Analysis: The Exeter Chiefs have invented rugby's newest attacking structure that might double the size of coaching playbooks
Rob Baxter’s machine keeps on moving forward, finishing as the Premiership’s top side after the regular season with a 17-5 record. Whilst the final quarter to their season was a bit scratchy with up-and-down results, they have proved to still be the only genuine threat to Saracens over the course of the year.
They have maintained their status as one of the Premiership’s top two sides in part by continuing to innovate, changing not only the parts in the system but the system itself.
The Chiefs have a roster largely still constructed around players from the 2016-17 Premiership side, but have filtered in key pieces like Nic White, Matt Kvesic, Sam Simmonds, and Santiago Cordero over the last couple of seasons.
Whilst it would be tempting to plug those pieces into a system that has been proven, the pace of change and copycat nature of professional sport means that widespread adoption becomes the norm pretty quickly. What was unique yesterday is everywhere today. Most teams employ the similar phase play structure the Chiefs have used with great success over the last few years, although each team has varying degrees of execution.
To stay at the top you have to evolve, be prepared to change before you become outdated. So, what have the Exeter Chiefs done to evolve?
Vertical Pods
Modern-day phase play structures have become multi-layered formations, generally around horizontal pods of three or two at the first level, utilising backs as receivers in behind in the second level.
This is a typical second phase set-up going the same way using a two-man pod with a midfielder in behind that has become the modus operandi of many pro teams across the globe.
The Chiefs have started running vertical pods during phase play, or stacks, often only seen on midfield scrum plays with backs.
The two-man pod is vertically aligned in a stack with Matt Kvesic at the front and Don Armand in behind. Once midfielder Ollie Devoto (12) starts his line, it briefly becomes a three-man vertical formation.
Using stacks is a way to create pre-play misalignment with defenders. It immediately forces the defence into ‘zone’ type coverage, where they have to decide which man to take on the run without knowing beforehand which man is theirs.
It often results in defenders moving laterally to chase runners as they never have original front-on alignment. The one man who does have alignment has to decide which guy he will ultimately take and can be manipulated to move off his spot.
To illustrate this, consider this play below. If the first man in the stack runs a bounce line to the outside, it could have the desired effect of ‘pulling’ the man aligned with him wider, opening up the hole for the second forward Don Armand behind him running straight.
If Joe Simmonds (10) is able to play late at the line and commit his aligned defender, Armand will go straight through.
This time Kvesic is used running straight but we see Saints midfielder Rory Hutchinson (13) biting in on the second forward in the stack.
Armand was able to attract a defender laterally inward, creating an opportunity out the back for Ollie Devoto (12) and Henry Slade (13) to attack the edge. If Simmonds held the ball longer he may have been able to play Devoto out the back and utilise the 3-on-2 overlap.
Hutchinson began the phase aligned to no one due to Armond lining up behind his own player, so had to make a decision to move laterally to make a tackle, becoming susceptible to manipulation.
Concentrating a high number of players in short space can be used to ‘flood’ one area and create gaps, which is what the Chiefs are doing here with stacks instead of normal pods.
Exeter is one of the first teams, if not the first, to actively install ‘stacks’ in their phase play patterns everywhere across the park to blur the picture the defence is seeing, and create a new problem for the defence to solve on each phase.
This is another stack, this time running off 9. They run a screen pass to play the second forward Kvesic out the back but the pass is a little off from the halfback. They are then looking to work in winger Jack Nowell (14) and Devoto (12) off Kvesic.
Against Leicester, Exeter used this stack variation to slice the Tigers in half with England centre Henry Slade.
Instead of two forwards in the stack, Slade slides in as the second man as a change-up, with Devoto still in the back as we have seen previously.
Simmonds takes it to the line he engages his defender and the defensive smarts of Leicester’s forwards are about to tested.
Exeter’s hooker Jack Yeandle runs an ‘unders’ line on lock Will Spencer, drawing a bad read and contact as Spencer clocks him well after Slade receives the ball out the back running a rocket line up the middle.
With Leicester’s next defender Brendon O’Connor isolated in no man’s land, Slade explodes through the hole into the Tigers’ backfield.
Slade attempts to run around the fullback before linking up with Devoto to finish off the long-range strike, a beautifully constructed play out of this new shape.
Exeter’s execution with ball-in-hand hasn’t been as clinical at times lately, resulting in mixed results with this new idea, but this I-formation stack attack in phase play is one of the more groundbreaking progressions of the year for modern rugby structures.
To add in pre-play disguises like stacks during phase play requires strict organisation, precision and high work rates. The speed of the recycle is as quick as it has ever been, so to add this extra layer of complexity is going to take time to completely nail down, but has the potential to evolve modern attacking structures once again.
Exeter have been floating between these vertical stack formations for pods and regular pods of late, offering variation to their width game and two operating systems to break down the defence with. The playbook may double in size if vertical pods become used half the time.
Exeter does have other tools at their disposable, namely scrum dominance and forward play inside the 22, which has been responsible for creating the bulk of the scoring opportunities when they haven’t been clicking.
The closer they get to the try line, the more narrow they become. It is misguided to say the Chiefs are all about ball movement and innovative schemes. That is certainly true in the middle third of the field, but they also rely heavily on their pack to maul and bully there way over to finish drives in prime attacking position inside the 22.
