Genuine Rugby Question

I play inside centre for my club side. We were playing in a pre season 10s comp (no backrows and 1 instead of 3 back 3 players)

The other side had a pair of fast pacific island centres. They played a move where their 10 threw a long flat fast misspass to their 13 with their 12 looping around him to take a short ball on his outside. When the ball went from the 10 I tracked across to try to get to the opposing 13 but didn’t and he just went straight through untouched to score under the sticks. He didn’t need his looping 12 because I couldn’t reach him and my centre partner drifted (in my opinion too early) to cover the outside threat of the looping 12.

My centre partner and I had a chat. I said that I thought that if the other side tried the same move, he should hold his drift and take the 13. I said that if he managed to slip the pass away to the looping 12 so be it, it would be my job to take him as cover defender.

He disagreed with me saying he would do the same again and that it was my job to get there.

The other side did it again, my 13 was as good as his word and the other side scored a carbon copy try. Exactly the same.

Who was right me, my centre partner or is there some 3rd way that neither of us came up with?

Well i think i was right obviously......

bloody backs

someone make the tackle, i'm just after coming out of a scrum this is the last thing i want to see, off first phase aswell

Are you Ronan O'Gara?

Sounds like a great move. Ideally you should stick with your man, the outside centre is responsible for his man, so I think he is right. However you need to make sure the gap your leaving is being covered, incase anyone scissors with the outside centre and goes into the gap you left.
He could drift across but if his opposite man dummies while he's drifting he will look like a plank for falling for it.
Try and copy this move in future!

He should take 13, thats surely the only way you could cover it?

As a 10, 13 should stay with his man, 12 to cover the loop or winger to come in dependant on handling skills. You then have the 10 to cover the cut back/inside shoulder.

You should always be able to trust everyone on your inside to call the drift, so it should start with the Fly Half.

It's a simple move and attacking move. A miss pass and a loop. We've used it ourselves.

Fullback -
He should take 13, thats surely the only way you could cover it?.

That's what i think. There was no time for the 10 or anyone else to call any drift. It was 1 fast pass. The pass went out long flat and fast into the path of the onrushing 13.

I'm not fast i admit but i had ZERO chance of getting there and my mate at 13 just drifted outside him.

IMHO he stitched me up and im not thrilled about it because i ended up looking like the goose and like the one costing us 2 tries!

IMHO the only way to defend it was for my mate to take him and then IF the oppo 13 gets a pass away it's a footrace between me and the oppo 12 - were both travelling the same distance on a similar trajectory.

Grr.

I think it is worth bearing in mind that with no back row the gap between the backlines was considerably smaller. This actually made the move more effective because it helped their 13 taking the pass bang on the gainline at speed and gave us less time to adjust in defence.

Just to make my point clear if that move were executed from quick off the top lineout ball with 20m separating the backlines there would be plenty of time to "call drifts" drift adjust and close it down.

1. He should have taken the 13
2. You should eat less biscuites and gain an extra yard

offload

that is very fair of you.

reminds me of the cricketing slegde involving brandes

"oi brandes why are you so fat?....".....
"..every time i "see" your wife she gives me a biscuit...."

my top end speed is ok but my acceleration needs work.

I think this is the same problem people have when defending the "Gaffney Loop" It sounds similar anyway i.e. which player should I pick up.

I suggest people watch Wallabies Lethal Attack. Its very similar and explains how it works.

You could have a think about the info in the Jamie Roberts article on defense on the Planet Rugby website here -

http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,16017_6951856,00.html

It's quite simple to me Triangulation, if you haven't got the pace to get there, it's your "mates" obligation to pick up the OC.

It is a team game and different teams with different strengths will defend against that kind of move in different ways, it's not as if it's original.

Did you ask your mate if he'd lost his bottle? Those PI boys can be a right handful, I creamed a 10 from Fiji in a club game in Cambridge, caught him cold man and ball, bammm! I came round with a few slaps to the face a nasty stinking cold sponge on the back of my neck. I got my head in the wrong place and came together with his hip, by all accounts he hardly registered the "tackle".

I reckon your mate was a bit shy and you're a bit slow - no offence - but he should have done the right thing and held his drift to force the OC on the outside and into the FB cover - unless your FB's Eddo Brandes?