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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
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.
