


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


Apartfromthegamebeingplayedwithsevenratherthan15players,thereareanumber

ofuniquelawstosevens.

Introduction 56

Law5: Time 56

Law9: Methodofscoring 56

Law10: Foulplay 56

Law13: Kickoffandrestartkicks 56

Law20: Scrum 57

Law21: Penaltyandfreekicks 57

Laws


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.


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.

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Youcannotkicktheballthroughthescrum

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