1. sports
2. rugby

AUG2011 • Volume 1 • Issue 17
Watch out for
Kenyan rugby
Erick Situma,
Kenya RFU
coaching
KENYA
Page 4
Good game is
quick game
Attacks with Myth of heads
the X defense up rugby
Damian
McGrath,
skills guru
ENGLAND
Page 7
Candi Orsini,
former USA
women’s
coach, US
Page 10
Alan Martinovic,
head of academy,
Hartpury College
ENGLAND
Page 14
How to avoid player burnout
Rugby seasons are so tough that you need to manage your squad wisely to maximise its
potential. It is a balance between resting your best players, bringing on the younger ones
and still winning games.
By Alan Solomons, Director of Rugby/Head Coach, EP Kings and Southern Kings
With the expansion of
Super Rugby to 15 teams,
the physical and mental
pressure on players over the
season has increased. What
with international calls and
club commitments, it can
mean there is precious little
break for the professional
player. This is mirrored in the
Northern Hemisphere, with
the Premiership and French
Super 14 competitions
stretching over at least nine
months.
There are few games
in these competitions
where you can afford not
to bring your “A” game.
This is true across many
top competitions and with
player attrition and fatigue
you need to manage your
squad wisely. Gone are the
days when ACT Brumbies
reached the Super 12 finals
only using a core squad of
21.
1 VOLUME 1 / ISSUE 17
Week in, week out
Friday
n’s
Cap t ai
ce
prac t i
Tuesday
Team and
unit
previews
Most league teams face at least an intense six month period of rugby,
possibly longer if there are playoff games. The week might be:
Saturday
Sund
Match
R e c o ve
ry
se s sio n
Preview upco
ming
match, two fie
ld
sessions (one
team session
and
one unit/spec
ialist
session), weigh
ts
(afternoon)
Being clever
You need to plan your
season in advance to work
out how to rotate your
squad. You should have a
good idea when you are
going to play your best
ay
Monday
Team and
unit
reviews
Wednesday Thursday
Fie l d
Off
se s sio
n
players and when they are
going to rest.
Depending on your outlook
for the season, you want
your best players to be
playing in the crunch or
“must win” games.
Review match
just played, tw
o
field sessions
(one team
session and on
e
unit/specialis
t
session), wei
ghts
(afternoon)
Friday
Captain’s
practice
The pattern then
repeats...
It could the ones against
the best sides if you are
going to win the league, or
against the relegation teams
if you are looking to survive.
I would reckon that your
best players will need a
Tell the players
about “heads up
rugby”
Am I being brainwashed into thinking
that coaching just about empowering players? Go on any
course and you will be hard-pressed not to hear a speaker
tell you that player-centred coaching and games are the
best way to learn.
Of course the irony is that the speaker is often “telling
us”. Back it up with some examples and we are all hooked.
Or are we? I watch plenty of sessions from excellent
coaches from this school of thinking and there is still plenty
of tell, tell, tell and a doff of the coaching cap to ask a few
questions, plus a modified game of touch.
Most of us do operate in the middle ground. The best
intervene in activities (don’t call them drills please) when
players need that bit of guidance to push them to the next
stage. They create an environment that players enjoy, want
to come back to and crucially feel open to learn in.
The pressure is to say less and let the players do more.
If the players take greater charge of their learning, they will
become better decision makers. That’s the theory anyway
and there is plenty of anecdotal evidence: When Phil
Bennett skipped away from three All Black forwards to start
the famous 1973 Barbarians try, he had learnt that from
years of avoiding huge Welsh club side forwards wanting to
drive a short-arsed 10 into the ground.
He probably played rugby twice a week - if he could - and
worked out as much as he could from living by his wits
on the field. He also listened to the experienced players
around him – something Alan Solomons calls “on-field”
coaching.
But we are not obsolete in our roles. We guide, motivate,
create and execute the environments to learn. We bring
on the talent or hold it back when it needs to reflect. We
harness the experienced player, and bench them back
when the talent needs to develop.
Alan Martonvic, who has seen much talent through the
doors of his educational establishments, says we should
not abdicate our responsibilities as coaches. Let them play
“heads up rugby” but help to know what it really means.
Dan Cottrell
[email protected]
2 VOLUME 1 / ISSUE 17
rest after every four to five games. With judicious
rotation, they should be fit and raring to go at the
business end of the season, say when you are
looking at play offs.
Be careful to rest them properly. In a recent Super
15 game, the Blue Bulls rested Victor Matfield but put
him on the bench. I don’t think this is ideal because
he had to be mentally prepared for the game, plus
he went through the warm-up and other game
preparations like the other players. Even with a vital
player like Victor, it is better that he is completely
away from the match.
When I coached the Stormers in the 1999 Super
12, we had three good locks and I was able to rotate
them for every game, but unfortunately did not have
the depth in the squad and, therefore, the luxury
of being able to rest them properly as one of them
always had to be on the bench. However, they all
still found it helpful in preserving them for what is an
arduous competition.
Squad rotation
A large squad is necessary to cover injuries and
fatigue. But there are dangers that the players
on the periphery become weaker because they
are not playing a high standard of rugby week in,
week out. It is tough when the third or fourth string
hooker is called up to the first team and he has
been playing two or three grades below for the last
month. This is heightened at the top level because
of the huge gulf in standards. Hence, rotation for
these players is essential to keep them in the
right frame of mind and not reduce your team’s
effectiveness at match time.
Balancing your team
In a competition like the Super 15, the teams are
roughly split into contenders, participants and
survivors. If you are going to win the competition,
you need six to seven internationals, some of whom
are world-class, with the rest of the team being
aspiring internationals, or quality Super Rugby
players. That throws up some interesting dilemmas
for bringing on younger players. These problems are
the same whatever team you run.
Good teams are like good blended wines, they
have the right mix of youth and experience. Youth
has not been scarred by life and young players feel
they are bullet-proof. They know no fear and are
prepared to chance their arm. However, when things
get tough, they lack the experience to deal with the
particular situation. Conversely, experienced players
have been scarred by life and are accordingly more
conservative.
But their experience enables them to deal with
difficult situations. Thus, the younger player enables
the older player to play less conservatively and the
older player assists the younger player in dealing
Management: Balancing playing time over the season
with difficult situations in a
match. They balance one
another out.
Keeping the mix
right for all games
The Canterbury Crusaders
are the ideal example of
a great mix of experience
(McCaw, Carter and Thorn)
and young players breaking
through (the Franks twins
and the Whitelocks). One
only has to watch them
perform in Super Rugby
to appreciate just how
right they have got their
thought that the mere
presence of these two great
players was enough to give
them victory.
It is a dangerous practice
to allow a team to grow
old together as, when they
come to the end of the road,
there is a huge vacuum.
This happened to the Sharks
in the Gary Teichmann era
and is now happening to the
Bulls in the Victor Matfield,
Fourie du Preez era. One has
to constantly replenish and
refresh a team. This ensures
is expensive and often
temporary.
•Must be balanced
against retaining a
powerful team.
Coaching, experience
and competition
It is competition which drives
coach, player, referee and
administration development.
