The kicking game, quite often left to chance and the whim of the fly half.
Kicking game
Inexperience and youth do not seem to be the only reason why teams kick badly.
Simple tactics should be applied to the kick game as well as the running game.
Some key principles:
1 Kicking for pressure
Additional pressure can be placed on the
opposition by kicking. This means making defences work hard to catch/gather and
then return the ball.
Two simple tactics – high ball and wiper kick (a diagonal kick away from the
forwards).
The high ball should aim to have ball and chaser meet catcher all at the same time.Wiper kick aims to drag players to parts of the field they are not.
A mix of these two kicks can push sides into defending deeper – in other words there should be more gaps in the defensive line as wingers and full backs track back in defence.
2 Kicking for position
Kicking for position happens in the oppositions half. Take your team to places on the pitch where you want to be.
Kicks to the corners are a good way of putting pressure on the opposition and forcing a position for you.
Kicking for position can mean the ball either rolls into touch or the opposition has to field the ball and then possibly give away a lineout as they clear the danger.
Kicking for position requires chasers, but also players who track back to field any return kicks.
3 Kicking for disruption
Chip kicks, grubber kicks and cross kicks are all methods of going over the defence with the aim of giving yourself an excellent chance of retrieving the ball.
The works most effectively when the defensive line has been difficult to break down and you want to create some forward momentum.
Which kicking tactic is best for you?
Before the game look at the conditions, your side and the opposition – decide whether you want to use a pressure game, a positional game or a disrupting game. Then stick with this.
Chasers and kickers will now know their roles and
the forwards
especially will be able to understand where they will need to run.
If the plan changes, then in a simple tactics world, only change it at half time when the players have been re-briefed.
But for most sides, the type of game might be decided at the start of the season and kept from then on.