Execution:
When the preparation stage has been completed the performer should execute the tackle in the following ways; the performer should push off the balls of his feet using his legs to generate full power when driving in for the tackle, the leading point of contact should be made with the shoulder rather than the arms or the head. This prevents the chance of the opposition attacker bursting through the arms of the performer because the shoulder is more rigid as it has the weight of the entire body behind it also. However the arms are still a crucial part of the tackle as when the shoulder stage has been executed the arms can wrap the attacker’s legs up and prevent any further meters gained. The performer always had his head on the outside of the attacker’s waist on the gluets; this term is known as cheek to cheek. This position is the safest when executing the tackle as the body is in a strong, rigid position with all vital parts of the body i.e. the neck and head in the correct places. However if the performer does find that their head is on the inside of the attackers waist they could cause themselves serious injury.
Recovery:
If the performer has a strong core then he can quickly and fluently propel himself onto his feet once the tackle has been executed effectively. If the performer does this well then he can contest for the ball on the floor and force a turnover. However this can change due to environmental factors such as the opposition already forming a ruck. If this situation occurs the performer can then fill in the gaps in the defensive line ready to make another tackle. A great example of this technique being executed efficiently can be displayed through Australia’s David Pocock because he consistently turns ball over for his team as he propels himself back onto his feet quickly and effectively.
Results:
If the tackle is executed well then it can be extremely effective, for example, the ball can be dislodged in contact resulting in a turn over through a knock on or interception. If the tackle if executed poorly then the opposition can burst through the tackle or if the tackle is made then they can recycle the ball efficiently in the form of a ruck.
Overall Efficiency:
The tackle has a great deal of efficiency if performed consistently with good technique. In this particular example the performer performed the tackle with great efficiency finding himself back on his feet quickly, making the entire process extremely fluent. He has clearly followed a technical model as he had developed a perfect technique. However as the ruck has already been so formed he cannot contest for the ball therefore he spreads out into the defensive line ready to make another tackle.
Weaknesses:
His weaknesses when compared to the technical model where:
Offloading:
When going into contact, the performer rarely got the ball and his arms free; however, when he did he was more concerned about keeping the ball in hand and forming the ruck over the gain line. On a couple of occasions the performer found himself with the option to offload but clearly a lack of confidence was present and he took the ball to ground. This stopped some of the fluency in attack and hindered the momentum of the attack. Also a lack of communication was a factor which prevented the performer from using the offload when being tackled.
Preparation:
When going into contact the performer held the ball in two hands and drawn in toward the trunk of his body preventing any chance of the ball being dislodged in the contact. However when he did break the contact and his arms were free he failed to execute an offload. Instead he continued to keep the ball in towards his trunk and went straight to the floor. If the preparation process for the offload fails then there is no chance that the performer can execute the offload to the best of his ability. This is a skill which needs to be learnt by following a technical model and performed efficiently.
Execution:
Throughout all of the training drills there was only one occasion when the performer even attempted to prepare for the offload, however is was completely ineffective. As the performer took the contact and went to ground the ball was knocked on and his side lost possession. This clearly decreased the performer’s confidence as throughout the entire drill he did not attempt to execute the offload again. His execution was undoubtedly poor, it lacked efficiency, consistency, control and it was by no means fluent as he failed to deliver his goal of offloading the ball successfully into the hands of his team mate. An example of a good technical model to follow would be in the form of All Black’s centre Sonny Bill Williams, a master at offloading the ball in contact. He takes the ball into contact, frees his arms and delivers an accurate and efficient offload to any support players around him, he does this mostly with one hand as his execution is technically sound.
Recovery:
When the performer did offload he lost the ball in the contact area and the other team gained possession. This gave on chance to determine whether his recovery from the position was effective. After the failed execution of the offload the player got to his feet and re joined the defensive line. In this instance he recovered efficiently and effectively but until we see the offload executed we cannot determine whether he is good at recovering.