The better the level of
competition, the greater the
development.
Coaching in a top flight
competition quickly
enhances one’s coaching
Youth versus experience
KNO
HOW TW
DEAL O
PROBLWITH
EMS
NO
FEAR
MOREUS
CAUTIO
FEW
SOLUTIEOR
NS
recruitment.
The one thing to be on
guard against is that the
younger players do not rely
on the older, experienced
players to pull the game
through for them. It was
interesting to watch the
Crusaders lose to the
Cheetahs in this year’s Super
15, with both McCaw and
Carter on the field when
the week before they had
beaten a powerful Stormers
outfit without both of them.
It seemed to me that with
McCaw and Carter back the
team let down their guard
somewhat and were not
in the right mental frame
for the match, that is, they
3 VOLUME 1 / ISSUE 17
that the right balance is
always maintained.
It is better to let go an
older player a year too early
rather than a year too late.
The critical issue is to ensure
that the right balance of
youth and experience is
always maintained.
Again the Crusaders are
a good example because
they have a strong academy
system. The advantages of a
strong academy are:
•Players coming through
have a strong regional
allegiance.
•Can be used to fill the
perceived gaps in the
future.
•Economically prudent
because buying in talent
skills and expertise.
One must realise that
coaching can also take place
by playing with and against
the best. I often refer to
this as “on-field coaching”.
Putting a young lock next
to Matfield will facilitate his
development.
It must also be
appreciated that while
many coaches are equipped
with “the how” - technical
expertise – only the best
understand “the why”.
One only has to look at
the soccer world for an
example of this – the Alex
Fergusons of the soccer
world truly understand “the
why” and they have under
them the coaching staff to
deal with “the how”. The top
managers, like the top head
coaches in rugby, have to
have excellent judgment,
strong managerial skills and
first-rate interpersonal skills.
It is a given that they have
a good grasp of the general
principles and the technical
aspects.
In addition, top flight
head coaches need to
have strategic and tactical
acumen and the ability to
plan and execute.
“What if..?” scenarios
to develop experience
Keep posing your players
questions. Say there are
two minutes to go and you
are one point up. You have
a penalty. Do you kick for
goal to go further ahead or
kick for the corner? In the
Ireland vs France match
in Dublin a few years ago,
Ireland took the kick and
went a point up, only for
them to fluff the re-start
and for France to score the
winning try. If there are
four or five minutes to go,
you may well decide that
the balance is weighted in
favour of taking the kick.
Alan Solomons
Director of Rugby/Head Coach
Southern Kings and EP Kings
Alan has a wide range of coaching
experience, having been a partner
in a South African law firm for
17 years. When the game went
professional he left law to coach
the Western Stormers in the
Super 12s. After success with
them he was assistant Springbok
coach during. Nick Mallett's
tenure during which South
Africa won a record-breaking
17 successive Test matches in
1998-99.
In 2001 he took up the reins at
Ulster, coaching Ulster to a threeyear unbeaten home record
in the Heineken Cup and in the
2003/04 season Ulster finished
second in the Celtic League. He
then moved to Northampton for a
season before returning to South
Africa. In 2006 he became the
International Rugby Board's high
performance consultant.
He is now the director of rugby
for the Southern Kings, who won
the 2011 Nations Cup.
Coaching: How to grow understanding
The rise of rugby in Kenya – a
personal and national journey
Development of Kenya rugby has made us an international force. Here is how it is advancing its
coaches and the way we coach.
By Erick Situma, Projects Coordinator at Kenya Rugby Union
Kenya has established itself
on the IRB Sevens circuit and
its players are in demand
at all the best invitation
tournaments. We are
developing as a rugby nation,
and I am keen to bring on
further development in line
with my own coaching.
Every rugby-playing
nation has its unique
opportunities and difficulties.
We can all learn from these
experiences, whether we are
a developed rugby nation or
one striving to establish itself.
Kenyan rugby has set
alight the sevens circuit in
recent years and this high
profile has helped build
enthusiasm of the game in a
country where football and
athletics are the major sports.
Apart from New Zealand
and perhaps Wales, rugby is
not the primary sport of the
developed rugby nations.
Clubs and schools are
competing against other
disciplines for players.
We are challenged with
making the game visible and
attractive.
Facilities are obviously
an important part of
retaining players, but quality
coaching will keep players
interested and engaged. I am
developing coaches and at
the same time developing
myself.
4 VOLUME 1 / ISSUE 17
I will look first at sevens
in its role within this
development and then share
what influences I have had.
Kenyan rugby
Kenya is a large country
with a population of
over 40 million. Rugby is
predominantly played in and
around the capital, Nairobi.
We have a first division of
eight teams, and a second
division of 32 teams.
Provincial teams feed into
our national programme.
The sevens team may be
doing well in the IRB sevens
but we struggle with quality
Coaching: How to grow understanding
15-a-side games for the
national teams.
We are an attractive place
to tour, with lots of teams to
play against and of course
stunning scenery. Play rugby
and go on safari!
Sevens the
developer
Sevens has an important role
to play in the development of
Kenyan rugby and I believe
this is not unique to Kenya
or developed/developing
nations.
Here, sevens is the
fastest-growing sport
among the young. It is a
good developmental game
because it requires less
technical expertise. Schools
are ready to take it up.
There are fewer issues than
the 15-a-side game because
scrums do not need the
specialist input of a technical
coach and the lineout is not
such an issue.
It is worth noting
that we have do
have players of
the right body
shapes to
play in the
front row and
tight five in general.
We have a very diverse
community and new players
coming into the game of all
sizes.
The challenge for the
Kenyan game is to find clubs
to take on the growing
number of players who
enjoy the game at
high school (15-19
years old). The
problem is that
while schools
have playing
fields to cope,
most club sides
5 VOLUME 1 / ISSUE 17
Three coaches who
have changed and
challenged me
1. Bill Githingi
Bill Githingi was the first
coach I had when I took up
rugby at the Impala club.
He was also coach of the
Kenyan national sevens
team in the late 90s and
early 2000s.
His approach was
to look at the player and
then fit him to the position
that best suited him. He
would look at strengths and
weaknesses. For instance, if
they enjoyed tackling, then
it would be likely that this
struggle
to find open
spaces to train and play.
The club game has been a
lucky beneficiary of schemes
like SOS Kitaid, which has
helped sustain teams with
playing kit and equipment.
player would be
in
the back row.
In my case, I liked to run
with the ball. When I joined
his club, I was playing 10.
You can probably guess that
I tended not to use the rest
of the backline. Given I was
a good tackler as well, Bill
decided I would be better off
at 15. I went onto play for the
national team in this position.
So the first lesson I learnt
from Bill was not to be afraid
to move players around
and not to let them fit into a
mould. I recently converted a
flanker into a centre in one of
my own teams recently.
The second lesson Bill
taught me was that players
want to play. Yes, drills have
their function, but it was
better to get them into a
game. There is not much
technical coaching.
Instead, players are pulled
to one side and asked to
consider their options.
Therefore, there was a lot of
gametime.
He would start the session
with touch rugby. We would
then split into forwards and
backs for a while and then
play a game.
