Reading the game

Question
Hi Nick, I'm currently in Michigan and have been playing rugby for a while, namely at Wing, however recently i've wanted to switch to playing scrum half. Now I always hear about people saying so and so reads the game well, and I just wanted to know what "Reading the Game" actually meant, and what I should  be doing to become a good scrum half.

Answer
I Krish, something happened to my server when I went to answer this so I hope this goes through.

"Reading the Game" is similar to "being in the zone" or as sometimes said in New Zealand "that player has his head on a swivel" the yanks say "he plays a heads up game".

All this means one thing: the player takes the time to observe the game in from of them, process the information and make the best suited decision. This may all take an 8th of a second but when practiced feels like 10 minutes.

It takes a long time for a player to get this. Very few kids have it simply because their attention span is so small.

As an adult you need to consciously "slow down". learn to sweep your eyes / head left and right upon getting up after a tackle, a scrum or when receiving a pass.

Watching a lot of rugby on TV helps and look ahead of where the ball is.

If you are running towards a maul and the ball is coming out on the oppositions side do you run to the maul or stop and join the defensive line to fill any holes left by players in the maul. That is "reading the game" in a very simple example.

Other examples: the opposition back line comes up flat and fast on defense and you look over them and notice the full back is either too far left or right or better yet has come up and joined the back line. Wouldn't you chip kick over them? Chase the ball through pick it up off the bounce and run in for a try!

If the maul is won and your back line is out of sorts and you notice the opposition has left their blind side open you go for a run down the blind.

These examples are all very simple but to take advantage of them in a game you have to give yourself 2 heart beats and swivel that head around to see the opportunity.

Finally the key is to acknowledge that you may have to take a step backwards in order to go forwards. To take the extra seconds to "see" the game you may falter or make a mistake. That will happen whether you take the time or simply rush through everything. Either way mistakes will happen , that is life. But to really read the game give your self a look and a few seconds to sum up the options in front of you and then react. Any error will only make you a better player in the long run. Over time you will master reading the game and the game will feel like it was played in slow motion in front of you. You will also have more energy.

So: keep you head up and "on a swivel"

Take a second, sum up options

Decide 110

Communicate to your team your decisions

Be "on purpose", commit to your action totally. If you do go down better to go down clawing at success rather than waiving at it from a safe distance.