Articles
Latest Posts
How to design and develop a ‘gadget’ move from lineoutInnovation can be the genuine discovery of something completely new, but far more often it represents the improvement, or streamlining of something already known.
Nick Bishop looks at how the ‘Teabag’ (lineout gadget play) has evolved as coaches ‘innovate’ the same concept from another angle.
How to control the opposition exit strategy, and play the game in the right areas of the fieldFine-tuning your own exit strategy, and pressurizing the exit strategy of the opposition is the most reliable way of creating those positions where you can reap what you’ve sown as Nick Bishop details in this week’s analysis.
The short-hand for winning the restartRugby fashions, like fashions in other areas of life, often work in cycles without obvious rhyme or reason.
Nick Bishop looks at the latest fashion in Restarts in this week’s analysis.
How to get on the right side of the referee at the breakdownFor defensive players in and around the tackle area, the challenge is to spoil and disrupt effectively while showing that they are following the rules.
Nick Bishop looks at one of the techniques to fit into this formula – the ‘fake pilfer’.
The Source and a Solution to Wayne Smith's FrustrationThe solution to the problem Wayne Smith needs to begin at source. Nick Bishop identifies a primary cause and solution.
How to make a second effort when all seems lost at ruck-timeSports coaches are always on the lookout for ways in which a player can make a ‘double action’ or second effort, reinforcing and improving the first, creating a snowball of momentum.
Nick Bishop highlights where a ‘double action’ is productive in rugby at all levels.
What are the benefits of a big scrum-half in the ‘boot’?Nick Bishop looks at some of the reasons which make a bigger unit at number 9 more desirable under the current laws of the game.
Why ‘pocket protection’ is so important under the box-kickThe cross-fertilization of ideas between collision sports is on the increase.
American Football Pass Protection designed for the Offensive Line to shield the Quarterback who wants to throw the ball downfield is the latest IP transfer to rugby as Nick Bishop illustrates in this week’s analysis.
Why teams are feeling the need – ‘the need for speed’ - at the scrum-baseNick Bishop explains why he fully expects the SRP law-trial at the scrum to be implemented world-wide in due course.
Where defending number 9’s are no longer allowed to advance beyond the midpoint of the set-piece.
How to get some ‘bounce’ into the kick-pass!Attacking methods to get the ball quickly to the edge need constant refinement for the attacking side to be able to exploit the full width of the field.
One of the easiest methods to reach the wide channels has been the ‘kick-pass’. Nick Bishop details at the latest iteration of the ‘kick pass’
How to recognize opportunities to attack wide versus a ‘jockey’ defenceUsing some recent examples from Super Rugby Pacific 2023 Nick Bishop explains just why the more passive forms of defence, like the Drift or Jockey, are becoming less popular and more marginal in coaching attitudes to the game.
Why the wide ruck can be a big Achilles heel for the attackA ‘sweet spot’ exists where the defence can move over to the attack at the breakdown as Nick Bishop outlines in this week’s analysis..