Coaching: How to grow understanding
2. Mike Cron
In around 2006, New Zealand
scrum coach, Mike Cron,
came to our country. His high
profile meant we were very
receptive to his ideas. He was
concentrating on a complex
area where we lacked
expertise. But what stuck in
my mind was his approach.
Scrummaging has many
different interconnecting
elements. He explained the
scrum in simple terms, being
very clear about the role of
the coach in the learning
process. The coach breaks
down the complex into a
series of simple actions.
For instance, he isolated
the individual scrummager.
He concentrated on the body
position of that player before
he put into a unit (say a front
row). He said the key to
collective success depends
on the individual. His scrum
philosophy sticks in my
mind: it is about a dynamic
playing against forces, the
key point being how the
scrum remains stable and
controlled amidst the various
dynamic forces in play.
I also found that he
challenged
rather than
dictated.
The players
needed input
into the
process
and
opinions.
He was
there to
guide and
help them
discover what works best.
If the player understands
the outcomes, he can then
choose when to use his
techniques.
3. Better Rugby
Coaching
I have long been a subscriber
to the Better Rugby Coaching
email. I need to keep abreast
of current information
and find the amount of
Erick Situma
Projects officer for Kenyan RFU
Aged 35, and a rugby product of
the strong Nairobi School. Joined
Impala RFC and became part of a
team where 90 per cent were aged
20 or under having been brought
up on schools rugby against boys
often four years older than him.
Having been player of the year
with Impala in 1997, was called into
the Kenya U23 squad before injury
and University forced a break from
the game until 2002.
Returned with Impala and
after touring Singapore
returned to rugby with a
6 VOLUME 1 / ISSUE 17
coaching knowledge coming
from the site brilliant. It helps
me stay contemporary and
challenges me.
When I think I know
something, there is always
more to learn.
It is important to continue
to develop as a coach,
whatever teams you are
coaching. There is always a
different way to consider the
same technique.
passion, earning a full Kenya call-up
in 2007 and winning eight full caps.
In 2004 he was appointed
player-coach of Nazarene
University and left in 2009
to become head coach with
Homeboyz. One year later,
following promotion, he was
made head coach of top flight
Nakuru RFC and this year was also
assistant coach of the Rhinos who
won the East Africa Super Series
for a third time in a row. Joined the
Kenya RU as development projects
coordinator in 2002 and has since
got his Level 2 IRB certificate and
IRB Trainer’s Licence.
Training: Using games to learn skills
A quick game is a good game
Everyone knows that players love to play games. Coaches are
recognising this and building more of them into their sessions. But
games need as much thought as a drill if they are going to add value.
By Damian McGrath, former England skills coach. now coach at Super League team Huddersfield Giants
Right from the early days,
games have always been a
part of my coaching. I used
to enjoy them as a player,
so I transferred this into my
training.
Rugby players like a
competitive environment
and so this is good place to
develop skills. Some coaches
are nervous of using games
because they can be chaotic
and it might be hard to focus
on certain skills. Hence, we
need a disciplined approach
to ensure the chaos has
purpose.
Over time players become
used to conditioned games. If
they are clearly set out, they
will understand their purpose.
It removes staleness and
over a long season, keeps
them entertained. I have
found that even if you are
playing the same game every
week, they still want to play.
Good introductions
A new game needs a proper
introduction. I used to value
the time we spent feeding
back to players after the
session. Now we meet before
training to set out what we
are going to do. Here I can
outline new games and tell
them what we are going to
focus on.
The best games are as
close to a normal game of
rugby as possible. Players will
pick up the game quickly and
The player's favourite: Bounce out
The players’ choice is unsurprisingly a kicking game (are there any players of either code
of rugby who don't like kicking a ball as soon as they get chance?). The communication
and anticipation needed to play this is what seems to appeal as well as a chance to
experiment with different types of kick.
You will need:
• 10+ Players
• 1 Ball
• 6 Cones
Set-up: Use cones to set out
an area measuring 30m x
15m. Use two more cones to
mark a halfway line across
the area at 15m, as shown Œ.
Rules: If the ball is not
collected cleanly, the player
closest to where the ball
bounces is eliminated.
If a kick goes out on the
full, or the ball fails to go
above 3m, the kicker is
eliminated.
The team with the last
man standing is the
winner.
1. Split your players into
two equal teams – there
should be at least 5-a-side
for this game – and ask
them to spread out either
side of the halfway line.
Nominate a player to start
the game and throw him
the ball.
1
30m
30m
15m
pass
15m
pass
2
30m
2. On your whistle, the
player should kick the
ball across the centre
line at a height of at
least 3m. Instead of
catching the ball on the
full (i.e. before it hits the
ground) the opposing
players have to let
the ball bounce once
before they catch it.
30m
15m
Continued next page
15m
7 VOLUME 1 / ISSUE 17
15m
Training: Using games to learn skills
we can concentrate on skills
and not rules!
They can be split into two
types: scenarios and games.
Ideally we want to play
towards specific scenarios,
closer to the match
situations.
Keep the focus
When you start the game,
you must have in mind the
one or two aspects you
want to coach. As a game
unfolds, players will make
many different decisions in
attack and defence, some
good, some bad. We do not
want to be stopping every
time there is a mistake to talk
it through. Instead, feedback
will concentrate only on a
specific aspect.
If, after a while, some other
aspect of the game arises
that needs attention, we will
highlight it, but save the work
for another time. We do not
want to work on too many
coaching points.
The game might need
to be adjusted to make
sure the focus remains on
identified coaching points.
However, it is sometimes to
our advantage to allow the
game to develop in different
ways, just like it might in a
match. Perhaps, the balance
of defence changes, so the
attacking team has to adjust
the way it plays to beat the
new defence. These are
tactical challenges, which we
can highlight with the players.
Skills introduced in
warm-up
Coaches sometimes fool
themselves that the players
have the skills to play a
certain type of game plan.
If your players are poor
passers, then they will be
frustrated if they want to play
a wide game plan.
8 VOLUME 1 / ISSUE 17
Bounce out (continued)
3. The opposing players
then have to react and
catch the ball before it
bounces again. If they
do this successfully, the
player who caught the ball
should kick it back over
the centre line, and the
game continues.
3
30m
15m
In the same sense, we will
have to work on core skills
before we can put them into
a game. These core skills
will form drills as part of the
warm-up, developed over the
season, to become part of
the players’ routine.
When to stop and
when to extend
There is a constant dilemma
on when to extend the
coaching time allocated to a
game or to finish and move
onto something else. I am not
averse to developing a game
further if we are moving
towards a conclusion.
That conclusion might not
become apparent in that
game in that session,
but at another time, when
we return to it.
The conclusion is
something players
understand and it is
important that we return to
the same game in the future.
Some players are good
at “getting” a concept
straightaway. Others will
need more time and more
goes.
However, extending the
game must not impact on
player fatigue levels.
During pre season, I don’t
mind spending more time on
games, but in season, we do
not want players on their
feet for too long.
For instance a pro rugby
league player, more often
than not, will only have two
field sessions if they have a
Sunday match followed by a
Friday match.
