Breakdown - Clear & Kick

Teach your players how to kick the ball at the ruck. With players sometimes reluctant to give away penalties this technique is a great way to turnover the ball and stay on your feet

The Importance of Basic Breakdown Skills

Continuously we see that the best teams are those that perform the basic skills better than their opponents. Basic skills such as passing, catching, running, tackling, and rucking. The breakdown is an essential element to the game as teams look to control momentum. Mastering the basic rucking and clearing techniques gives many teams the edge, and the quick ball that is required to enable their attack.

Learning to grubber Kick

A series of technical exercises and games to coach the grubber kick. The coach is clear in his explanations and uses questioning with his players to reinforce the key points. The games include some fun moments

Breakdown - Using games to coach

Academy coaches use conditioned games with strict rules around the tackle / touch activity to teach the skills required for contact and clearing defenders away. Questioning is used as the main style of coaching

Turnover session - Clearing

Breaking down the turnover situation into separate technical elements, players can work on their essential skills.

Here, in a series of progressions, the emphasis is on the first defender to arrive at the breakdown. They should attack the breakdown and fight to get through and past the ball.

Breakdown - Grip and Roll (Saddle)

The grip and roll clearing technique, (Known as saddle clearing to some) is a technique to use when defenders have already established a strong position over the ball. Using brute force will probably fail so approaching the defender slightly from the side and using the clearers momentum he grips and rolls the player away

Maul and Ruck - Clearing the Ruck

Clearing the tackle area with pace relies on committed support. Clearance rucking is a dynamic method of restarting the attack if the defence has managed to create a breakdown.

Breakdown - The Saddle Roll Technique

This clearing technique is used to remove defenders who have latched onto the ball and are in a low body position. Coaches can vary the angle that the clearers approach from

Coaching the Breakdown

The battle for the breakdown can decide matches. There are many elements that make up a solid breakdown, including ball presentation, speed of support and effective rucking technique. Log in to RugbyCoachingDrills to see video tutorials from top coaches and players.