beating the last man

Question
My name is Bruce. I play rugby for Sam Houston State University. I am a seior. I'm 5'11 253lbs. Due to my fitness level, my coach saw fit to move me from inside center to openside flanker following my freshman year. I am a well rounded player. I often break for long runs, but sometimes have trouble getting past the last line of defense. What tips, if any, can youu offer me other than speed training?

Answer
Hi Bruce it might be that you are falling into the habit of running into the last man rather than working to run around him.

Make sure you are not running into the guy and assuming a hard charge and dropped shoulder is all it takes. This is a common fault of US players that is rarely coached properly.

The contact is last resort. "Sell" the tackler on the idea you will run into him so he prepares for a big hit but at the last moment run around him. This point has to be judged as the point where you maintain your running momentum enough to stay at close to or at full speed while running to the left or right of the player at a distance that leaves the tackler flat footed and unable to achieve a running speed to catch you.

You can run this as a simple drill after practice. Get a team mate to act as a tackler and run at him as a ball carrier. Instead of a full tackle he is just going for a two handed touch, one hand on each hip counts. Add to the drill buy allowing him to actually drive you hack in the "tackle" with the two hands on each hip. Add a third player running in support of you and practice getting a good pass off while being driven back. Run the drill at 50% speed and work up to about 80%. Work on communication as well. Your support guy needs to be telling you which side he is running to. Also practice drawing the player into the tackler and passing to your team mate then you work at getting into support of his as quick as possible.

At the least you may want to get your run to the left or right of the tackler and fend them off as you run around them.

Don't get me wrong this is all not easy. And sometimes the guy will just be good and tackle you. The key then is to stay on your feet and make sure to get a pass off to a team mate.

Fake fending is as art as well. Running right up to the tackler to the left or right while preparing to brace for a hard contact, keep your speed up only fractionally drop it. Make to commit a hard fend right to the face (not a stiff arm fend) then at the last moment "pull" your fend as you do so hit the speed hard.

There are a lot of tricks to try but the point is to work on forcing the tackler to brace for a hard tackle thus planting their feet and coming to a stop while you maintain speed and use it to run around them.

This is why you are coached (in USA Football as well) to keep your feet "live" when tackling, with the little up down steps. The funny thing is that while they coach players to over come this tactic on defense it is rarely explained why and how to apply it to attack.


So:

1. "Sell" the contact, make the tackler over commit and get flat footed.
2. Work on fake fends, drills
3. Run around players not through them "go through open doors not walls"
4. Contact as last resort. Or work to get a pass off to a team mate while committing the tackler to you. This is the last line of defense: the goal here is to score the try, you or a team mate!
5. Get back into support ASAP!