Sensible about
contact
Another constant dilemma
for coaches must be the
balance over the amount of
contact you want in games.
Frankly, games are about
decision making. You can
practise contact skills in
another environment.
Who’s on whose
team?
Selecting the teams is
an important part of the
preparation for training
games.
First I want players to be
in the roles they might be
performing in a game. It is no
good if the tighthead prop
constantly finds himself at
first receiver.
Second, I want to choose
teams so there is a chance
that players play outside their
comfort zone. Perhaps there
will be an imbalance in the
numbers, or a player will be
asked to fulfil a different role.
So, though I don’t want
the tighthead always at
first receiver, he might find
himself out in the attacking
line. One international hooker
Kicking game
With my rugby league
team, we play a kicking
game where one team
has the ball for six tackles
and the other team for two
tackles. They have to kick
on the last tackle or have
the ball turned over. This
has an interesting change
of dynamic between the
two teams, with one team
kicking for pressure and the
other team kicking for field
position (distance).
It is also useful to change
the designated kickers
around. Normally, one
player does most of the
kicking in a match. But
we need to mix that up
because he might become
injured. This game can
improve that aspect.
Training: Using games to learn skills
once said to me “why am I
in this handling exercise”?
We worked out that he
might be part of a five on two
in a match with a scoring
opportunity.
We would want him to
be able to make the right
decision – whether to offer a
dummy line or fix a defender
and pass.
My favourite: The last tackle
The players need the awareness to read a situation and make the right decision, whether
that’s choosing to run the ball or implement a suitable kicking strategy. This for me has all
the "game understanding" ingredients plus the players have the enjoyment of playing a
game while they develop their skills and tactical awareness.
You will need:
• 20 Players
• 1 Ball
• 10 Cones
Set-up: Use cones to mark out a playing
area measuring 60m x 40m. Use more
cones to mark lines at 15m, 30m and 45m.
Both ends are try lines, as shown.
Rules: This game
should be played to
regular two-handed
touch rugby rules.
TRY LINE
Keep the games
competitive
If possible, it is always
worth having a scoring
mechanism in the game.
For this to be effective, you
need to give the opposition
an equal chance of scoring
and keep the teams well
balanced.
As soon as you keep
score, you must also be
disciplined about the rules
and be strict. Don’t be
surprised to face some
competitive discussion
over your rulings.
Be prepared with a
Plan B
Prepare games like drills.
And if it does not work out,
then you need a Plan B. It
could be that the players find
the game too easy or too
hard. Think about the “what
if…”? scenarios and have an
alternative in place.
Skills coaching in
rugby union – the
wrong focus?
I have coached in both
codes and it fascinates me
how much time is devoted
to the contact area in rugby
union. There are more
collisions in rugby league
and yet in percentage terms,
you will see more time
devoted to this area in rugby
union. I think that rugby
union skills coach should
be spending more time on
how to develop skills away
from the contact area, like
passing, running and kicking.
9 VOLUME 1 / ISSUE 17
15m
15m
Drop to stomach
when tackled
15m
Possession on
4th tackle
15m
TRY LINE
40m
pass
Divide your players into
two
teams of 10. Nominate a
team to begin as attackers
and give them the ball.
On your whistle, the
attackers start the game by
taking a tap from halfway.
After four tackles, the
attackers must concede
possession to the opposition,
so they have to decide
whether to run the ball to
attempt to score, or to kick
and chase the ball to attempt
to score.
If a kick is made from inside
Damian McGrath
Former England skills coach
After a career as a professional rugby league player,
Damian coached throughout the 1990s at the Leeds
Rhinos. He was the club’s first Academy Coach before
becoming Assistant 1st team coach, where he enjoyed
Wembley success in the Challenge Cup and helped
steer the club to a Grand Final at Old Trafford.
He coached the Great Britain Academy rugby league
team, Great Britain U21s rugby league team, Super
League U21s team. In 1998, he was appointed to the
the attacker’s own 15m
area and bounces into touch
inside the opposition’s 15m
area, the attackers retain
possession.
Tries that are run in score 2
points, while a try from a kick
scores 1 point.
Senior National team.
In 2001, he switched codes when approached by
the RFU to join their elite Coaching Panel. Damian was
appointed Defence Coach for England A and the skills
and defence coach for the England 7s team (which won
the Hong Kong 7s four times).
During the next two seasons Damian shared
his England duties with a role as 1st team Coach at
Leicester Tigers. He coached England A and the U19 set
up.
Since 2008, Damian has been Head of Performance
at Huddersfield Giants Rugby League Football Club.
Coaching: Building on US strengths
Playing to our strengths
The US culture of sport means we have very athletic, organized ballaware players who are familiar with “calling plays” to initiate an attack
or defense. We also have players who love contact and playing for the
“big hit”. This is how I use these strengths in my team tactics.
By Candi Orsini, former assistant coach for USA Rugby Women’s National
Team and Head Coach Eckerd College WRFC.
Calling plays –
a US strength
Backs move: XA5
The USA is a play-calling
country. Think NFL and NBA,
two of our three “national”
sports.
These dominate and
although they might come to
rugby late, they are athletic
and well-versed in initiating
organized Offensive or
Defensive Attacks with the
“calling of plays”.
There are two types of
play-calling in rugby: Set
piece, which may be more
complicated patterns
of attack and open play,
which is more about
communication on the fly.
At set pieces, like scrums
or lineouts, team decision
makers (TDM) quickly decide
where to focus the attack,
calling their plan to win the
ball and then how to use it.
More sophisticated sides
will add other calls based
on where the anticipated
breakdown will occur.
In open play, calls will be
used between individual
players and units to give
them key information on
running lines and intentions.
These calls range from
plays from the breakdown
- such as a backs’ move
or a forward play close to
the ruck - to a call from one
player to another about
whether to switch or loop.
1. The set up
9
The9scrum half
feeds 10. 15 lines
up behind 12
and 13.
9
12
10
12
pass
13
10
13
12
15
13
15
pass
15
pass
10
10
10
12
12
13 12
15
2. First two
choices
The fly half runs up
and then across the
face of the defence.
He has two
choices: he can hit
13
12 on the
15switch or
13 running at the
gap between the
13 centres.
15
pass
pass
pass
3. The XA5
If 10 decides that
12 and 13 are not
the best options,
he passes an
"arse" pass (A)
behind 13 to 15.
The defending
outside centre
should be in two
minds who to
tackle.
12
12
10
13
12
10
13
15
15 10
13
15
pass
pass
10 VOLUME 1 / ISSUE 17
10
pass
Coaching: Building on US strengths
XA5!
Set piece calls are measured
with detailed information. I
use a defined system, which
helps tell players what a
move entails, rather than
giving a move a name. New
players quickly pick up the
system and understand
the call without having to
memorize random names
of plays. The system uses
numbers, the traditional
backs number system
and letters, a little like
text messaging. The
combination creates more of
a language than a name for a
play and simplifies the length
of the call for the FH.