Result:
When his offload was executed the result was the ball was turned over in the contact area. This is an extremely bad result as the performers attacked promised to generate fluent and efficient ball for his team mates however this was prevented when the balls was turned over by the opposition. The result affected the player’s confidence and evidence of this is he failed to deliver another offload for the rest of the game. A good result for an offload would be a short pass to an attacking player running good attacking lines punching holes into the defence. This would in turn continue good momentum in play increasing the possibility of a try.
Overall Efficiency:
The overall efficiency of the performers offloading was poor in comparison to the other players on his team. The skill did not reflect the players’ ability fairly as he was very strong technically in most areas of his game. Because the player went to ground to often with the ball it slowed play down displaying a great lack in control and fluency. If the performer was to practice this skill it would increase the games efficiency, fluency and its aesthetic appreciation.
Evasion:
Rugby is a game of evasion and the performer noticeably struggled with that. When running with the ball in hand he ran straight into the contact rather than using his perceptual vision and seeing other available options such as a side step into the arms of the defender either of his left or right foot to create space for one of his attacking players to receive an offload. However as previously highlighted the performer did struggle with the concept of offloads.
Muscular Strength:
The performer had a different somatotype to some of the other players on the pitch so had to use his body size and weight to his advantage. In the tackle area he showed great technique and strength bringing the players to the ground efficiently. However in the rucks he was clearly not a strong as the other players, he was simply brushed aside when players were attempting to counter ruck the ball. Also when committing to mauls it was clear that his weight and power were not sufficient to make a difference to this area of the game. To improve this factor when defending the a maul the performer could change the positioning of his body to create a stronger more sturdy framework to prevent players driving through easily.
Action Plan:
A noticeable weakness in the performer was his inability to offload the ball into contact. When the performer did this he would take the contact and wrap his arms around the ball rather than looking to free the arm and execute the offload. This could be due to a lack of communication with his fellow attackers or just poor execution of skills. To improve this weakness I would get the performer to visually learn how to execute an offload through the use of a video. This would allow the performer to paint a mental picture and have a great technical model to follow efficiently, fluently and consistently. A good example the performer could observe would be the All Blacks centre Sonny Bill Williams. Williams Consistently hits his target when offloading and execute the offload with great fluency and efficiency.
To further improve the weakness of offloading in this performer’s game I would start him on a six week programme which would focus solely on his offloading. This would take place 25 minutes before his normal training which is twice a week so he could still focus on his other team skills. I would give the performer a variety of skills to practice each week to prevent the training from becoming monotonous. After this period he should have moved into the autonomous stage of learning so therefore he will hopefully be able to apply these skills into his game and improve it no end.
The first week I would get the performer to warm up by doing some basic handling drills, for example, running lines of four doing simple hands down the line. This will allow the performer to warm up his multi limb co-ordination before he starts the drill. The first drill I would issue the performer with would be very basic. I would situate one player on their knees in preparation for making the tackle then the performer improving their offloading ability would walk slowly into the man on the floor offloading to a further second player who would be ready to receive the ball. The performer would repeat this offloading the ball both left and right until there was a significant improvement in the offload. As the performer began to improve I would increase the pace of the session and introduce further attackers and defenders. This would make it easier for the performer to adapt to his surrounding environment when playing in a match. The repetition of this skill can become monotonous however it is a crucial element to improving the player’s game as a whole.
In week two the performer would begin his basic warm up before starting his second offloading exercise. This would include practicing offloading out the back of the hand when taking the contact. This skill allows the fluency of the game to continue as you are drawing the defender and eliminating them from the game which in turn can create gaps in defence. To perform this skill to its full potential I would when the player has become confident I would introduce some competition and pace into the game, if he is still struggling I would slow the tempo down and turn it into a jog when approaching a defender.
