Cohesiveness between SLRFU and rugby schools section important

Previously I talked about safety as well as the spirit in teaching the young the game of rugby football. In starting the education process it is the task of the coach to keep the game enjoyable and as safe as it should be within the spirit and the laws of the game. At this stage there is ever so much to cover when coaching the young players it becomes difficult to decide on what should be done first.

The expectation of high performance is the end goal from a national point of view. It is this and the target expectation of being within the first five nations in Asia that should be aimed for. The training of the young and the progress is an essential part of the development plans. Therefore it need not be emphasized of the strong need for the schools section of rugby football to work with and within the framework of rugby as managed by the SLRFU.

The school section and its coaches need to understand the expectation of the parent body and work towards achieving that aim. While having a large data base of players involved in the game the improvement of skills is vital if we are to raise our standards to be among the first five in Asia.

It is essential that the young be made to understand the principles of play which are to gain possession, go forward, support, continuity and pressure. To ensure that these principles are retained and emphasized at training session makes the task of training the young an experience that is not easy. Yet this has to be achieved and the continuous improvement through learning is a must for those who coach the young. It is to achieve this that it is necessary for the schools section to work with the SLRFU so that expert advice can be had and supported by having training programs and workshops. It is the transfer of knowledge from those who are involved at the top level that is needed.

With so much to cover when coaching young players, it can be daunting to know what to do first. I quote from elite coaches for their expert opinions as quoted by Don Coterral’s better rugby coaching

The former England coach Andy Robinson says the first thing he would coach young players is "running hard at a defensive line with the ball in two hands." This leads to players "developing the understanding of how and when to make decisions whether to pass or attack between defenders and offload."

Evan Crawford, Wellington Rugby's High Performance Manager and former Head of Coaching Development for the RFU, says decision making in attack is his number one priority. Crawford adds: "It is also important for young players to understand that whilst the ball carrier is king, the role of support players is the key to successful attack."

We can read and understand what is being said as unlike in the past there is access to a vast fountain of knowledge with the advent of the internet. The important question and the point that needs to ask is how can you apply this advice. Do we use unit skills / group skills or should they be concentrating on individual skills. Experts such as Stephen Aboud, the IRFU's Coach Development Manager, John Schropfer, the WRU's Regional Community Manager, and Crawford suggest concentrating more on individual skills. Schropfer says training could be virtually rugby league style – handling, tackling and evasion – before progressing to ruck and maul. Aboud says that contact is important as its nature is unique to rugby. "Players need to experience physical contact and develop confidence early on," he says.

Tackling technique is emphasized by experts, but they go a stage further by talking about defensive systems. "A one on one tackle is a failure," says Jim Love, Head Coach of Viadana in Italy and former NZ Maori coach. "We have systems to pass the ball out to the wing, so we should have systems where players work to defend together." This view was echoed by Robinson and Schropfer. There being so much advice and opinion the challenge is to get the message across and practices so that the national objective is attained. Given the local tournament structure where emphasis even at mini rugby to be that of winning the bias towards group work will take more precedence over individual skill development.

An important aspect for the future as explained by the National Coach, Rob Yule, is talent identification. This needs a structured development process so that uniformity is reached across the country. It will also need the harmonizing of aims and objectives to ensure that coaches work towards skill development in the key areas. Thus the need for the schools section to work together with the guidance of the SLRFU is a must for the future of the game.

(Vimal Perera is President of the Rugby Referees Society and Accredited Referees Evaluator IRB)