However, the Chiefs have shown a willingness to try new schemes, finding the balance between old school grit and innovative new plays. This one may have just opened up a can of worms, sparking the next wave of attacking structures.
Sam Warburton on Wales’ World Cup chances:
Comments on RugbyPass
The Melbourne Rebels lineout is a complete disaster so not surprisingly a kiwi coach of the Wallabies hires the worst lineout coach in the country and a foreigner to boot. No surprises whatsoever here…….
3 Go to commentsThank your for wasting 2 minutes of my life Daniel. There is a useful message in there somewhere but your delivery sucks.
7 Go to commentsBen Smith, you are cry baby
213 Go to commentsSux that homophobia is still a thing though. I wonder how many players who could have become legends never kept playing rugby because they felt unwelcome.
7 Go to commentsCrazy he’s only 28, feel like he’s been around forever - don’t mind the move, safe pair of hands and creates depth in a thin position for ABs. Hopefully aides Kemara’s growth also without thrusting too much responsibility on him
1 Go to commentsMen should show strength and be mean, but they should be able to show emotion to those close yo them in certain times, birth of your child, death of family, proud moment. This article is stupid
7 Go to commentsWhat a weak article…absolute drivel and clickbait, well done. Will stick to rugby365 thanks
7 Go to commentsHonest, discipline, humility… Priceless.
2 Go to commentsSo many excuses. No mention of the SA number 2 being taken out illegally in the 2nd minute. That act of foul play had a massive impact on the SA game. Face it, NZ play pretty dirty very regularly, and it’s only since 2016 they’ve been held to higher officiating standards via stricter officiating and TMO reviews. They deserved to have a man down. Sorry. Fix the yellow and red cards and NZ will win more RWCs. Plus, there WAS a knock on invalidating the one try, so it was NOT a try. Period. Here’s a Kleenex…
213 Go to commentsOverheard conversation between NZ and SA rugby fans everywhere: We’re the greatest! No! we’re the greatest! We’re the greatest! No we’re the greatest! Ireland are arrogant! True but they beat you! We’re the greatest! No! we’re the greatest! Etc. etc, etc.
27 Go to commentsTypical crap Aussie weather
11 Go to comments“If they’d have beaten England, I still feel we would have been talking ‘is this the best team ever,’ ‘is this the best team that’s ever played in the Six Nations'” he said. “I still think they’re not quite that good. I actually don’t think they’re that good.” So Trimble is saying he doesn’t think this is the best 6N team of all time. He is silent on if it is the best Irish team of all time. Can’t disagree with him. Just another misrepresentative clickbait headline from the guys at RP.
27 Go to commentsWow, do we really still have to listen to all the excuses and “unfairness” of it all. Even blaming the bounce of an egg shaped ball for the loss. But the article is about context, so what about the Springboks having to play the other 5 teams in the top 6 and still beating a comparatively rested AB team on a very empty tank.
213 Go to comments“Teams would generally have three coaches below their head honcho; attack coach, defence coach, forwards coach” do they? I’m not sure what the NZ set up is tbh, but the other 4 sides top 5 sides all have very different structures to the one outlined in the article! As well as attack, defence, and forwards coaches, SA, Ireland, and France also have specialist scrum coaches. England have a specialist scrum coach too, but arguably don’t have a forwards coach, with that role taken on by Borthwick. SA also have a backs coach in addition to defence and attack, and Ireland and England have fitness coaches, with England also having two skills coaches.
3 Go to commentsWorst article I've read in a while. Trying to disguise a backhand slap as a compliment. The whole article is a bit weird and negative. I think South African men are emotional in general… think Clad le Clos’s father 2012 London Olympics.
7 Go to commentsIreland are going to win the world cup.
27 Go to commentsIt was the strangest result ever. Etzebeth should've been yellow card for his cynical retiring move and a penalty try. Birth second half tries by the Allblacks were fantastic and the TMO operating outside the law to rule out the first try was egregious. Yes, the boks got the win but it was through some bizarre officiating that allowed them to sneak home against 14 men that dominated them. The quieter Bok supporters know and acknowledge the Allblacks were the better and dominant side. Justifying the win because they beat a pre world cup Allblacks selection is silly.
213 Go to commentsA very English thing to do hey Courtney, blerrie kant
4 Go to commentsIt sounds like Andrew is trying to convince himself or has just lost all perspective. The team did look jaded for the last couple of games of the six nations but a few things were wrong there. Italy tackled their hearts out and made Ireland work hard for every try. Outsmarted by Scotland? Huh? Ireland got held up over the line about 4 times. Scotland did nothing on attack the whole game other than one breakaway near the end. A recharge and reset is needed which they hopefully will have had before the SA your.
27 Go to commentsIncluding SA and Argie teams was great for the quality of rugby, but middle of the night games and player travel/ jet lag make that unworkable. I think that SA in Europe and Argie building an American league with USA, Canada etc would be better long term. If Oz can't sustain Rebels then next cab off the rank should be a Japanese team. Keep regional comps to time zones, both club and test rugby. Then existing test windows for test tours plus RWC.
8 Go to comments