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
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.
Is the ‘jackal’ a protected species? – Southern Hemisphere (part two)Round 9 of Super Rugby has just been completed, approximately halfway through the regular season. Ideal stage for analyst Nick Bishop to judge whether a consensus point of balance has been reached in the refereeing of the new breakdown laws in the Southern Hemisphere.
How T.J.Perenara influences the ‘new’ breakdown for the HurricanesThe new breakdown rules are having a strong impact on this year’s Super Rugby competition, as defensive coaches struggle to come up with new solutions to the erosion of the tackler’s influence on the ruck. Analyst Nick Bishop looks at how the Number 9’s role is changing in securing the ball.