A set piece “play” is a
group of mini plays being
run at the same time. Take
“X A 5” a backs move (that
might have traditionally been
called “dummy 1&2, miss
3, 5 out”). You can probably
guess that “X” is a switch,
“A” is an "arse" pass, which
means a miss behind the
outside player attacking in
the space next to the ball
carrier, and 5 is the number
of the player who is receiving
this pass, the “main striker”
in this play.
I have been told that
this might be called a DSM
– dummy switch miss.
The subtle difference is
to get away from calling
the “dummy” and instead
focus on calling the attack
pattern. This encourages
the attackers to read the
defensive opponent since
the switch might actually
happen. There is no such
thing as a dummy runner as
everyone is an option.
The other difference is
that we are identifying the
player who is supposed to
be receiving the ball. This
is a strength of the calling
system, because by simply
11 VOLUME 1 / ISSUE 17
The X defense
I use this type of defense to "blindside" the opposition 12, who does not see the outside
centre cutting in to tackle him.
15
14
13
11
12
10
9
13
7
12
10
14
11
pass
1. The 12 runs a step
back from the 10 and the
13 runs a step ahead of
the 10 (in line with the
outside shoulder of his
opponent if you want to
get picky).
saying XA6 we can call the
ball to go to the weakside
wing (“6” is weakside/
blindside wing,) who is
entering into the pattern.
In the loose it’s about
communicating an attack
at open space - calls have
to be quick and decisive.
The focus is on the ability
to communicate during
play. I prefer the receiver to
call the move (for example
switch, loop, unders, or
overs) as this way you are
assured they see the space
and are ready for the attack.
This sort of communication
needs constant practice so
players become comfortable
making calls during intense
attacking situations. There
is an onus on the receiver
15
2. It is important that the 12 does not leave early which keeps
the attacking 12 on track. The 13 runs up and in. The 10 and
12 run up and then outward (off the flanker) like a normal slide
defense which puts them on line to cross behind the the 13
should the opponent be successful getting the pass off.
The outcome is that 13 and 12 cross to make an X if 12 does
manage to get his pass away
to take responsibility for
communicating their attack.
Defense another
potential strength
I dislike the word defense
as it is currently defined in
rugby. A few years ago I read
an ARU L3 paper by Brian
Melrose. He characterized
defense as attacking without
the ball. This is a common
mindset in USA professional
sport. It made me realize
I needed to change my
players’ (and my own)
mindset about how they
approach defense.
We should have the same
mindset as we do in attack
and focus players on “getting
the ball back”. Instead of
defending a space, they
are attacking the attack.
To create an “attacking
defense” we work on these
ideas:
• Trap the attack – pushing
attackers into spaces on
the field where the defense
is prepared to attack.
• Be unpredictable –
Implement an array of
defenses. Surprise the
attack by doing something
they do not expect. I rely
on the 13 to call defensive
patterns.
• Create fumbles – There
are various fumble-causing
techniques (knocking
ball from the grasp of the
attacker) used in American
Football that would easily
transfer to rugby.
Defensive “play calling” is
the same as for the attack.
More complex patterns will
be called during set pieces
Coaching: Building on US strengths
A 3v3
5m
Three attackers
with a ball and three
defenders start
between the first two
side cones. Attackers
run around the end
cone into the grid.
Defenders run around
5m, 10m, and 15m
cones before entering
the space.
5m
5m
5m
and simpler patterns will
be called during open play.
passdesigned several
I have
defensive plays to lay traps
or force turnovers. One I
have found effective is the
X defense. (see illustration).
In essence, the ball carrier is
blindsided by the defender,
not knowing they are going
to be tackled.
In the US, players have
a desire to play defense.
They love the physical
and enjoy going after the
opposition. We can harness
that mindset, combined
with their familiarity from
playing sports that use
called defensive schemes,
to design and run multiple
defenses. As you can
see from the X defense
example, these are not just
regular blitz, drift or outside
12 VOLUME 1 / ISSUE 17
(which are actually more
like categories to me), but
a variety of defenses to suit
the situation, opponent or
position on the pitch.
Non-rugby passing
expertise: An area
of opportunity
Though some women will
come to the game without
much ball experience,
others will have played a
lot of gridiron, softball, or
flag football (which is like
tag rugby). We can utilize
the overhand throwing
techniques of these sports in
rugby. For instance a back’s
quick lineout throw could be
a quarterback pass to wings
running routes like receivers.
After witnessing a girl’s U19
player throwing a rugby
ball quarterback style into a
garbage can 20m away, it’s
only a matter of time before
we start using this tactic.
And for skills in open
play? Take a group of kids
who play football and give
them a rugby ball. With very
little instruction challenge
the players to play a game
where they can run forward
but only pass backwards (ie
rugby). As you watch this
group figure out this “new”
game you will see:
• Play calling before the ball
is put into play.
• A hand off – not a rugby
version of the stiff arm fend
but passing the ball onehanded to a player coming
from behind running across
the ball carrier. We might
see this as an offload. It also
works as a dummy play
(called “play action”)
• A reverse – A flat switch
Attackers try to score
at opposite end of the
grid. Use Touch or full
contact. Encourage
players to keep the
attack moving quickly
forward. Support
runners must keep up
with the play and work
to get open. Use quick
passing to keep the
ball moving through
the grid.
• Screen pass - overhand
throw to a receiver near the
sideline.
• Option play - where the
quarterback runs with the
ball to create a 2 v 1.
Immediately you can see
that these players are not
going to pass the ball along a
line. They would see that as
an aimless exercise because
it is not creating spaces or
attacking gaps.
Kids in the USA naturally
want to run with the ball and
this is one of our strengths.
Coaches, in our desire to
teach passing by putting
players in lines, have actually
created players who do
not understand why they
are passing. The US style
vacillates between running
with no thought to passing
or passing with no thought
Coaching: Building on US strengths
Mixing up the defence
The defenders all start from
cone B and decide there if
they are going one around C,
two around D, or two around
C, one around D, or three
around D.
D
C
In the meantime the ball is
fed in from the side of the
grid (mix up the starting
position of the feeder).
B
A
9
pass
to challenging the opponent.
Therefore, I try to build in
lots of decision-making
drills where there are even
numbers of attack and
Building up the
decision making
• Start the players with 1 v 1
to get them to be evasive in
their attacking and develop
good “go forward”.
• Move on to 2 v 1 and 2 v 2
to get them to use evasive
skills to create a 2 v 1 and to
train support runners to react
to the new attack situation
produced by the ball carriers'
actions.
• Move onto bigger numbers
3 v 2, 3 v 3, and 4 v 4. Add
support runners coming from
depth.
• Once we have worked
on that, we then move
through more than one grid
of decisions, so the support
has to keep up with the ball
carrier. This encourages
going forward, creates
13 VOLUME 1 / ISSUE 17
defense, 2 v 2s and 3 v 3s
to challenge the players to
make decisions. The players
then have to create 2 v 1s by
changing angles of running.
more decisions for support
runners, requires more
communication and begins
to train anticipatory skills of
players located further from
the ball carrier.
• From this we start to vary
the defense. That means
constantly changing the
number of defenders, the
side they attack from, or the
timing of their arrival.
