What fly-halves ask me about most is when to attack the line and when to distribute, and how to read the defence before the ball gets there. This is the short version of the whole job. A few quick taps so I send you the right stuff, and it opens straight away.
What fly-halves ask me about most is when to attack the line and when to distribute, and how to read the defence before the ball gets there. This is the short version of the whole job. A few quick taps tell me where you're at, so the emails I send you after fit you better, and the guide opens straight away.
rugbyeverest.app
FREE GUIDE
10
The fly-half job
Nobody hands a 10 the job description. This is the short version, and it takes about three minutes.
THE JOB IN ONE LINE
Decide where the next phase happens, and tell everyone before the ball is out.
THE QUESTIONS FLY-HALVES SEND ME
The ones I get most often, the most common first, and the part of the job below where each one sits.
When to attack the line and when to distribute. Parts 2 and 3.
How to read the defence. Part 2.
How flat to stand. Part 1.
How to get the team to listen to you. Part 6.
When to kick, and which kick. Part 4.
THE SIX PARTS OF THE JOB
These are the six things a coach is watching, whether he tells you or not.
1
How deep you stand
How flat to stand is something you choose every phase, and everybody outside you sets their depth off yours.
2
Reading their line
Reading the defence is two looks before the ball arrives, their backfield first and then their front line.
3
Behind the pod
On a lot of phases you're not first receiver, and you run the attack from behind your forwards.
4
The kicking game
It's about where the ball goes much more than how far, so you look at their backfield first.
5
Defending your channel
Teams run at the seam between the forwards and the backs, and that's where you stand.
6
Your voice
One short call before every phase, and it has to come before the ball is out.
WHERE MOST CLUB 10S LOSE IT
Getting deeper under pressure
Which is what a rushing defence wants, because the long pass gives them time to take the ground.
Asking for every ball
So you get predictable and tired, and you never see the defence before it's on top of you.
Kicking to a person
Usually their fullback, because you looked at the ball and never at their backfield.
46%
of all match kicks were taken by the 10s, in a study of professional English rugby. Kicking is a big part of the job.
COUNT THIS IN YOUR NEXT MATCH
How many calls did you make before the ball was out of the ruck?
TWO PLAYERS TO WATCH
George Ford. Watch him on the phases he doesn't touch, sitting behind his forwards.
Finn Russell. Watch the gap between him and the defender when he catches it, and it's smaller than you'd think.
THAT WAS THE SHORT VERSION
The full fly-half pack
Each of those six parts, done properly, with diagrams, what to look at and what to do about it. It's where the when-to questions get an answer, like when to get flat and when to drop into the pocket, or when the ball goes and when you keep it.
"If you see this, do that" reads36
Backfield pictures, and the kick for each4 maps
Pitch diagrams, all with the ball at the front11
The calls, word for word12
Drills you can do alone, with something to count12
A plan for your next four weeks28 days
The fly-half pack is $7 until 31 October. After that the price goes up.
One payment. Yours to keep.
I've put the Goal Kicking Tracker in with all six too, so you can log your kicks at goal on your phone and see your percentage and points.
IF YOU TRAIN ON YOUR OWN
Reading the defence before the ball gets to you is something I think you can also work on by yourself, and it's what chapters 9 and 10 of my Solo Player's Guide are about. It's fifteen short chapters, each with a drill you can do alone, and all six position packs come with it.
Your pack is on its way to the email you paid with, and it should land in the next few minutes. If you can't find it, look in spam, or have the link sent again from the bottom of the positions page.
