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Blitz Defence - Its simple If You Know How

When the experts explain things in simple terms it all makes sense. The Blitz defence can be confusing and delivering the coaching blocks to develop this policy can be tricky. Richard Thorpe explains things in easy to understand language

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If the drift attack is up and out Blitz is the opposite up and in so when you're going to align yourselves, sorry, I know this is basic for some people, but let's just remind ourselves. The Ruck attacker attacker attacker we're going to align ourselves if you've got our guard and bodyguard in place Align ourselves on the outside shoulder the attacker because we're going to get off the line and we're going to come in up off the line and in off the line and in. You're responsible for the space inside you remember what you're responsible for on the drift defence? You're responsible for space outside you conversely with the blitz defence you're responsible for that space inside you. Stay connected to your inside man drift connects to your outside man Blitz Inside Man. Your Inside Man is crucial to being able to execute a blitz defence effectively and I'll tell you I'll tell you why that's if it's this point. If he flies in you must fly in as well. If that's you or me, or whatever, this is the play we're talking about. This attack has decided to carry and he has flown in what does that guy got to do clue's up on the board? Yeah, because if he manages to get a little offload away to a sneaky little attacker coming through here. That's your responsibility to make that tackle not his so if he goes in you have to go in as well that's staying connected to your inside man. So what are we actually trying to do here, what's up? What's the point behind it all? why not just drift everyone knows it is pretty much what everyone does? Why would you blitz rather than drift? I mean, what we're trying to do is we lead it up from the outside drift starts from the inside. It gets led from the inside we push forward and we push out the blitz is Led from the outside. Ideally, you want your wingers leading it whoever's out on the on the very edge, but typically they don't say boo to a goose so it might be your 13 who might be a bit louder it needs to be bossed from the outside because these guys need to be leading up. So we're on a drift you want to see the back of the guy inside you the blitz. Don't be afraid to get in front of him. In fact, that's the whole point because what we should see as he take as he takes the ball into his hands and he turns to look to make this pass either here or out here. He's already got Defenders up in this space and he thinks what do I do? I can throw a nice loopy pass over here, which we can just read ball in the air gives you time to go make that tackle or even spot or intercept or he's gonna have to play back inside or carry himself. So if he's going to make that decision, what impact does that have on these guys you defenders Around The ruck? What do we think these guys need to do? Yeah, this is what Paul Gustard goes on about I think he calls it Like the Wolf Pack something like that people read about that heard about that the idea and this is but generally speaking the idea of the blitz defence to make this guy panic turn back inside and these guys are now closing the space or actually sorry, he would have hooked under the next the next guy the next guy out will come up here. He'll turn back in and get absolutely smoked.