• Finally, we have our
finishing drills. Secondary
defense is not linear - it
comes from all directions
and has a different set of
problems to be solved. The
first attack will break the first
line, the next decision will be
to “finish” the play, with the
defense converging on the
ball carrier who has made the
break.
Teach player to ask
questions of the defense.
Basketball players excel
at challenging space and
moving the ball to the
open attacker.
The key in the decisionmaking drills is to make them
unpredictable.
Decision-making is
pattern recognition so I try
to expose the athlete to as
many defensive patterns as
possible.
Candi Orsini
Head Coach for the Eckerd College
Women’s Rugby Team.
Candi is from St. Petersburg,
Florida. After studying Law
Enforcement at St Petersburg
(Junior) College she went on to
study Criminology at Florida State
University. She started playing
rugby at FSU.
The team was four-time
National Champions with 13 final
appearances. She played for the US
Women’s National Team in 1987
in their first official international
against Canada and stayed in the
They will gradually
understand that it is a
problem-solving exercise.
Backs need a lot of reps,
they need the process of
“trial and error” to learn
their skills.
See the box on how I make
the drills develop their
unpredictability.
side until 1998, appearing in three
World Cup Finals, winning in 1991.
After retiring from international
rugby she began to focus on her
coaching. She became coach for
the Pacific Coast Grizzlies and
assistant coach for the Orlando
Rugby Club, a division 2 men’s
team. In 2002 she was appointed
assistant coach for USA Rugby
Women’s National Team and took
them through two World Cups
appearances finishing in fifth place
in each. She left after the 2010
World Cup to take up her current
post.
Learning: How to improve elite players
“Heads up rugby” – myths and
methods
“Heads up rugby” and “player-centred coaching” are central to playing better rugby.
However many coaches utter these terms without understanding the implications of what
they are saying or doing.
By Alan Martinovic, Director Of Rugby ACADEMY, Hartpury College
Hartpury College is one
of the strongest rugby
academies in the UK. We
have very bright prospects
in our college and need to
continue to develop these
elite players.
There are two strands
to developing elite players’
game understanding. First,
you need to give them an
all-court game. That means
they must know how to
play different styles to
suit the strengths of their
team, the weaknesses
of the opposition and the
conditions of that game.
Second, you need them
to think about the way the
game is played. You need
them to problem solve,
giving them “What if…?”
scenarios to consider and
offer solutions.
The toolbox
It is often said that players
need the tools to play rugby.
As a coach you must help
to give them those tools.
These are the options you
can employ in a game. It is no
good expecting your team
to play a certain way if they
have no idea how to do it.
They put these tools in the
box and select them when
they need them. It is an age-
14
VOLUME 1 / ISSUE 17
old analogy, but still relevant.
The development of
elite players has three key
elements. The first is strength
and conditioning. It is the
most basic of all the strands,
and in an increasingly
physical game, we need
players who are fit enough
to think quickly even in the
dying minutes of the game.
They need to be able to
think and act with clarity and
decisiveness until that final
whistle blows.
is the biggest challenge for
all players. Making the right
decision, at the right time,
on the right part of the field
will separate those who are
just fit and highly-skilled from
those who can also make
game-changing choices.
All these elements are
interlinked. Say you are
three points down in the last
minutes of the game in your
own 22m. Understanding
the game helps you identify
where you might be able to
“They need to be able to
think and act with clarity and
decisiveness until that final
whistle blows”
The second element is
individual and unit skills.
At the elite end of the
game, core skills must be
performed under intense
pressure. The players must
have techniques that can
cope with the physical and
mental pressure put on their
core skills during the most
testing of games.
Finally, the third element
is game understanding. This
element without a doubt
breach the defence and give
you an opportunity to score.
Do you then have the skills
to attempt what you are
thinking? At that stage of the
game are you fit enough to
execute these skills?
Out of the toolbox
and on to the field!
Having the tools means you
can play the type of game
you want to. This depends
on the opposition. You might
want to ask whether your
team could play: a wide and
high tempo game, a direct
game (that is one/two pass
rugby), a kicking game, a
driving game or a set piece/
territory game.
You need to consider
how you are going to help
players deploy these styles. I
think that too many coaches
revert to lengthy video
analysis to achieve this. Yes,
ten minutes of considering
the options on tape, and
perhaps looking at the
opposition can be beneficial.
But players lose their focus (I
have coached a few wellknown internationals who
have the concentration span
of a gnat!) so where it really
counts is on the field. Players
learn best on the field not in
front of a computer screen
or a flip chart.
Once on the field, ideally
you have enough players
for two teams. You can then
condition the game giving
each team plays and tactics
to run and scenarios to work
from. At Hartpury ,we have
the resources to have a 15 v
15, though you can still have
a 15 v 10 or 13 v 9 (assuming
no kicking for instance).
In a 15 v 10, you can
condition the defence to
Learning: How to improve elite players
operate as a narrow or wide
line, a two pass drift or press.
I combine this with changing
the numbers committing to
the breakdown.
Constant questions:
•What are the players
close to the breakdown
doing?
•How many players are
back?
•How many are up in
the line?
•What do you do with
quick, medium or slow
ball?
•How do you create
space to run into or kick
into?
Keep asking the questions
ON THE FIELD.
Game scenarios are more
realistic with more contact.
We cannot go full on in these
situations every week.
We need, on the other
hand, to match the pace
and intensity of a match.
Players have to recognise
their options in the pressure
situations they face in the
game: less time, less space,
more fatigue that goes with
full contact.
These intense contact
sessions do not happen until
after the first month of the
pre-season. Once we are
in full flow, we will have a
session every other week.
It will last for 30 minutes
and we will cover a couple
of scenarios. These are
probably focused on
the opposition for the
coming week.
It is important that we use
these sessions to develop
several different styles of
Heads up activity
Games for understanding
Playing games in training
concentrates on the whole.
This means we do not break
the game itself down into
its component parts during
training. With this approach
we might spend five minutes
describing the opposition
or watching them on DVD.
We then have the teams
replicate certain attack or
defence patterns. However,
play. We want to be flexible
and be able to adapt to suit
the situations we face.
A player-centred
approach when it
matters
A player-centred approach
puts the onus on the players
to take control of their
learning. We must be careful
not to let this empowerment
actually slow down their
development by the fact
the players keep doing the
same things and they don’t
really know why they are not
effective. Learning through
your mistakes is fine, but at
some time you do have to
learn from those mistakes.
As a coach your job is to
speed up that process. The
phrase “heads up rugby” is
“Players have to recognise
their options in the
pressure situations
they face in the game”
15 VOLUME 1 / ISSUE 17
just a few words. As a coach
you have to give those
words some meaning to
your players.
First, to be an effective
player-centred coach, the
we will not tell the attack
what the defence intends
to do. We allow the attack
to come up with their own
solutions. If either team
cannot see what is going
on (and quite often young
players in particular, will not)
we will stop the game and
ask the players questions and
come up with some possible
solutions before restarting
the game.
players must be comfortable
with that environment. It
might take a few weeks to
develop the players’ own
skills at answering questions
or feeling they are able to do
that.
