Using Your 9 on Defence

 


The game of rugby has advanced so quickly over the last couple of years when it comes to your 9 defending and the role that he plays within a defence system. A key example of this is how the Harlequins use Danny Care on defence. 

Within a defence system 9 has a primary role to play and we may ask what would that be. Below are some roles that he has to perform:

  • Organising the ruck defence
  • Plug next to the ruck if the pillars are not set and folding
  • Working and communicating with the back field
  • Cover attacking kicks in behind the defence line
  • Organise the spacing on defence 
Those points are just some of the basic roles he has to perform to ensure that the defence system is functioning. It is crucial that your 9 communicates at all times. The interesting thing that you will see is that Harlequins have given Danny Care license to roam and hit opposition when they least expect it. This can create a little bit of doubt on the attack as they might not know when that next hit is coming or from where it is coming. This is a role played superbly by Faf de Klerk within the Springboks defence system.

Frame 1:

You can see Danny Care covering in the line on the short side and leaves that position for a moment covering in behind the defence and moving onto his next role.


Frame 2:

You will notice that he is fulfilling one of his roles in terms of covering behind the defence line but also scanning what the attack is doing.


Frame 3:

In this frame you see Danny Care aggressively in the line - he has already identified a potential ball carrier/ passer and targets him.

Frame 4:

Danny Care, using his vision, moves on from the potential threat who has released the ball to the next point of attack.


Frame 5:

Here he lays the killer blow. He makes a hit and forces a rushed pass which doesn't go to where the attack wanted it to go to and it ends up into touch. We know that on defence we want to put the skill set under pressure and this is a prime example. This was really a great effort and some great defence skills he used to put pressure and win the ball back by a form of a lineout in the opposition 10m.


Below is the clip where you will see his exact movements and how he cancels out this attack. 


So what does this teach us? On defence 9 can play an important role in terms of having that freedom to roam and catch attack off guard. The 9 has transformed in terms of his role more so defending in the front line as we have seen the likes of Gareth Davies under Shaun Edwards and Faf de Klerk with the Springboks. This can be a great advantage for defensive teams. This is something that is coached. The 9 has to have work rate, he has to make good decisions, he has to read attack and use his vision to help him make those hits and reads. 

I am looking forward to seeing more teams use their 9 on defence in a more aggressive way than just covering in behind the defence line. 

Katleho Lynch



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