In the third week the player would once again do his normal warm up to prepare himself for the session. The third exercise he would be practising would involve the back of the hand offload again. I would have a set of ten small SAQ hurdles in front of the player, with a player on the fourth and eighth hurdle, both with balls. The performer would go over the hurdles, receive a pass, run and offload back to the player and repeat it with the man on the eighth hurdle. This would help improve his multi-limb organisation and practicing passing when unbalanced; this is because in all offloads the player is unbalanced when going to ground. We would do this until an his ability to offload increased and he could consistently deliver an efficient offload to an attacker, To prevent monotony I would make this drill increase in difficulty, for example, we might make the hurdles higher or add a third ball passer so the player has more to do.
In the fourth week the player would start his warm up before going into another drill. This week’s drill would once again involve the offload. The player would start with the ball with two players holding tackle shields in front of him. He would run into the bags and then break the contact; he would then offload to a player running on his left or right shoulder. This would be imitating a situation when a player breaks the tackle, gets over the gain line and then brings another player into the attack. Once the player has excelled at this we can make the drill harder for him. We could put in a third defender after the bags, so when he breaks the tackle he has someone to handoff then offload to the attacking player making a run.
In the fifth week the performer would do his warm up before bringing all the drills that he has done together. Firstly the player would do the exercise from the first week, whilst getting tackled the performer would off load the ball to another attacker. He would then do his second exercise which involves the hand off, handing the player off then offloading it out the back of the hand. He would then move onto his third exercise which would be to run over the hurdles receiving and delivering passes from both sides when unbalanced. From the hurdles he would move straight onto the bag exercise, where he would break through the tackle bags before offloading to an attacking player. Combing all the skills would help improve all aspects of his offloading game and repeating these drills at a high tempo and intensity would also improve his muscular endurance and cardio vascular fitness. We would do this until his skills start to deteriorate due to fatigue.
In the sixth and final week, the player would do his warm up before joining in with the team for a game. It would be a full contact game, on a smaller pitch with seven or eight players a side. This would test the player and see if he can bring the skills he has learnt into a match environment. If he completes the necessary skills in a limited space, then he should be able to apply them successfully with more space on the pitch. If the player succeeds with this, then we assume that the six week period of training was a triumph for the player. If he fails to deliver in this session, we assume that more work needs to be done.
This performer had a few weaknesses which need to be corrected if he wants to develop his rugby playing ability as a whole. I feel that the performer needs to focus on his muscular strength; rugby may be a game of evasion, but you still need an element of strength in the sport. He needs to work on his explosive power in his legs and his strength in his upper body. I noticed that when carrying the ball into contact, he was failing to break the tackle and was sometimes stripped of the ball.
Firstly I would video the performer, showing an incident of him showing a slight lack of muscular strength. I would talk him through what he has done right to give him a confidence boost, which should in turn motivate him to correct his errors. I would then focus on his upper body more than his lower body, and advise him on how to improve.
The next step I would either get him to observe a performer with a very strong upper body using it to his obvious advantage; this is so the performer can get an image of what he needs to do to improve. After this stage I would set him up with a training program at the gym to help improve his upper body strength. I would get him to do this schedule, two or three times a week for six weeks to vastly improve his upper body strength.
At the gym, I would give him a program which focuses on his upper body strength. These are the exercises I would give him:
- Bench Press – this would help increase the strength of his pectorals, deltoids, triceps and trapezium. With stronger muscles in this department, it can aid him in contact area which is where he is slightly weaker than his team mate. I would get him to do three sets of twelve repetitions of an appropriate weight to improve, not only his muscular strength, but muscular endurance also.
- Military Shoulder Press – this helps improve the strength of his deltoids and triceps. These muscles are crucial for lineout lifting, strong shoulders would also aid in the tackle area as he can wrap around the attacking player. Like bench press, I would also get the player to do three sets of twelve repetitions to improve muscular strength and endurance.
- Dead-lifts – This is an exercise which is recommended for overall muscular development. It mainly works the back and legs but also works other muscles. I would recommend he does five sets of five repetitions of seventy percent of his maximum weight to put on muscle.
- Other exercises I would get him to do would be clean and jerks, Arnold press, incline chest press, lateral pull down and shoulder shrugs. These are all exercises which would help increase the strength of the upper body.
