GENERAL. The unique nature of the full back position offers the No. 15 the opportunity to "read the game" as it unfolds in front of him - whether his team is in attack, in possession of the ball, or in defence, when the opposition have the ball. The ability to read the game, to anticipate "what happens next" is a key quality in a full back

OBSERVATION. Top quality full backs have excellent positioning anticipation, technique and skill.

ATTACK. The full back is a Runner and Handler, often is the extra man or a decoy. He can vary where he comes into the line eg - next to the fly half or outside the winger and can be the initiator of counter attacks. When involved in attacking play a full back should be able to contribute fully to ruck, maul, support play, ball retention.

KICKING. To execute a variety of touch, high, grubber and drop kicks in attack. The full back is likely to be a main/support goal kicker and re-start kicker. To execute defensive kicks designed to relieve pressure by finding touch or by kicking deep into opposition territory.He must be capable of executing a variety of kicks: the punt to touch or downfield deep into
opposition territory; the chip to beat the defender who has chased the ball; the high kick to avoid
being caught behind his forwards; the place kick; and the drop kick for drop outs.
He must be able to kick off either foot to find touch so that his forwards can regroup. Another option is
to kick the ball high so that the forwards have time to get back between the ball and their own goal-line.
He also has the chance to recover possession by chasing the ball.
Punt to touch or deep downfield

1. End over end technique:
• Hold the ball slightly outside the line of the body, which enables greater swing of the kicking
leg.
• Release hands to the side, allowing the ball to drop in correct shape. Never throw the ball up or
push it down as either action on the ball ball will force a deviation from the desired kicking
shape
• Head over the ball and look down as you strike the ball.
• Kick through and beyond the ball.
• Follow through, left hand to right foot (right footed kickers), right hand to left foot (left footed
kickers).
• Continue movement forward after the kick, using body momentum for extra power and distance.
2. Spiral punt technique:
• Hold the ball slightly outside the line of the body (as above).
• Desired ball position: for a left-footed kicker, 1 and 7 on a clock; for a right-footed kicker, 11
and 5 on a clock.
• Dropping the ball from this position, not a slicing kicking action, will create the spiral.
• Release hand to the side, almost placing the ball on a shelf, and release. Never throw the ball up
or push it down as this will deviate the ball from the desired strike shape
• Head over the ball and look down when you strike.
• Kick through and beyond ball, creating forward momentum.
• Continue this forward momentum after kick.
3. Chip Kick
In order to execute this kick successfully, scan for space beyond the approaching defenders. A poor
chip kick will cause a perfect attacking opportunity for the opposition against limited defenders.
Chip Kick Technique:
• Control of the ball is crucial as you will be running at pace when attempting to execute the kick.
• Release ball from two hands. Do not throw the ball up or push it down.
• Head down and over the ball on contact. Try to avoid looking at oncoming defenders.
• Strike the ball lower to the ground than when spiral or end-over-end kicking; this creates more
control whilst kicking on the run.
• Look to aim to catch the ball yourself, judge the pace at which you are going and the target
space area.
4. Goal Kicking
Very important kick in today’s game. The full-back, along with the fly-half, are usually the main
goal kickers.
Goal Kicking Technique (brief):
• Align ball on a kicking tee. The exact position will be specific to individuals, dependent on
approach, strike, habits etc.
• A slow, calculated approach is best. Power comes from last step, not a pacey approach to the
ball.
• Focus on the point of contact on the ball, not the target. This will keep the head down.
• Shoulders kept tight in a coil ready to open on contact with the ball.
• Non-kicking foot should be aligned straight towards the posts (target).
• Kicking foot:
1. Come straight from six inches behind ball.
2. Strike ball.
3. Follow foot straight for another six inches towards the target.
• Head down and over ball on contact.
• Shoulders turn to face posts on contact, then hold straight in follow through.
• Follow through forward and towards target, never fall away after the strike.

