Articles
Breakdown articles
Win the Breakdown - win the game - Warren Gatland
Develop breakdown skills and tactics to help your players win the breakdown contest from some of the world's best coaches and players including Dave Rennie, Richie McCaw, Sam Warburton, George Smith, Warren Gatland, Sir Graham Henry and Eddie Jones, Ben Herring and many others.
Plus we have categorised them by playing level to make it easier for you to find:
- Y – youth
- HS – high school
- A – adult
- All – suitable for all levels
What defines the impact and effectiveness of a Jackaler/Pilferer?In this week’s analysis, analyst Nick Bishop breaks down the key metrics that define an effective jackaler/pilferer, using the current Super Rugby Pacific competition as a practical example.
How to implement the ‘double jackal’ on DNick Bishop details how under the 2020 breakdown guidelines the ‘double jackal’ has become an important antidote to the production of ‘LQB’.
How to use the use ‘the nail’ to generate LQBWith LQB at such a premium, Nick Bishop examines whether ball-placement after the tackle is a more reliable method of creating it than gain-line dominance.
How to apply R & R at the attacking breakdownWhen things do not always work out as planned at the modern breakdown you need to apply some R&R.
Nick Bishop explains what type of R&R is needed in this week’s analysis.
How to cut the corner at cleanout time – using the ‘side window’The first cleanout support player is a critical decision-maker as Laurie Fisher points out in his Breakdown Attack series.
Nick Bishop details when successfully deployed this technique can often lead to concrete attacking opportunities. (at all levels)
How to manage the frontal cleanoutIt is like a pitcher in Baseball trying to hit the corner of the plate, there is only a small front window.
Nick Bishop highlights how Laurie Fisher’s first-man, frontal cleanouts at the breakdown pays dividends for attacking teams.
How to cover the attacking breakdownThe premium on excellent skills at the breakdown is becoming more important, especially for a club with a positive ball-in-hand mindset.
As Nick Bishop illustrates using the resurgent Queensland Reds as an example.
How to strike the balance between tackling and ‘jackling’ on DAs a result of the WR 2020 Breakdown Guidelines, the role of the jackler has changed, so it has attracted quicker, more dynamic physical types to the role.
Using examples for the English premiership, Nick Bishop latest analysis show the responsibility for jackling extends well into the backline.
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’.
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.
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’
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..
How to get a second bite at the cherry at the breakdownThe recent changes in officiating guidelines at the breakdown outlawed a second move on the deck, and reduced the options at presentation for the ball-carrier. Nick Bishop details how coaches are adapting so players get a second bite at the breakdown ‘cherry’.
Why it’s hard to overestimate the value of a hard YACKERNick Bishop explains What is a rugby YACKA and the important role they play in a team’s attack.
How to get the most out of your turnover defence at the ruckNick Bishop looks at the creative solution All Black coaches have created to overcome captain Sam Cane’s reduced his effectiveness in the tackle area, as a pilferer of opposition ball, due to his neck injury.
How to double up at the defensive breakdownWin more of the collisions between attacker and defender and go forward in the tackle, and you will probably win the game – that is how the theory goes.
Using the recent European Champions Cup final, Nick Bishop puts some context to the theory.
How far can you clean out ahead of the ruck?What is considered too far for support players clearing out?
A ‘reasonable’ distance with ‘advantages’ as Nick Bishop details in this week’s analysis.
How to find the right angle at cleanout timeIs the breakdown cleanout NFL blocking by another name?
Nick Bishop provides some weight to Offensive Linemen techniques being employed in this week’s analysis.
What does economy at the cleanout really look like?The new ruck guidelines have accelerated the blurring of boundaries between ball-winners and ball-users, contact ‘grunts’ and mercurial play-makers.
Analyst Nick Bishop illustrates the effect it has on different positions and the game.
Why Rugby is creeping into the grey area at ruck and maulProfessional coaches spend an awful lot of time looking for loopholes, or grey areas within the rugby lawbook which they feel they can exploit. Analyst Nick Bishop looks at the latest evidence of Lawbook loophole occurring in the English premiership.
Why the counter-ruck is gaining currency on defenceIn the recently-concluded Rugby Championship, the counter-ruck responded positively to the jolt given by the law-making defibrillator, and made something of a comeback from the dead! So what are the KPI’s for the success of a counter-ruck? Analyst Nick Bishop details in this week’s analysis.
Decisions favouring the TacklerFollowing on from last week’s article, Nick takes a look at the different set of refereeing priorities which emerged during the Trans-Tasman Super competition.
Why the English Premiership is ahead of the gameIt is not often that you can say, with confidence, that the UK is leading the world in rugby innovation. It is happening again now as Analyst Nick Bishop explains – not with developments in coaching, but in refereeing.
Will ‘the new breakdown’ encourage the return of the counter-ruck?Following on from his previous article, Nick details if these articles of rugby law are respected, alongside the requirement to maintain a body position with shoulders no lower than hips, considers there is every possibility of a new picture of the ruck emerging.
Is the breakdown really a ruck anymore?World Rugby is still wrestling with the issue of what happens, and what should by law happen after a tackle takes place. In the 1st of a series of articles, Nick Bishop breaks down the issues and possible solutions starting with the ‘jackal’ – the defender who tries to pick the ball up immediately after the tackle has been completed.
Why you have to go long in order to get wideBefore the start of the ground-breaking Super Rugby Aotearoa competition in 2020, a host of stringent new breakdown protocols were introduced at the breakdown. The shape of the new game is still emerging, but Analyst Nick Bishop shows there is strong evidence that the smarter attacking teams are working out how to create an advantage under the new rules.
What the new breakdown rules mean for the defence (part 2)In the second part of the article, Analyst Nick Bishop looks at what the new emphasis at the tackle area means for the defence.
Why are the ‘new’ rules creating problems at cleanout in Super Rugby AotearoaThere are no new rules at the breakdown, however there have been some significant changes of emphasis, and some tightening up of refereeing interpretations, which have changed the complexion of the tackle area as Nick Bishop examines how they are affecting teams’ attack in this week’s analysis.
How to use decision-making in contact to help your attackSteven Luatua has become one of the most outstanding technicians in contact work at the ruck in the English Premiership. Work that is vital to his team’s success as analyst Nick Bishop details why in his latest article.
Breakdown Policy - Do You Have One?What is a breakdown policy and Why should you have one? In his latest article, Ellis-Rugby Analyst Dave Ellis explains how England’s Breakdown policy was more effective than the All Blacks in their RWC semi final.
