Rugby: maul defence

switch pass in rugby union

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Hi, I have an enquiry about the post lineout rules. A lineout jumper successfully catches the ball, returns to the ground and precceds to maul. The defending team has three options to put (1)leverage against with defending maul, to (2) attack the main front men of the maul but also I heard on this weekends commentary there is a (3)dragging down. When the lineout jumper is returning to the ground it seems the defending team can hold the jumper as long as no pressure is excerted and when they hit the floor the defending team can tackle him (drag him to the ground) stopping the maul. Is this right and if so are there further rules governing this that i cannot yet find? I have read the IRB 2009 laws but still i have no answer. Many Thanks

I am looking for drills / ideas on how to teach U6/U7 about how to stay "onside" during a game.

positional skill - how can i improve a props defence / decision making off the side of a ruck / maul?

I have started an under 10s team up, and I would say about 8 from the 13 children I have , did not play rugby until about 6 months ago. Of these players, there seems to be a lot of potential, as we are scoring tries against teams, that very rarely concede tries.the problem I got with them, is that we are very poor at organising our selves in defense when the opposition has the ball, which does result in us conceding quite a few tries. We have some very good tacklers in the team. Can anyone offer some ideas on how I can get them to organise themselves? Thanks . Chris.

I will be coaching under 10 next season and need some guidance on how to interpret the rules for the maul?

I'm coaching and reffing U11 rugby and one of my players is the definitive 'big lad'. His 'strength' is his size and his power, but last weekend he didn't seem to get reffed fairly. The opposition couldn't tackle him down, one on one and when another two joined in to make a mini maul, that didn't slow him down much either. The ref then let other people join in the (one sided) struggle to tackle him down, which seemed very unfair as A) it's outside the laws of U11 rugby,, B) it makes it nigh on impossible for him to offload, C) when he is brought to ground, he has 4-5 players all over him and he got pinged for 'holding on'. He is a recent arrival to rugby and it was our first game for a couple of months, so the situation hadn't reared his head before. We are keen that he learns all of the core skills of rugby and doesn't get used as a battering ram, but after seeing a pack of hyenas trying to pull down the big fella, something just didn't seem right to me.I'd be grateful for any thoughts and opinions.

When a scrum is awarded following an unsuccessful end to a maul, which team throws the ball in?

I have started an under 10s team up, and I would say about 8 from the 13 children I have , did not play rugby until about 6 months ago. Of these players, there seems to be a lot of potential, as we are scoring tries against teams, that very rarely concede tries.the problem I got with them, is that we are very poor at organising our selves in defense when the opposition has the ball, which does result in us conceding quite a few tries. We have some very good tacklers in the team. Can anyone offer some ideas on how I can get them to organise themselves? Thanks . Chris.

I will be coaching under 10 next season and need some guidance on how to interpret the rules for the maul?

Ask a question and have it answered by Coaches from around the world and Sportplan's team of Experts.

When a scrum is awarded following an unsuccessful end to a maul, which team throws the ball in?

I'm coaching and reffing U11 rugby and one of my players is the definitive 'big lad'. His 'strength' is his size and his power, but last weekend he didn't seem to get reffed fairly. The opposition couldn't tackle him down, one on one and when another two joined in to make a mini maul, that didn't slow him down much either. The ref then let other people join in the (one sided) struggle to tackle him down, which seemed very unfair as A) it's outside the laws of U11 rugby,, B) it makes it nigh on impossible for him to offload, C) when he is brought to ground, he has 4-5 players all over him and he got pinged for 'holding on'. He is a recent arrival to rugby and it was our first game for a couple of months, so the situation hadn't reared his head before. We are keen that he learns all of the core skills of rugby and doesn't get used as a battering ram, but after seeing a pack of hyenas trying to pull down the big fella, something just didn't seem right to me.I'd be grateful for any thoughts and opinions.

I'm kicking around two different orders for creating mauls. 1) 3rd Man Rip First supporters arrive and drive over rather than stripping ball. I like this one because it allows the supporters to join more quickly and keeps everything going forward. Because the original ball carrier keeps the ball until the 3rd man joins, this maul turns into a clean ruck very easily. I don't like this one because of the increased stress on the ball carrier to protect the ball, and the ball's slower movement to the back. 2) First man rip First supporter arrives and strips, third and fourth drive over. I like this one because the ball is cleared from the front straight away. I don't like this one because it can fall and be a mess, as well as as lack forward momentum as the focus is put on the ball. What do you think about the two ways of forming a maul? I've seen teams do both. Keep in mind I coach mainly older, new players.

Hi my name is Mac and i am a 8 man and i struggle to push through a defensive line when i have the ball due to how my coaches make us practice so i wanted to know tips on how to push/break through a defensive line when i have the ball.

As well as coaching U10 rugby, I also get to referee U10 games, under the New Rules Of Play. I feel that my refereeing of the ruck isn't as good as it could/should be. Has anyone got an easy to follow system to help them referee U10 rucks ?

At under 10s I was under the impression that it is 1v1 tackling. Can someone clarify the laws on this please?

I coach under 8's and next season they will start contact. When am I allowed to start teaching them tackling skills? I sit january during their under 8 season or at the start of the under 9 season ?

Some of my U9s players, who are experiencing contact for their first season, are showing reticence in tackling - how do you coach or get through the fear factor/element?