Analysis: The lineout attack inspired by an old school trick play taking over Super Rugby
Each year new trends surface and become wildly adopted as new ideas are proven to be effective. This year, the hottest trend is lineout plays inspired by principles from an old school trick set play, and the team pioneering this type of lineout attack the most is the Crusaders.
The Crusaders’ lineout attack inside the opposition 22 has become a confusing and complex puzzle for the defence to solve, using the same concepts found in ‘The Wall’ – a set-piece play to disguise the true ball carrier.
This play is used from a penalty tap kick, using a line of forwards with their backs turned to the defence forming a wall.
The halfback passes the ball to the wall while a number of players run lines in a multitude of directions around the wall to create confusion and disguise the true recipient.
The Crusaders have adopted the same principles at lineout, using the maul as the perfect tool to ‘hide’ the ball and use the hooker on a slingshot line to bring another running option into play.
The play starts with a two-man stack including the halfback and winger 10 metres behind the lineout. The openside flanker plays halfback at the lineout, selling the maul to the defence.
The maul is formed and the openside Matt Todd (7) peels around to feed a flying hooker, Andrew Makalio (2), coming around the corner. The first man from the stack, Bryn Hall (9) breaks to the blind side to attract attention the other way.
Dane Coles (2) sights Makalio coming around the corner and breaks off the maul to chase, which begins to open up a gap on the inside for the second man in the stack, Manasa Mataele (14).
Mataele throws his arms up in exasperation as he is running into an open hole as Makalio carries wider instead of turning in and committing Coles.
He still has an opportunity to play Mataele with a late offload but it goes astray with an open line begging. Late in the game, they pull the same play out but this time the reserves finish it off.
This time the blind side decoy of Mitch Drummond (21) baits Wes Goosen (14) and a number of Hurricanes’ players to break away to the blind, opening up a two-on-one for Ben Funnell (16) to play George Bridge (11) on the inside against Du’Plessis Kirifi (7).
Kirifi does a great job of covering both options, holding off to make a tackle on Bridge but its too close to the line and Bridge is able to score through contact.
The play succeeded on isolated Kirifi with a two-on-one in short space, as Goosen took the short side bait.
Against the Lions early in the second half, the Crusaders score with the same slingshot play.
Crucial on this occasion is how the tail of the Crusaders lineout collapse in to ‘manufacture’ a maul, with Joe Moody (1) trapping Kwagga Smith to open up the hole. Another Lions forward next to Smith joins willfully at the precise moment the ball is released.
Codie Taylor is steaming around the corner with Bridge in his back pocket and has the edge sealed by Moody, running directly at Elton Jantjies, who has no inside help, in the 10 channel.
Taylor takes the easy option and plays Bridge early who is able to go over unobstructed. By the time Smith is released by Moody, it’s too late. With his hips turned out and falling in the opposite direction, he isn’t going to get there, while the Lions never had the blindside winger in position to defend that channel.
With dynamic athletes like Codie Taylor and Andrew Makalio who possess crafty ball-handling skills, these plays cause untold amounts of problems when they successfully isolate the barnstorming front rowers on little men in the inside backs.
They can either take the contact with the size advantage in an attempt to crash over or use their deft passing to play the winger off the hip. Often space is there to play the pass and bag an easy try.
The Crusaders have shown a variety of plays using the maul as a guise to release runners with the location of the ball hidden behind the congregation of players.
At this lineout, Sevu Reece (14) sets up at the front seemingly as a typical bailout option you often see with halfbacks.
The Crusaders throw to the middle and do in fact set up the rolling maul. Both Codie Taylor (2) and Sevu Reece (14) join at the back while Ere Enari (9) resumes duties in a normal halfback position.
After stalling, Enari breaks to the open side on what looks like a truck and trailer 8-9 type of play. Codie Taylor breaks away with him playing the 8 role, which pulls Brad Weber across.
Reece is the actual ball carrier and breaks off to the blind side which now has 20 metres of width. With the Chiefs pack still in the process of disengaging from the maul, they aren’t aware that he has the ball.
Luckily for the Chiefs, rookie winger Etene Nanai-Seturo isn’t also drawn across with Weber, and is able to defend the blind side space but the Crusaders create an isolated 1-on-1 matchup for Reece.
Nanai-Seturo is up to the task on this occasion, bringing him down in the tackle, but if the Crusaders can find a way to leave another man on the blind side, a 2-on-1 could be a different story.
The Brumbies also came up with a cleverly designed play using similar principles to target the Jaguares down the blind side where a 1-on-1 matchup was created.
Using ‘animation’ around the maul to create confusion and trickery is becoming widely adopted this season in Super Rugby and there is no team that is doing this is effectively or frequently as the Crusaders after refining it over the last couple of seasons.
It’s this type of continual innovation, even with old ideas, that keeps them ahead of everyone else.
NZR re-sign Richie Mo’unga:
Comments on RugbyPass
Think you might have written this just before the Brumbies got thrashed last weekend
5 Go to commentsI really do believe that Billy Proctor should be selected at least in the larger squad but also it would be my choice at 13, much more a center than Ioane who can still play at wing. Roigard if fit should play, otherwise it should be Perenara or Christie. Also, Iose could deserve a spot at blindside. Of course, being a Canes supporter I’m biased but I really believe that at least Billy P is deserving a chance and being Holland one of the Selectors, I’m having a little hope he could grab it.