DEFENCE/TACKLING. Quite often the No. 15 will be the last line of defence and if an opponent makes a break then he should shorten the thinking time of that player by moving towards him in a controlled manner and at the same time shepherd him towards the touch line.

FIELDING/CATCHING. The key factors of fielding and catching the ball are being in the correct position to catch high, chip or grubber kicks and fielding diagonal Kicks.

Open play:
Offence
The fullback can come into the line. His role can be:

• support runner
• extra pair of hands
• dummy runner
  Speed is not absolutely essential but the timing of the entry into the backline is, think of your role coming in on the blind side of the number eight or scrum-half.
  The lines and angle of attack but most of all the timing determines whether the entry / penetration will be successful. Do not try to "telegraph" your entry. A good option is always to be the extra man on the outside. The deep starting position of the full-back means his movements are hidden by the front-line attack.
  This allows him to choose where he can join the attack. He makes an impact by changing the pace,
  angle and numbers of the attack.The full-back tends to enter the line between his outside centre and wing or outside his wing. The
  channels between fly-half and first centre tend to be the blind-side winger’s channel of involvement.
  Entering the backline can create overlaps and contribute to an outflanking movement. He can
  exploit the short-side from scrums and any that develop from a line-out by calling for a pass from
  the scrum-half. A good attacking situation is from inside his own 22 because the opposition fullback
  will position himself deep to cover the long kick.
  He must understand his role in the attacking movement. Is he to be the main strike runner, the decoy
  or a link in the passing movement? Is he coming in at pace to penetrate, or is he arriving in a more
  controlled fashion to catch and pass the ball after fixing a defender?
  When entering the attack the full-back should consider the following:
  • Not to over-crowd the channel of attack.
  • Not to slow the attack by adding an extra pair of hands that are not needed.
  • Not to make it obvious where the run will be made.
  • To enter the line late so the defence has little time to react.
  • To have a contingency plan, a fail safe, if the ball is turned over and the full-back is not in
  position. Who is covering if the ball is dropped and subsequently hacked through by the
  opposition? Does the blind-side winger cover the full-back or is everyone committed to the
  attack - the contingency plan being everyone rushing back, trusting to their speed of reaction?

Defence
You need to catch the high ball,Attacking sides look to move the ball to space. If a defending side has spread its defences across the
field so that there is no lateral space, a tactical option open to the ball carrier is to kick the ball into
the space behind the defence. The full-back’s resonsibility is to deal with this. The tactical kicks the
full- back may have to deal with are:
• The bomb: The full-back must be safe under the high ball. He must also be brave. The chaser
will be hoping to get the first touch by leaving the ground and knocking the ball back to a
support player. The full-back, under such pressure, must jump to take the ball early. An
advantage of jumping for the ball is that, by the laws of the game, he is not allowed to be tackled
whilst in the air. He should not allow the ball to bounce.
• The punt: This kick will occur when a side wants to relieve the pressure. A side will kick long,
down the 15 metre channel and organise its chase to prevent a counter-attack. If a counter-attack
is stopped at source, the side not in possession will be going forward and hoping for a turnover.
The full-back should never get caught with the ball behind his forwards if the opportunity is
available to find touch first.
• The chip/grub kicks: These are intended to be re-gathered by the kicking side. The usual
defenders who collect these kicks tend to be the sweepers from first phase ball – the blind-side
wing or scrum-half. If the kicks go too long, the full-back will have to field them under pressure.
The fullback needs to make the try-saving tackle.

Determine the pattern of attack and set the defensive pattern accordingly. You have to decide when you move forward to join the defensive back line. Communicate with the wings, both wings and the fullback are the last line of defence.

In a one-on-one situation encourage the ball carrier to go outside, the touchline will be a defensive boundary. In a one-on-two situation start to move to the player without the ball, perhaps the ball-carrier will dummy and find you stepping back!


Key issues

• Ability to beat a man one on one
• Kick with both feet
• Comfortable with all types of passes
• Choose appropiate angles to strike at pace
• Tackle
• Pace