Fly Half Decision Making/Vision

[M_R7]

Was just wondering if any of you guys had any tips on how to improve this? It's something I've found myself really struggling with since I've started playing 10. I was watching the NZ v Aus game yesterday morning and Mounga. the NZ 10, fired a long pass out and NZ made a break down the left hand side. At first I just thought he'd thrown it for the sake of it really but when I slowed it down after watching it, I realised that NZ had space out wide and a 3 man overlap which he'd obviously seen. How was he able to see that space, 30 yards away, in the heat of a game like that? After that I looked for scenarios like that a lot and essentially a lot of 10's just seem to be able to spot space anywhere on the field. I think a lot of the time I just look at what's directly in front of me really and just try and move the ball along and I must miss so many opportunities.

Does anyone have any tips on how to improve this? Thank you.

 

[Which Tyler]

Simple answer is to train amlot, so you know where people should be, and to spend 1/3 of your time checking your own line (and bossing them about), 1/3 checking the defensive line (and to a degree, checking what their defensive leader is gesticulating) and only 1/3 keeping an eye on the ball. Akin to motorway driving, you spend as much time looking behind you as you do in front.

You should know what you're going to do with the ball before it arrives, so any looking is just making minor adjustments of precisely where the recipient is, and making sure they're actually ready to receive the ball.


Bear in mind though, i played SH, not FH, with different requirements, so I'm talking more from instinct and observation of other people.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Get your team to talk to you as well. If you can listen to multiple people at once, great, if not pick a couple players to be your eyes outside you.

 

[Umaga's Witness]

You answered some of your question yourself I think. Try and calm yourself down. And it was alluded to by Tyler, open up your peripheral vision. Calming yourself down helps with this, the driver analogy works here too because when you are anxious driving you tend to go tunnel visioned too.

Being confident is important, but so is being confident in your team mates and your team mates being confident in you. This aligns with the training aspect Tyler mentioned. If your team mate doesn't expect you to pass into a gao they won't be running into a gap, and if you don't expect them to run into a gap you won't pass it into the gap. So spend time discussing things with your team mates.

If there are some egos in your team that think they are better than everyone else as ball runners they will probably just want you to throw them the ball so they can do their thing. It can help if you throw the ball to a gap near them once in a while even if they miss it and then chastise them for missing it, telling them the gap was there. This will catch them off guard as they aren't used to being challenged and it will help you gain respect. Only do this to the real egocentric people though, there are far better avenues for others; actually if you behaved like that with others it can be very detrimental.

Take the opportunities to look around when you don't have the ball, eg when someone is getting tackled and setting up a ruck. This is the opportunity to talk to your team mates too, to help organise the next phase.

 

[Which Tyler]

Good point on confidence. You're the FH, everyone outside You is your *****, and they need to do what they're told. If you throw a pass to the right place, and there's no-one there, then that's their fault (and yours for not communicating, but don't let on about that).
The only back you don't get to boss is the SH, who's your partner in crime - and who's doing the same thing with the forwards!