Articles
Set Piece articles
An effective set piece guarantees possession.
Watch some of the world's best set piece coaches and players including Mike Cron, Jase Ryan, Greg Feek, Richard Pryor, Victor Matfield, Bismarck de Plussis, Ross Filipo Geoff Parling and others to create effective and safe set pieces for all levels of the game including lineouts, scrums, kick offs, exits, and mauls.
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 make a point with your 5m driving maulA positive ‘red zone number’ relies on an effective 5m lineout drive. Nick Bishop explains what it takes to execute one successfully.
Why the new ‘escort’ rules will revive contestable kick-offsNick Bishop examines how the ‘no glove’ kicking defence has revived the interest in contestable kick-offs again.
How to build your lineout drive attack in the ‘red zone’Get creative with your limitations, to turn them into a strength appears yo be Rassie Erasmus’ Springboks mantra as Nick Bishop illustrates.
Why the driving lineout is here to stay as a prime attacking platformThe driving lineout is fast becoming the most creative source of offensive thinking in the professional game. Using the recent Ireland vs France 6N game for some seminal illustrations, Nick Bishop explains how the attacking potential has come about.
How to control the game with an accurate exit strategyNick Bishop balances the Exit Strategy ledger outlining the exiting in the case the All Blacks dominate their exit strategy against the South African return team.
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.
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.
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.
The Lineout Drive - Beauty or BeastIs the lineout drive a ‘blight’ on the game or one of the most fruitful areas for set-piece attack in modern praxis.
Nick Bishop provides some analysis from recent 6 nations matches.
How to build the lineout drive on your own termsUsing England’s successful Red Roses lineout Nick Bishop details 2 key features to building an effective lineout drive.
How ‘Turnaround Tyrel’ learned his tall tight-head trade at scrum-timeNick Bishop highlights the value of the transference of knowledge between coach and a senior player to a less experienced player. Nick uses the recent example of All Blacks prop Tyrel Lomax with forwards coach Jase Ryan and veteran prop Owen Franks.
How to use the ‘15 metre plus’ lineout throw to create attacking successThe Springboks recently discovered some interesting nuances of the lineout law. Nick Bishop details how they rapidly widened into fully-fledge defensive ‘loopholes’ in their recent Argentina Rugby Championship test match.
What is the theory behind restarts up the middle?Why did Australia and South Africa buck the trend and restart up the middle rather than to the corners in their recent Rugby Championship game? Nick Bishop details why and the problems it creates for the receiving teams.
How the first Test against Ireland challenge the rules of scrummagingNick Bishop provides insight into how the The All Blacks got away with some scrum laws infringements in their 1st Irish test which contributed in their success.
Does New Zealand need a true lineout number 8 in the Kieran Read mould?The previously unbeaten Blues lost a total of ten of their own throws to the lineout in their Super Rugby Pacific 2022 final loss to the Crusaders.
Nick Bishop details the key to the Crusaders’ successful lineout plan.
How to use the attacking lineout drive to split the defenceThe maul remains one of the most contentious issues in rugby. Nick Bishop looks at the latest contentious development by a team, in this instance the ACT Brumbies, of playing as far ahead of the ball as possible at the maul.
How to shave the odds by narrowing the gap at lineout timeLineout defence is becoming ever more important in the modern game, as the lineout becomes the by far the major weapon of choice for set-piece attack.
Nick Bishop details ways in which teams are successfully defending the Lineout.
Why the modern lineout peel is back to frontThe times they are a-changing, and peels from the lineout are no longer confined to the open-side of the field. Nick Bishop explains why in this week’s analysis.
How to create breathing space for the lineout driveBy holding the receiver in the air for as long as possible, the receiving team forces the kick-chase either to mistime the challenge, or back off from it entirely and allow an easy receipt. Nick Bishop investigates if the same principle was at work during the lineouts in the recent Rugby Championship match between Australia and the world champions South Africa.
How to get the ball away from the scrum quicksandWhat is the best way to avoid the scrum penalty/reset quicksand, and create usable attacking ball? Analyst Nick Bishop explains one option being used more by attacking minded teams.
How to attack the short zones from restartsLike the Receiving team, the Attacking team can also take advantage of the kick-off ‘hang time’ as Nick Bishop highlights in this week’s Analysis and the ‘Race for the Space’.
How to cure the blight of scrum penalties in modern RugbyWhy have today’s scrums resulted in more penalties and less usable ball than in amateur rugby days. And it is not due to a lack of technique as Nick Bishop explains why in this week’s analysis.
How to create breathing space on restartsThe concept of hang-time can be used as a strategy by both the kicking and the receiving team on restarts as Nick Bishop highlights in this week’s analysis.
Identifying weaknesses from restartsRestarts are one of the biggest momentum-changers in the game of Rugby. In the recent Tri-Nations series in the games between Argentina and Australia, the Pumas enjoyed a lot of ‘pay’ out of their restarts. Analyst Nick Bishop, reconstructs some of the thinking behind their choices.
Changing perceptions at scrum-time: All Blacks-Pumas - the SequelThe challenge facing the All Blacks’ coaching staff and players after the previous Pumas match was to reverse the perception of the left side of their scrum. Nick Bishop explains how they accomplished this in definitive style.
Why the All Blacks front row is in a bindDuring their recent Rugby Championship match, the Argentenian scrum had the All Black’s scrum in a real ‘Bind’ as Nick Bishop explains. It has created some questions that need to be answered, a scrum selection bind that needs to be broken.
How to beat a bigger team at lineout – part 2Against the All Blacks in last year’s RWC semi final England only lost two of 20 throws, for a very respectable 90% win rate. Analyst Nick Bishop explains how England achieved that result with what Eddie Jones jokingly called “two and quarter receivers”, against the four top operators picked by the All Blacks?
How to “cheat” effectively in maul defence!Law-making in Rugby Union is constantly trying to maintain pace with developments in a fast-moving professional game and for the most part, it is struggling to keep up. Analyst Nick Bishop highlights the area of the maul has now replaced the ruck as a case in point.
How to beat a bigger team - lessons from the lineoutOne of the major issues which can arise for rugby teams at all levels – but more especially for sides playing amateur football – is how to combat a differential in size and power. Nick Bishop looks at how to combat height and size at the lineout.
