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Defence articles
The best defence wins matches
Develop defensive skills and tactics from set piece through to general play for all levels of the game from some of the world's best defensive coaches including Al Rogers, Nathan Grey, Sir Graham Henry, Ben Herring, Brendan Ratcliffe, Rodny So'ioalo and many others
.Understand how to create a successful defence system or individual player defence roles in different situations.
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 ‘Dupont’s Law’ change really makes a differenceThe ‘Dupont’ law tweaks have already had a concrete impact on the value of the kick return, one which totally belies the relatively small scope of the word ‘tweak’ as Nick Bishop illustrates.
Why the ‘caterpillar countdown’ can change the face of rugbyNick Bishop provides some insights on the effect the new ‘5 second use it at the ruck’ rule will have on the game.
Why defences need to adjust quickly to early-phase strikesWhatever the pattern of defence, every player needs to be on the same page in terms of their attitudes and adjustments. Or as Nick Bishop, using the recent Leicester vs Saracens Premiership, highlights teams can get repeatedly ‘stung’ from the same play.
Has New Zealand solved the puzzle of the rush defence? [part 2]Has the the Rush defence puzzle been truly solved? Nick Bishop details the evidence from the recent RWC final.
Has New Zealand solved the puzzle of the rush defence? [part 1]Can a Kiwi attack handle an all-out Test-level rush defence?
In Part 1 of the 2 part analysis, Nick Bishop explains how since 2017 the Rush Defence has shut down the All Blacks vaunted attack.
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.
How to cover the break on defence, and bring ‘chaos’ back to ‘structure’How can the defence return from ‘chaos’ back to ‘structure’, and the odds shift in the defence’s favour from an attack break? Nick Bishop details in this week’s analysis.
How to ‘spy’ on the number 9 at ruck and set-pieceOne of the focuses of the professional game on defence is to ‘spy’ on the opposing half-back and minimise their influence on the game. Using examples from the recent Autumn internationals, Nick Bishop details how the ‘spy’ operates.
How Red Card defence spoiled the Red Rose party at Eden ParkWorld Cups are won and lost on small but significant tactical nuances as England’s Red Roses experienced in the Women’s RWC final.
Targeting the key attacker in backline defenceThe importance of excellent backline defence was on show in the titanic contest between England and France at the Women’s World Cup. Nick Bishop breaks down France’s defensive strategies to successfully shut down England’s outstanding centre, Emily Scarratt.
Why defence begins behind the goal-line, not in front of itThe new trial laws brought in on 1st August 2021 not only increased the effective attacking width of the field with the 50/22 kicking rule, but as Nick Bishop highlights they also extended its depth.
Why does defence look so different in the modern era?Why is there a need to keep pace in the observation, and explanation of the game of Rugby? Many of the understandings in the game still derive from the amateur era, or the early days of professionalism. Nick Bishop uses modern defences as an example in this week’s analysis.
Analizando la defensa “Rush”Uno de los problemas mas dificiles en el Rugby moderno es la defensa Rush o Rush defence.
El analista de video Nick Bishop analiza como el ataque con un wing en un extremo puede ser exitoso.
What is the best defence at lineouts?There are always plenty of ongoing debates on lineout defence. Analyst Nick Bishop considers the rationale for each defence pattern option.
How to deal with the rush hour in the red zoneIt is no coincidence that the recent upswing in France’s international fortunes have coincided with Edwards’ arrival as their ‘minister of defence’. Analyst Nick Bishop details everything you need to know about the immediate impact of ‘the Shaun Edwards effect’.
How to build your D by loading the halfbackNick Bishop illustrates how the halfback is beginning to accrue ever greater importance as a defender folding to cover behind a rushing defensive line.
How to defend the infield kicking gameAnalyst Nick Bishop follows on from his emphasis on keeping the ball on the field of play rather than kicking it over the touch-line, while examining techniques used to either win the ball back in the air, or defend it.
