COACHING SPOT: Cleaning out at the ruck

Hi folks

Here is a short coaching site video from Rugby Coaching Drills on cleaning out at the ruck where the first player to the ruck is cleaning out by themselves.  It has some great tips on body position (ie nice and low, then, using your legs, drive the opposition player off the ball!), and even has an exercise tip at the start to help get better and stronger when cleaning out!:

Ruck clean out drill courtesy of Rugby Coaching Drills

Here is some footage of the Chiefs v Blues pre season game from 14 February this year.  Having watched the 'duck and clean' technique video above, watch for how the players will use this technique while binding on to their teammates as they get to the breakdown.

As you watch, see how cleaning out at the ruck leads to tries for the teams (the second try is a great example where a clean out leads to a big gap for the Chiefs to score - it looks a little like our last try vs the Hoops!):

2014 pre season Chiefs v Blues 14 February 2014

In the second try (from 0:32), notice:

 - how the first two/three players to the ruck bind on as they get to the ruck (ie not binding together a long way out from the ruck), get nice and low, then use leg drive to clean out the Blues players (at 0:38);

 - the next player plays half back and passes the ball (at 0:41);

 - there is a player standing to the side of the ruck (and behind the ball so the pass can go backwards, and who has his hands up ready to take the pass!); and

 - the pass and the runner means the Chiefs have a big space to run into, rather than running into a whole team of Blues players waiting to tackle them, and sets up a try.

Try cleaning out your Mum or Dad or your big brother / sister a couple of times a week!  Make sure you ask them first.... and tell 'em it's for the Datsuns!

go... go... Datsuns... GO!!!