Second, we need to
understand that we are
providing the expertise. Here
are my key areas for a good
player-centred coach:
•We do the expert
thinking on all possible
outcomes from various
situations.
•We present the
scenarios for the players
to explore, to allow them
to discover their best
outcomes.
•We come up with
original and novel ways
to breakdown opposition
teams. We then help
players trial them.
•We guide the players in
their learning.
With this process, the
players are given more time
to work on their core game.
They can feedback on what
they want to embrace.
You need to provide the
structure and direction.
You cannot panic if
something you have put
forward does not work
well. Either it needs to be
honed, reviewed or tried in a
different way.
With our new intake
into the college, we find
ourselves with raw talent
that has often lacked core
skills. I find there is more
input from me in this short
space of time to ensure
these players are up to
speed. There is not much
time for a player-centred
approach to help these
particular players “discover”.
We need to get on quickly at
“A playercentred
approach
needs you
to clearly
understand
your role as
the guiding
light and
expert”
this stage of the season.
In summary, a playercentred approach needs
you to clearly understand
your role as the guiding
light and expert. If you want
your team to play “heads
up” rugby they do need to
understand first, through
practice, what IS going in
front of them. Just telling
a team to go out and play
Learning: How to improve elite players
Post tackle exercise
1
1
2
The ball carrier touches one player
and turns and presents towards
the other player.
2
As soon as the players are touched
by the ball, they get up.
“what is in front of them” is,
in my view, abdicating your
responsibilities as a coach
and is a recipe for chaos and
under performance. Finally,
as will be the case for many
coaches, a new season
might find you having to
take a more coach-centred
approach to get certain
players up to the required
“You cannot
panic if
something
you have put
forward does
not work
well”
level, before you can allow
yourself to give the players
more chance to discover for
themselves.
3
Balance of player
and coach centred
activity
Defence at the
breakdown
They challenge for the ball.
4
Coaching expertise: Know
the laws, know what your
team’s protocols
should be.
Alan Martinovic
Director of Rugby, Hartbury
College Academy
The player in the strongest body
position wins the competition.
16
VOLUME 1 / ISSUE 17
Alan played representative rugby
at schoolboys level and played club
rugby at Exeter. He moved onto
Moseley RFC but was forced retire
from playing aged just 26.
He joined Colston's School,
becoming assistant coach 1st XV in
1991. He took over the reins upon
in 1993 and set about revitalising
rugby at Colston’s, instigating a
range of changes in culture and
style. In his time, they won the
Daily Mail Cup seven times.
Delivery:
Establish understanding
and outline the roles of the
first and second man to the
tackle situation.
Coach centred:
Develop a more
sophisticated understanding
of their roles. Most players
start by just making a tackle,
they do not consider what
happens after each type of
tackle. You need to outline
the post tackle situations
and potential solutions.
Activity:
Use a simple post tackle
situation to develop
the skills (three men on
their back drill – see
illustration, left)
Game:
Use a game of touch to
develop the roles.
Once the ball carrier is
touched, he goes to ground
and a defender goes in
to compete for the ball or
drive through the tackle
(depending on the skill you
are developing). It is a game
of constant turnovers.
Game development:
Make the breakdown
area live. So after a touch
tackle the ball carrier
goes to ground and the
attack and defence
compete for the ball.
He left Coltsons in 2009 after
serving as Deputy Head for
16 years. Over 80 schoolboy
internationals, 24 current Guinness
Premiership players and 11 full
internationals were produced
during his time as head coach.
He has had various roles at Bath
Rugby Club between 1996 and
2005, including Academy Manager,
Technical Director and 2nd XV
coach. He is now Director of Rugby
at Hartpury College Academy who
finished unbeaten last season,
winning the AASE league for the
second successive year.
Book review: One step ahead
A sometimes
annoying search
for perfection
One Step Ahead
Rod Macqueen
Random House 392pp
RRP: £10
Rod Macqueen, who
coached the Wallabies to
World Cup victory in 1999, is
an achiever. One Step Ahead
shows how he succeeded
in surfboat rowing, rugby
and business. He is also a
survivor, having overcome
life-threatening pneumonia
and a brain tumour. Aged 61,
he was until recently coach
of the Melbourne Rebels
Super Rugby team.
Macqueen was a partner
in a successful retail displays
business, something
which provided him with
the financial freedom to
coach rugby seriously
17
VOLUME 1 / ISSUE 17
during the amateur era.
When Macqueen started at
Sydney’s Warringah Rugby
Club in 1985 he brought
business-like organisation
for the first time to an
amateur club. He started
with a seven-point vision
statement, introduced video
analysis, an emphasis on
achieving goals, and “doing
simple things perfectly”.
Nothing was untouched,
from player bonding to team
spirit, and the results soon
started coming through,
partly because everyone
involved was forced to
make a bigger commitment.
An old school coach from
Warringah commented:
“Rod was the first coach I
encountered who not only
talked about a game plan,
but insisted it be followed.”
After recovering from
two serious illnesses, he
took over in 1990 as coach
of the representative New
South Wales provincial side,
the Waratahs. He made
“Macqueen dragged the
Australian national side into
the modern era ”
sweeping changes to the
management team and
was characterized as a
hard taskmaster. A constant
innovator, he introduced
off-the-wall ideas like
boxing lessons for front row
players to improve their
fitness in a more interesting
way. With a combination
of discipline, planning and
creativity, the NSW Waratahs
were undefeated in his
first season. Ten Waratahs
played in the winning 1999
World Cup team. According
to Macqueen, the success
came from “integrated,
professional team
management with a strong
emphasis on team bonding
and camaraderie.”
By 1996 Macqueen was
the obvious choice to take
on the job of moulding a
third Australian provincial
Book review: One step ahead
side to participate in the
newly-formed Super 12
tournament. Choosing the
name Brumbies (the name
of the wild bush horses
found in the province),
he sought players with
leadership qualities, trained
the backs and forwards
together, introduced a
team song and surprised
everyone with training
stations set up before a
session started. Another
change was to alter the
tactics traditionally used by
teams at the 22m drop out.
Using statistics, Macqueen
proved that kicking to the
left (usually by a right footed
fly-half) resulted in 80% of
the possession from a dropout going to the opposition.
By randomly changing the
direction of the kick, leaving
the opposition unprepared
to receive it in a particular
place, this figure came down
to 50%. Another new idea
was to split the lineout,
leaving a gap in the middle.
There would be at least one
player jumping for the ball
in each group, leaving the
gap for one of the backs to
Macqueen’s
Test Record
Played 43
Won 34
Drawn 1
Lost 8
Success rate 79%
run through, getting support
from the forwards.
In his first season the
Brumbies just missed the
semi-finals of the Super 12,
and seven players made
the Wallabies squad – not
bad for a team of “rejects”
18 VOLUME 1 / ISSUE 17
unwanted by the other two
provincial sides. In 1997,
Macqueen’s team reached
the final but lost against
the Auckland Blues. In the
two seasons he was in
developed Camp Wallaby,
the “first ever” base camp
for a national rugby team,
and got the players to do
self-reflective analysis on
themselves as a team.
