Halfbacks can be big fellas too. With rugby players world wide at all levels confined to their homes thanks to Covid-19 lockdowns we need to take a look at things we can do to enhance our skills on our return to the game. For the big fellas out there a large part of your training is probably around set piece. For scrummaging the master, Mike Cron has provided a wealth of drills that can be done in isolation with things like Swiss balls, bands, sleds etc. But what about some of the lesser trained skills that can be part of the armoury of a successful forward. Catch-pass can be difficult to practice alone and a ball can transfer all sorts of nasties when training with others. So what do we do? The halfback pass can be trained by an individual, particularly in its most basic form. Getting the ball off the ground and to a target as quickly and accurately as possible is something all players should be able to do. There are many tips and tricks to doing this and there is a p
Bending the Line Some time ago I worked with Backs Coach Andre Bell who would often speak of ‘bending the line’ with his attack. I was always intrigued by this but to be honest never had a full understanding of its use. With defence now often dominating the game, bending the line is being seen by more teams around the world and it has grown from being a simple ‘back door’ pass to one of many variations and options. Teams in the northern hemisphere are showing greater variation than us in the south who still look to carry hard and play off the back of that. Teams like Bristol and Northampton show a real willingness to test the defence at every opportunity. Teams that really rush up hard on defence cannot afford a slight disconnect in their line integrity and creative attacking sides are looking at doing just that by having ‘front door’ and ‘back door’ options but more importantly very active blindside wingers. Running lines and timing are key to success in these plays, al