Space: the final frontier The influence of rush defence in the modern game means the ability to identify space and react in time to exploit it is an essential part of the attacking game. With fifteen players in the opposition on a 100 x 70 metre field there must be space somewhere. According to a reliable source allowing 31 sqm for players and a ref leaves 6969 sqm of space and that is not including the in goal. When eight of these players are bunched in a lineout or scrum this opens up even more space. From set-piece situations the distance between the attack and the defence is greater. Why do we seldom take advantage of this? Is it fear? Are we afraid our skills are not good enough to get to space or do we just not see it? In phase play we need time to see the space as the positioning of the defence may vary and the availability of attacking players can change. In set-piece we have both time and space plus the knowledge of the defence and attack positioning. Fin...