As the player undertakes this exercise program, I would get him to progress positively up the weights in each exercise. This will stop the playing getting bored and tedious of repeating the same exercises over again on the same weight; it will also produce competition against him and encourage him to push himself to the limit. This can help improve his mental attitude for rugby too as he will be use to pushing his body to the limit when on the pitch.
What is the role of the RFU?
The RFU set up different competitions for different standards of rugby playing schools in the country. The most prestigious tournament that the RFU runs is the Daily Mail under 18’s cup. This a competition that all established rugby schools strive to win, with national publicity when it gets to the final stages. However there is a vase competition for teams knocked out of the cup in the early stages who can progress to their own final. This shows that the national governing body also care for the less established schools in the competition. However the RFU also organises competitions around the country for less established schools in the country, trying to introduce them to the game and discover unidentified talent in the game. With over forty-thousand volunteers, the RFU try to reach every corner of the country and introduce them to the game rugby.
The RFU also run the more elite competitions in the country. They control the England rugby team, the army 7s, the top tier of English club rugby and much more.
The role of the RFU is get players involved in the game at all levels, from the under 8’s on a Sunday morning to the elite payer development group of England. The RFU gives people a chance to be involved at coaching, refereeing and of course playing. The playing side of the game starts at a young age, with the contact rugby starting at your first year of secondary school. You start in your P.E. class and from here you progress into your school team. If you stand out at this level you move onto your local district. From your third year of school you are able to take the next step from district and represent your county side, which is the highest form of accolade at that age. For the next two years you stay in the county squad before the next available step. At under 16’s level the competition goes national; from county rugby you can progress to the regional squad and the ultimate goal which is the national squad.
School rugby is obviously not the only way of playing rugby; you can start at an even younger age of seven years old at club rugby. Every Sunday morning progressing to the under 16’s level before Colt rugby starts, ranging from under 17’s to under 19’s. This rugby is player on a Saturday and from the Colts you may progress to the first and second senior teams at the club or push into the university side if you are taking part in further education.
Health Benefits of Rugby:
Rugby being a physical sport aids both the muscular and skeletal system. If you have a negative and inactive lifestyle, then you can get bone disorders and suffer from general wear and tear. You can get such disorders as osteoporosis and growth plate injuries.
Osteoporosis is bone disorder which occurs when you have low bone density and deterioration of bone tissues. It severely weakens your bones making them prone to fractures and breaks. This disorder usually occurs in the older generation when they become extremely inactive, even the slightest fall can cause them a fracture; however any person can get this disorder from an extremely inactive lifestyle.
Another disorder related to an inactive lifestyle is osteoarthritis. This is a degenerative joint disease caused by a loss of articular cartilage at the ends of long bones in a joint. It causes pain, swelling and reduced motion in your joints. This occurs from either over use of a joint or a poor standard of active lifestyle. Symptoms of this disorder include pain, reduced joint movement and joint deformity.
Not only do you get bone disorders from an inactive lifestyle but you can also suffer from heart disorders. One example of this would be atherosclerosis, which is a form of arteriosclerosis. This is when a fatty deposit sits on the inside of the inside of the artery, leading a fatty plaque. This in-turn leads to a narrow lumen of the artery, this can lead to blood clots forming in the arteries. The overall result was restricted blood flow and a high blood pressure.
Another heart disorder which leads on from this is heart angina. This is when there is a partial blockage of the coronary artery which occurs when there is an inadequate blood supply to the heart muscle wall, normally to a smaller area of the heart. This pain occurs when the heart requires more oxygen than the blocked coronary artery can supply.
If heart angina gets too severe it can result in a fatal heart disorder, otherwise known as a heart attack or CHD; This is when there is total restriction of blood supply to part of a muscle wall which usually results in permanent damage. Death can occur from a heart attack if the damaged area is large enough to prevent the remaining heart muscle from supplying sufficient cardiac output/Q to the body.