12 Go to commentsI would not play Swinton I’d pick Wright or Hanigan. The rest are decent starters, but can’t agree on any subs except Tupou. My take on the subs: Gibbon, Ueslese, Tupou, LSL, Wilson, White, Will Harrison, and Petaia.
5 Go to commentsSBW the biggest moron to pull on a black jersey a park footy player at best
7 Go to commentsSBW is fast becoming a laughing stock, his misplaced comments & lack of insight Is actually pretty sad.
7 Go to commentsJust well you guys are couch 🛋 potatoes selector's, picking a team of greenhorns to play England! “What are you people smoking?” The halfbacks will be Christie, Fakatava, Perenara Props; Newell, Bower, Lomax, Tunga'fasi, Hookers; Asosa Amua when fit, Taylor, Samisoni,
12 Go to commentsQuite frankly, all this is a bit pathetic. The first time Wales get the Wooden Spoon in 21 years and everyone is on the bandwagon for a ‘play-off’ game. Wales have no obligation to Georgia and no obligation to the rest of the Six Nations to play such a game. If they want Georgia in so badly then they need to include South Africa into a Northern Hemisphere competition with 2 leagues of 4 teams with the top 2 competing for the Championship. Sadly, this will end Triple Crowns and Grand Slams forever. Is this really what you want?
4 Go to commentsI think Finau to start Blackadder to come on. Poss Prokter instead of Ioane, haven't seen much from Reiko so far this year.
12 Go to commentsJoe will have had a good chat with Dave Rennie, a smart move to begin with while it’s doubtful Fast Eddie will be consulted? Plenty of Aus players hitting top form so they should go OK.
5 Go to commentsMmm. Not sure I like this article or see it as necessary.
7 Go to commentsBlackadder but no Finau! 😀 It’s Razor so you are probably right, plus Taylor at 2…
12 Go to commentsThe strongest possible AB side would actually include Aaron Smith, Bodie Retallick, Sam Whitelock, Leicester Fainga'anuku, Shannon Frizzel.. don’t get me started on the rest of the injury hit brigade that got flung on the heap so left. Many a whole not getting filled as of yet.
12 Go to commentsI don’t think anyone knows what Schmidt will do, one thing is certain it ain’t gonna be all the picks we on the keyboard will think. My impression of him is that he will be looking at who can step up and what is the best combination. He will ignore individuals as he looks for guys who can build a powerful team and not just guys who can make a flashy run or ignore the winger as they want to score themselves.
5 Go to commentsSome dumb selections there. Not Porecki Not Donaldson Not Gordon Not Lonegran - both Not Nic White - Fines instead Not Liam Wright Not Paisami Definitely not Vunivalu Other than that not bad.
5 Go to commentsI've never been convinced that Patty T is a test match all black. Otherwise I probably agree it's the best side available to beat the poms. Caveat that Codie Taylor is yet to be seen and could very likely warrant selection by June. I hope that Razor brings the young loosies, half backs and locks into the training squad and develops/ selects the best
12 Go to commentsYou doing the same thing I disliked about the example of Samisoni Taukei'aho, Nick. He’s great the way he is, you’re trying to do what modern-day coaches frustrate me doing, turning everyone into the perfect athlete. Next thing you’ll be telling me you’ll bench him until he’s hit that arbitrary marker, and can’t overtake the current guy who’s doing all his workons. He’s a young Kieran Read, through and through, plays wide and has threat, mainly (and evident in your clips) through his two hand carry and speed. Just let him work on that, or whatever he wants, and determine his own future. Play God and you risk the players going sideways, like Read did, instead of being a Toutai Kefu. I mean I was in the same camp for a while, wanting our tight five to have the size, and carry ability, as the teams they were getting beat by. Now I’m starting to believe those teams just have better skilled and practiced individuals, bigger by upwards of 5kg sometimes, sure, but more influentially they have those intrinsic skills of trust and awareness. Basically our guys just didn’t know wtf they were doing. Don’t think I’m trying to prove a point here but hasn’t Caleb Clarke been in much better form this year, or does he just ‘look’ better now that he’s not always trying to use his size?
44 Go to commentsThe pack lacks a little in height for the line out and I wouldn’t be completely convinced by some of the combinations till we see it in action.
12 Go to commentsThe side is good but lacks experience. International playing bona fides udually trumps super rugby form for good reason. And incumbents are usually stuck with. Codie Taylor should start or come off the bench. B Barrett will start at fullback. Blackadder has not earned the position, Finau has. TJs experience and competitiveness earns him a starting role, Christie or Ratima off the bench
12 Go to commentsPretty good side. Scott Barrett should be the captain. Ethan Blackadder a great choice at blindside. He is going to go from strength to strength having made a couple of starts for the Crusaders. Scott Robertson rates him highly. Perenara could start a no 9.
12 Go to commentsI question and with respect. Was enough done over the last few years to bring through new blood knowing the Whitelocks and co couldn’t last forever. There should have been more done to future proof the team. New squad new coach, he and they weren’t set up well. IMO
6 Go to comments