“You run away from your support”

Set the scene

It is the third round of the 2022 Six Nations and the French are at Murrayfield. The French ‘en route’ for the Clean Sweep, the Scots to repair some damage after a disappointing loss in Cardiff. France is leading. A French penetrating run is only just stopped and the Scots scramble to their defensive positions, a quick recycle and Fickou gets the ball with lots of open space to attack……..

I think the best try of the 6N 2022 because every eight year old rugby player knows there is always space on the outside and run this line. Then us trainers discourage this because ‘the ball carrier runs away from his support’. This is perhaps why the Scots forgot how to how to defend this?

Yes I know – poor tackling skills from Scotland 6 and 9….

Also: please appreciate how delicate the positioning of Fickou was receiving the ball from Ntamack!

The Ball Carrier and his Supporting Players

It is the task of the BC to bring the ball forward and keep it alive, attacking the space because that is the easiest. The players nearest the BC have the responsibility to react to his actions and take over those responsibilities. But has the BC the responsibility to stay close to these players?

I think it is a very important step in the development of the rugby head of our young rugby players to experience this running into space and keeping the ball alive. Most rugby coaches discourage this thought. I remember a rugby coach shouting out to a 8 year old who was excited she just scored a try “You running away from your support!” and she looking up thinking “what do you mean?”.

A very fitting exercise is where both Attackers and Defenders start at the sideline: lots of space to run into! (and yes, all running to that same corner).

Dylan Hartley acknowledges

I enjoyed Fickou scoring like the eight year olds but had even more fun when Dylan Hartley on the BBC Sunday Rugby Special made exactly that quote….. What are your thoughts? Agree with Dylan?

Is this the Structured versus Unstructured Play discussion?

I love the revival of the French National Teams, it is called French Flair and supposedly something you have or do not have. But it is a system that can be learned and I like to think that Pierre Villepreux, the coaches of LPM and my great mentor Jean Bidal gave me this understanding of it all.

Related material

More stuff from Pierre Villepreux on my website

• Open the Door tactical skill;
• The LPM Coaching Style (or what I understand of it);
• How to develop Open Play;