Rugby League Coaching Manuals

By Gary Roberts RLCM - Win the ground.  Win the ruck.  Every game, every day, the message is the same. How do you go about it?  Easier said than done, you might say.

A good lesson is how Penrith went about their task in defence and attack on Saturday night against the Titans before a crowd of 17,759 at Skilled Park on the Gold Coast.

Numerous times, the big Penrith side, were allowed to play the ball [PTB] within the five second mark.  It is a massive advantage to be allowed to average that speed over 80 minutes of football.

The majority of the Titans’ PTBs were in the five seconds to seven second mark and occasionally eight-nine seconds.

How does a team go about mastering the skill of winning the ground?

Practice - Practice on the training field.  It takes a long time to master and big strong players are needed.

Practice - Three men in the tackle, if possible, is the first option.  How does the third person become involved?

Practice - Hold the attacker up in the initial collision, allowing the third defender to come in after initial contact.

There is more to it than the above.  It is a concept.  But you need big forwards who understand the concept and what the aim of the tackle is about.

Penrith showed time and time again, in ruck defence, what they were attempting to do and it worked for them.

The Titans on the other hand continued with the majority of the tackles involving two players and putting the attacking player quickly on the ground.

It did not work and most likely never will in the NRL.  Defence like that has to be in the attacking team’s favour.

For the attacking team to realise that the defending team will most likely only have two players in the tackle and those two defenders want to put the player on to the ground quickly, has to be a further advantage to the attacking team.

When the attacking team can achieve a quick play the ball, it allows for a swift spread of the ball to the edges.

And Penrith demonstrated that ploy effectively.  They showed by spreading the ball to either side of field, the Titans’ wingers were exposed with the decision making that is needed to blunt attacking raids.

The Titans’ wingers are OK down the opposite end of the field in attack.  But after what has been witnessed lately, they are going to have continued pressure put on them in defence as many of the Titans’ future games see them playing teams that are vying for a final eight spot.

Nothing can be taken away from Penrith.  They won the game 36 to 22 and always looked in control.

Right from their first set when they spread to ball wide, their game plan was evident.  It just took a while to get back to the plan due to conceding penalties to the Titans.  These penalties upset the Panthers continuity during the first half and allowed the Titans into the game.

So to address the adage - ‘Win the ground.  Win the ruck’.  Did Penrith win the ground or did the Titans give it to them?

Penrith might not be allowed to play a similar game plan against teams further up the ladder as the NRL moves closer to a Final Eight conclusion. RLCM Online