Macqueen’s mission statement
for the Wallabies 1997
• Set ourselves the highest
standards, never resting in our
pursuit of excellence, both on
and off the field.
• At all times be positive in our
approach, whilst constantly
seeking new ideas and
charge, Brumbies spectator
numbers rose from 8,000 to
24,000.
With the resignation
of Wallabies coach Greg
Smith, Macqueen was a
front runner for the job and
following his customary
interview technique of
lecturing his prospective
employers on what they
were doing wrong, he
was duly appointed with
a two-year run-up to the
1999 World Cup. Fighting
against his personal enemy,
“the grey decision made
by committee”, Macqueen
dragged the Australian
national side into the
modern era, bringing a
business-like approach
to every aspect of the
organisation through his
“blueprint for the future of
Australian rugby”. There was
the mission statement, club
visits around the country
to explain the vision and to
stimulate change in coach
educators, and an emphasis
on the constant practising
of all-round skills. Macqueen
wanted players capable of
playing continuous rugby
through many phases, and
needed backs that could
ruck and maul, and forwards
that could pass and kick. He
innovations.
• Keep ahead of the game,
making use of the best
technologies and resources
available to us.
• Study and respect our
opposition.
An aggressive rugbyleague style defence was
introduced. He conceded
that getting buy-in from all
players on all aspects of his
approach was difficult, but
that a majority saw that he
was making a difference.
The Wallabies’ destiny
was fulfilled when the
side, led by John Eales,
beat France 35-12 in the
Millennium Stadium to lift the
Webb Ellis Trophy.
Macqueen was
delighted when it was later
commented snidely by a
disaffected fringe Wallaby
player that he “did very little”
as the Australian national
coach. Macqueen believed
this highlighted his effective
management approach and
ability to identify talent.
The book is unusual as
an autobiography as it is
not wholly written in the
voice of the subject. One
Step Ahead is in the third
person with the addition of
passages from Macqueen
which illuminate or expand
on the commentary. This
takes a bit of getting used
to. Readers should also be
prepared for a somewhat
idolizing approach by the
author Kevin Hitchcock,
one of Macqueen’s best
friends. The hero worship
leads to gushing stuff
along the lines of the
“Macqueen is especially
well remembered by players
and officials” type and some
rather grand assertions
about the significance
to rugby of Macqueen’s
innovations. When the
Brumbies developed a team
conference room, the author
states: “From this time on
rugby team rooms would
never be the same again.”
There is a bit of balance.
Macqueen admits he
has a tendency towards
a “sometimes annoying
search for perfection”.
There is an admission that
he has sometimes gone too
far in his relentless quest
by having “meetings about
meetings.” Yet this approach
made an impact because
it cut across the culture of
Australian larrikinism – a
tradition of irreverence
and mockery of authority
– which does not always
promote team work and the
achievement of goals.
About the author
Rod MacQueen
Representative
Coaching Experience:
1991-92, NSW Waratahs
1995, Australian XV
1996-97, ACT Brumbies
1997-2001, Australia
2010 Melbourne Reds
Achievements:
1991, NSW Waratahs undefeated
1997, ACT Brumbies Super 12 Finalists
1998-2000, Australia Bledisloe Cup
1999 - Australia - World
Cup Champions
2000 - Australia - Tri Nations Champions
2001 - Australia - Tom
Richards Cup vs British
Lions
Fridge notes: Coaching tips from this issue
Developing
experience
Coming up:
Key points to make you
game work in training
Alan Solomons
DAMIAN MCGRATH
Keep posing your players
questions. Say there are two
minutes to go and you are one
point up. You have a penalty. Do you
kick for goal to go ahead or kick for
the corner? In the Ireland vs France
match in Dublin a few years ago,
Ireland took the kick and went a
point up, only for them to fluff the
re-start and for France to score the
winning try. If there are four or five
minutes to go, you may well decide
that the balance is weighted in
favour of taking the kick.
1.Good introductions: meet
before training to tell the players
about the game you are going to
use.
2.Keep the games close to the
real game of rugby: less time
needed to understand rules.
3.Keep the focus: don’t keep
stopping and starting the game.
Focus on the key points you
set out at the beginning. Other
issues can be sorted out in
another session or game.
4.Skills need to be coached, but
practise them in the warm up.
The X defense
5.Stay on time: playing games
are tiring so don’t overextend
the players.
6.Games are about decision
making. Keep heavy contact to a
minimum.
7.Select the teams before
training. Make sure players are
playing in positions that suit
them OR that you are able to
sensibly challenge players in
different roles.
8.Always make the games
competitive with a scoring
system.
15
14
Candi Orsini
13
11
12
10
1. The 12 runs a step back from the 10
and the 13 runs a step ahead of the 10
(in line with the outside shoulder of his
opponent if you want to get picky).
9
13
2. It is important that the 12 does not
leave early which keeps the attacking
12 on track. The 13 runs up and in.The
10 and 12 run up and then outward
(off the flanker) like a normal slide
defense which puts them on line to
11
cross behind the the 13 should the
opponent be successful getting the
pass
pass off.
Myth of heads-up rugby
Alan Martinovic
Coaching expertise: Know the laws, know
what your team’s protocols should be.
Three essential and
interlinked tools for elite
players:
1. Strength and
conditioning to execute,
even in the dying
minutes of the game.
2. Individual and unit
skills – performed under
intense pressure.
3. Game understanding
– right decisions, at the
right time.
A player-centred
approach needs you to
clearly understand your
role as the guiding light
and expert.
If you want your team
to play “heads up”
rugby, they do need to
understand first what is
going on.
7
10
12
14
15
1
1
2
3
4
2
Post tackle
exercise
1. The ball carrier
touches one
player and turns
and presents
towards the other
player.
2. As soon as
the players are
touched by the
ball, they get up.
3. They challenge
for the ball.
4. The player in
the strongest
body position
wins the
competition.
Players should never
think they are making a
sacrifice if they choose to
dedicate themselves to
rugby. Al Caravelli, US
sevens coach, discusses
how players can take
charge of their sporting
lives to make them
better players. He also
tells us how he prepares
his sevens players for a
tournament.
Ian McDonald was
an abrasive flanker on the
pitch when he put on a
Springbok shirt. He is now
known as the “Master of
the Breakdown” as he
coaches and advises top
players and coaches in
South Africa about how to
win the tackle contest. He
shows us how techniques
are adapting to the law
interpretations.
So much is written
about the front row, it
seems that the “engine
room” boys of the second
row are forgotten.
Steve Moore, former
international lock and
director of rugby, discusses
the key technical points
you should be coaching to
maintain maximum power
from the engine room over
the whole game.
Gavin Hickie won
trophies with Leinster
and Leicester as a hooker,
before settling down in
the States to play and
now coach. He is a lineout
expert and he shares his
routines and thoughts on
current trends at the set
piece.
International Rugby Coaching is a monthly publication for professional, semi-professional
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Published by Green Star Media Ltd, Meadow View, Tannery Lane, Bramley, Guildford, Surrey GU5 0AB, UK. Editor Dan Cottrell Sub editor Mark Lawford
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