POST!

Where to BEGIN?!

I forgot my freakin' rugby journal (yes, "the rugby diaries" is actually a tangible item as well as a blog!) yesterday at practice so I didn't get a chance to jot down everything I wanted to recap like I normally do. However, I think I still have retained the gist.
....but no promises.

We started off with a fun rugby game in order to get into the mindset of defending...
SIDE NOTE: I need to be reminded to keep special track of these games because they are not only very helpful drills for rugby teams, they are also great fun ways to promote rugby awareness to younger populations - like all the way down to the elementary age. I wish I had more of these games in my back pocket when I worked with high school aged boys in Chicago because it gets rid of people's initial fear of the contact and aggression involved with rugby but still teaches a lot of important skills.
This subject was on my mind a lot yesterday when a rugger told me that I could promote rugby to little girls because one in a grocery store recently thought I was Elsa....if Elsa plays rugby, little girls all over the world can too!

BOOM. This is gonna be a thing.

Anyways, we played a fun game that involved defending a small triangle made from cones. Basically, the triangle was a try zone that an attacking team would attempt to touch the ball down in. The attacking team would set up wide around the area of the triangle and the defenders would start in the triangle itself. The defenders could throw/kick off the ball anywhere they wanted to, but they were not allowed to move out of the triangle and start defending until the attacking team picked up the ball and started playing. The attacking team could pass the ball any way they wanted to (forwards or backwards), but once they were tagged by the defense they were not allowed to move. After being tagged 3 times, the attacking and defending teams would switch roles (defenders would become attackers, etc.).
This game helped practice a variety of defending techniques, each having it's own benefits and costs. It helps practice not getting sucked in by an attacker and making sure to cover all space and gaps when playing defense. So much communication is involved. Matching up one-on-one sometimes worked but also sometimes backfired. If you match up on defense but don't stay flat/together then you leave a lot of spaces for people to cut through. There needs to be a balance of both.

In order to prepare for our game this upcoming Saturday, we put a lot of focus into setting up a defense tight off of a ruck and heavily dependent on forwards play. This is almost ironic for me to write because I feel like I just recently discussed why we were too dependent on that in our last game, which left the wing/outside wide open. However, different teams have different strengths that they utilize and many times you need to cater your tactics (especially on defense) to combat theirs.

'Tis a strategy, if you may. (SIDE NOTE: like cats and rugby? Check out my tumblr -  Rugby as Told by Cats!)
And whilst practicing crashes/bangers off of rucks and ensuring that the space tight off of a ruck is covered, we didn't fail to neglect the outside. We practiced both - heavily guarding the rucks and still covering the backs on the outside.


But the main thing we needed to take away from practicing our defensive structure is just how important setting up posts really is. If you've never heard this term before, posts are almost a very literal translation from what it is as an inanimate object to what it is as a person. When a ruck occurs, the first two defenders that reach it (after, of course, there are already people rucking) immediately set up tight off the last foot of the ruck and loudly communicate the position to the rest of their teammates. They become not only markers for where the rest of the defensive line needs to set up but they are also pillars standing in the way of a quick pick and go attempt. Many teams, especially ones with a strong forwards game, will utilize that space right off of a ruck because it can unknowingly be left open and an easy gap to sneak through.
Another important matter regarding the posts is that once two people designate themselves as the defensive posts off of a ruck, they should not move from that position. This can be more difficult than it sounds because it's instinctual on defense to immediately press forward. But when the posts set up off of a ruck, it's their responsibility to communicate to the rest of the team when they should be holding (so they're not offsides) and when the ball is out of a ruck. They should continue to stand in this post position to completely ensure it's protected.
The players after the post are in positions called X and Y. So the defensive set up off of a ruck should look like this:

Y--X--POST-RUCK-POST--X--Y

These two positions should also be designated in case shifting needs to occur. X and Y positions ensure that this space will always be covered, however it also makes shifting easier for all the other defenders. Instead of running around to the end of the defensive line to even out spacing and coverage, players can enter right outside the Y position and communicate to their teammates to bump out.

This may sound like a lot to handle in the midst of a chaotic field and while also thinking heavily about tackling the bitch runnin full steam at you, but calm yourself. It will come.

You may look like a shitshow over and over again at practice trying to figure this out, but once you're on the field, it will be crazy how this is all of the sudden second nature to you. It may even take a few games as well...or a few seasons....but just fucking PRACTICE THIS SHIT and eventually you'll be preaching it on the field.
**which is another really important reason why you need to actually GO to practice in the first place. It's basically an even safer space to fuck up in.