2v1 draw and pass

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Rugby drill · Under-8 and up

Two attackers against one defender should be a try every time, and in junior rugby it usually is not. Either the carrier passes too early, and the defender simply moves across, or too late, and the carrier is tackled holding the ball. The drill teaches the moment in between: run at the defender until they have to commit, then give the pass.

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Time
12 minutes
Players
3 at a time: a ball carrier, a support runner and a defender
Equipment
  • 6 to 8 cones for a 10-metre-wide channel
  • 2 or 3 balls
  • Tag belts for the youngest groups

Setup

  1. Mark a channel 10 metres wide and about 25 metres long.
  2. Put the defender 15 metres from the start, in the middle of the channel.
  3. The ball carrier starts on the left of the channel; the support runner starts on the right, a couple of metres deeper.
  4. On the whistle the carrier runs at the defender and the support runner keeps pace outside, and the carrier passes when the defender commits.
  5. Rotate: carrier to support, support to defender, defender to the back of the queue.

Coaching points

  • Carrier: run at the defender's inside shoulder, not at the space. A defender who is not threatened is not beaten.
  • Carrier: pass when the defender commits to you, close enough that they cannot recover onto the support runner.
  • Support runner: stay wide and a step deeper than the carrier, and call for it.
  • Pass flat and in front of the receiver, so they catch it running, not waiting.

On the run sheet: Run at the defender's inside shoulder, make them commit, pass flat to the support runner, support stays deeper and wider

Progressions

  1. Play it as two-handed touch first, then tag, then, for age groups that tackle, as a live drill.
  2. Let the defender choose: if they drift onto the support runner, the carrier keeps it and goes.
  3. Start the support runner behind the carrier, so they have to work into the right position.

How it runs

The carrier runs straight at the defender, slightly to the inside, so the defender has to come forward and in to make the tackle. The support runner keeps pace outside and a step deeper. When the defender commits, square on and a couple of metres away, the carrier passes, and the support runner takes it outside the defender, who now cannot get across. The animation ends with that catch, the defender on the carrier and the support runner clear.

Run it as two-handed touch or tag; it is not a contact drill, and the skill is the timing of the pass, not the tackle. For a live version, follow your union's age-grade rules on when tackling is allowed.

Why it works

Every overlap in rugby, from a 3v2 out wide to a backline move off a scrum, comes down to this: fix a defender, then give the pass. The 2v1 is the smallest version of it, so a player can feel the moment the defender commits. The pass is the easy part, and Law 11 still applies: the support runner stays deeper so the ball can go flat or back.

The mistakes to watch for

The carrier drifting towards the support runner, which drags the defender across with them. Passing too early, before the defender has committed. And the support runner running level with the carrier, so the only pass on is a forward one.

More rugby drills

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