FREE GUIDE

The scrum-half job

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1 · YOU ARE

2 · RIGHT NOW YOU ARE

3 · BY THE END OF THIS SEASON YOU WANT TO

4 · WHO YOU COACH

2 · WHO YOU COACH

3 · WHAT WOULD HELP YOU MOST RIGHT NOW

2 · THEIR AGE GROUP

3 · THIS SEASON THEY WANT TO

4 · THE ONE THING YOU CAN'T WORK OUT AT SCRUM-HALF4 · THE COACHING PROBLEM YOU KEEP COMING BACK TO4 · WHAT WOULD HELP THEM MOST (OPTIONAL)

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FREE GUIDE

The scrum-half job

Most 9s only ever get told to pass quicker. This is the short version of the rest of the job, and it takes about three minutes.

THE JOB IN ONE LINE

Be at the ruck first, and know what you're doing before you touch the ball.

THE SIX PARTS OF THE JOB

These are the six things a coach is watching, whether he tells you or not.

The pass

Foot in close, hips at the target, and no steps when the ball is clean.

The scan and the decision

You look at them, then at us, then at the ball, and you've decided before your hands touch it.

Running and support lines

You go on a cue and never on a quota, and after the pass your first step is usually forward.

The kicking game

Height before distance on the box kick, because the hang time is what your chasers need.

Fringe, hole, sweep

Without the ball there are three jobs, and you ask about them in the same order at every ruck.

Your voice

The forwards take their information from you, so every call is a name, an instruction and a side.

WHERE MOST CLUB 9S LOSE IT

Getting there after the ball

Your forwards did the work for quick ball, and by the time you arrive their defence has reset.

Deciding after you touch it

So you stand over the ball, look up, and then pass to a short side with one of yours and four of theirs.

Standing beside the ruck in defence

You're watching it like everybody else, and the fringe, the hole and the space behind the line all go uncovered.

km/h. Antoine Dupont had the slowest average pass of the twelve scrum-halves in round one of the 2025 Six Nations, on the smart ball data, and France won 43-0. So pass speed is not the job.

COUNT THIS IN YOUR NEXT MATCH

At how many rucks were you set before the ball was ready, out of the first 20?

TWO PLAYERS TO WATCH

Antoine Dupont. Ignore the ball, and watch only him for the five seconds after he passes.

Aaron Smith. Watch only his feet and hips at the ruck, and count the steps before the ball leaves.

THAT WAS THE SHORT VERSION

The full scrum-half pack

Each of those six parts, done properly, with diagrams, what to look at and what to do about it.

"If you see this, do that" reads36

Pitch diagrams, from the base pass to the box kick13

Where to stand at scrum and lineout, yours and theirs4 maps

The calls, word for word12

Drills you can do alone, with something to count12

A plan for your next four weeks28 days

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

Knowing what you'll do before the ball reaches you is something I think you can also work on by yourself, and it's what chapter 8 of my Solo Player's Guide is about. It's fifteen short chapters, each with a drill you can do alone, and all six position packs come with it.

See the Solo Player's Guide →

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