Rugby World UK – July 2019

ILLUSTRATIONS

Artlife

1

Two-part process

The timing of a man-and-ball

tackle can be practised by

setting up scenarios with two or

three attackers varying their

width of pass across the line.

A ‘hit’ call can be introduced.

Jackal drills are about

supporting your bodyweight,

a wide leg base and a long,

straight back with strong core

strength. Get players practising

with opposition for technique

fi rst, then arriving fi rst to the

ball and staying in the fi ght as

an opponent tries to clear them.

2

Go up or stay down

Consistency in executing

the aerial catch requires

serious practice. Eyes on the

ball and judging the point of

take-off are essential elements.

I coach the thrusting of the

arms to help propulsion off the

fl oor, keeping hands high. Also

using a lead leg, often the inside

leg to the opponent/ball for

stability and balance in the air.

For kicks that are too long, the

catcher can stay on the ground

with a wide base to withstand

a potential hit on the catch.

To practise decision-making

on this, use a kicker putting up

bomb kicks with a four-second

hang time and a chaser with

a pad, varying the rate of his

chase. Add a team-mate to the

drill to call to the catcher to

“go up” in the air for a catch or

“stay down”, depending on the

chaser’s run to contest or not.

3

Pressure learning

Speed and agility drills can

help but counter-attacking

is best practised under pressure.

Roll and throw balls behind

and in front of your back three.

Get them retrieving the ball,

then quickly scanning one and

two defenders chasing up.

Contrive dog-legs in the chase

line to promote stepping.

THE

INSIDE

LINE

Sean Holley on how to

practise Williams’s skills

Williams’s technique and bravery in the air is one of his calling cards.
Both club and country use him as a try-scoring weapon. Wales use the
cross-fi eld kick to excellent eff ect while Saracens have even adopted
a tactic of a high ball under the opposition posts for Williams to snaffl e
and score from, as he did against Glasgow in the Champions Cup quarter-fi nal. And
it’s not just going forward that his aerial prowess is utilised so eff ectively; in this year’s
Wales-England match, he was bombarded with high balls by Owen Farrell and Ben
Youngs. He dealt superbly with this, putting Wales back on the front foot with his jinking
runs on landing. His self-proclaimed ‘bomb defuser’ nickname was never more apt!

Williams thrives on getting the ball in deep situations in space. He has
the capacity to quickly assess the chasing line and look for holes and
dog-legs in the defence. His change of pace and ability to step off either
foot enables him to regularly beat the fi rst defender. And his strength
and rangy running style aff ords him the opportunity to fend and ride would-be tackles.
His decision-making after that is particularly impressive. He’s able to slow his pace
and look for support. In the build-up to Sean O’Brien’s famous 2017 Lions try, Williams is
pinned near his own corner (below). He steps the oncoming chaser, Kieran Read, then
runs laterally to the space before straightening to slip between two All Blacks. He then
accelerated to halfway and offl oaded to Jonathan Davies – devastating attacking play.

LAUNCHING

A COUNTER

HIGH-BALL

TECHNIQUE

100

BEST PLAYERS

LIAM

WILLIAMS

P66