Why defence won South Africa the World CupUltimately it was defence which proved to be South Africa’s trump card for a third time at the 2019 RWC. Analyst Nick Bishop details the nuances of South Africa’s Rush defence that proved so effective
England vs. New Zealand – what a difference a week makes!Only seven short days separated the All Blacks’ attacking success against a rush defence versus Ireland and their failure against England’s version. Analyst Nick Bishop explains how the Speed and accuracy of the analytical process helped England learn and adjust their defence to blunt the All Black’s attack.
How to set up your short-side defence – the All Black wayDefence of the short-side demands a keen sense of anticipation and vocal communication skills in the defenders allotted to the task.
Analyst Nick Bishop explains why and who is key in his latest article.
Why defence does not begin or end with a line-breakOne of the main measures of the effectiveness of your defence, was simply to count the number of times the opposition broke your line when they had the ball in hand.
Although that remains a useful statistic, it is no longer the be-all and end-all of defensive measurement. What happens after a line break has been made is equally important as Analyst Nick Bishop details in his latest article.
How to play the ‘libero’ like Faf de KlerkThe ‘libero’ is an evocative term in the Soccer vocabulary. It describes the free role played from a defensive position occupied by outstanding players like Germany’s Franz Beckenbauer, Ronald Koeman from the Netherlands, and Gaetano Scirea and Franco Baresi of Italy. Eventually the libero died out of the professional arm of the game with the demise of man-marking. However as Analyst Nick Bishop illustrates in the use of the scrum-half as the free man on defence have occurred recently in rugby through players like South African Faf de Klerk.
Getting your defence right: when to ‘dig’ and when to ‘wrap’It is probably no accident that the teams with Farrell-coached defences only lost two of the six Tests they played against the All Blacks. Against other opponents in the same time-frame, New Zealand have scored tries for fun, averaging a runaway 5.7 tries per match on their way to a 90% plus win rate. Analyst Nick Bishop explores one of Ireland’s key breakdown defence strategies when to ‘wrap’ around into a new position, and when to ‘dig’ for a turnover after a tackle has been made.
Farrell spearheads the case for the defenceIreland’s defence was pivotal in their win over the All Blacks last weekend. Graham Jenkins identifies who and how Ireland managed to shackle the most potent attacking team in the world.
Defence Ruck - Practice PlanIn this session Ben goes through the important parts of defending the ruck. From knowing what to look out for and how to execute, Ben recruits some expert knowledge from current players who are doing this ‘out on the field’.
Defence Team - Practice PlanIn this session Ben goes through some of the key components to defending as a team. He goes through some key points around line defence and gets some input from some top coaches we have on the site.
Defending the 13 channel – the modern wayIn the recent 1st test of the series, the contest between New Zealand’s wide attack and the French defence of the same area promised to be one for connoisseur, and so it proved. In the current pair of articles, Analyst Nick Bishop first examines how France’s defence in the 13 channel succeeded initially. In next week’s second articl the reasons why the All Blacks’ attack wrested control.
Two-stepping your way out of trouble!How do teams beat aggressive high line-speed defences? Leading analyst Nick Bishop looks at the development of high-quality skills to beat an opponent in the tightest of spaces.
Defence defines a teams true characterMurray Kinsella reviews Racing Métro’s emergence as top contenders in the Champions Cup. Head coaching duo Laurent Labit and Laurent Travers clearly deserve a great deal of credit for the work they are doing but in this piece the focus is on Ronan O’Gara, their defensive coach. The numbers speak for themselves, Racing Métro conceded the fewest points of any club across the pool stages with a mere 69. Forget the snide remarks referencing O’Gara’s defensive reputation as a player, he’s making a real difference as a coach, Kinsella shows you how.
Wayne Smith – Steve Hansen’s most visionary selectionRespected New Zealand based journalist Liam Napier gains unique access and explores the value of Wayne Smith’s reappointment to the All Blacks and their 2015 mission to be the first team to claim back to back Rugby World Cup titles. “Strategically I really like the role of plotting the defence and working out how we can get the ball back, whether that’s by forcing poor kicks or turning it over at the ruck,” Smith says. “Whatever it is, that ball creates a lot of tries.” Enjoy this Rugby Site exclusive.
