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HELP! scrumhalf new to union

RF9

Academy Player
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Apr 7, 2015
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Im a 17 year old scrumhalf whos been playing rugby sevens all my years of rugby. I really wanna get into 15s since i feel im missing out on something. Im gonna play in the mens league and ill be honest im pretty nervous. Can someone help tell me what my job is on offense and defense in 15s? I kinda have an idea but just want to be sure. In sevens i would run all over the field id usually have my forwarss crash twice than backs ball. In 15s isnt it the same format only witth more players? How about on defense?
 
On defence in most structures you'll be acting as a bobby following the play around one pass or two behind the ball. Primarily to cover for chip kicks or to chop down a linebreak coming through your backs.

In offence with your experience at 7's you shouldn't have a major issue getting to each and every breakdown which is essential.
Speed of the ball off the base is imperative. if you're in the habit of picking the ball taking a step or a pace laterally and then passing get out of the habit ad continue to work on service.
Box kicking also is becoming a more important part of offensive structure even at amatuer level so perhaps it's worth your while getting that up to speed if you aren't already.


That's as far as my knowledge of the position extends , best of luck bro.
 
On defence it will come down to a couple of things, including what defensive system your coaches want to run.

The standard is for the 9 to sit behind the ruck organising the left and right ruck defence, and then acting like a sweeper once the ball is moved away, similar on Lineouts.

On scrums there are a couple of ways to play it, the first is follow the ball around and hassle the 9/8 as they pick up, the other is to drop off the scrum and make the extra blindside defender. It will come down to your coaches preference.

In attack again your coaches will decide if you play across the pitch or backwards and forwards, so a lot of it will be taken care of for you, but in attack aim to get to each breakdown early and play it from there; apart from hitting your 10 you can look to pop off to a forward coming around the corner/on a short line, or have a dart yourself. Try not to get pulled into the ruck, send forwards in if your ball isn't coming and try not to run slow ball, set your forwards for a pick and go.

The key to a good 9 in attack (and defence) is making sure you can communicate and get organised on the fly, but essentially in this day and age as long as you are: Getting to the breakdown first and then organising, having occasional snipes (not all the time) and tracking the ball in broken play you'll be there or there about.

Also try and work on your defensive box kicking - it can really help your fly half out if you are able to take some pressure off by hoisting a decent box/clearance kick.

good luck, it's a fun position to play.
 
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Most of it covered up there. Communication with the 10 is key, they/we can make us/you look really bad if you don't communicate! :p Listen to him and know exactly what he wants and give him what he wants unless you think you see see a better option, if he's not talking enough tell him to start barking orders left right and centre. Other than that you want to make your pack hate you a little bit by ordering them around like the slaves they are and make the other team hate you a lot by shouting during line-out calls, asking their 9 to put it in straight before every scrum, pat them on the head when they do something wrong, push them to the deck when they're getting up on your way to the next ruck etc... General annoying things that can't get you in trouble, the more the other side hates you the better you've played.

Stay alert, always take a quick look at their defence between breakdowns and don't be afraid to put a few kicks into the corner or snipe around the fringes to keep them honest. Defence will be covered by your coaching, generally you sweep behind the defensive line looking to clean up kicks and line breaks, order your pack around and watch out for box kicks if your wings wander up. Your role in the kick chase varies from team to team.

Aaaaand be incredibly polite to the ref, ask him to explain any decisions you don't understand against you and even chat to him during stoppages, if he likes you you're going to have a nice time!
 
On offence as a general rule go as quickly as you can while staying under control i.e. able to make a good pass and know who you are passing to. The only caveat is that you can't be faster than the rest of your team. At times you will have to slow things down and organize, waiting for your teammates to get in position to receive the ball and with support.

Again though: as fast as you can under control and in the rhythm of your offense I think is a good general rule.
 

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