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Coaching & Officiating E-News: May 06

Welcome to this year's second issue of Coaching & Officiating E-News.

We hope the newsletter continues to provide you with information you'll find useful in your role as Rugby coach or referee, as well as keeps you up-to-date with general Australian Rugby news.

As with previous issues, don't forget to send us your feedback on articles or make suggestions for future articles.

We hope the season's going well.

COACHING NEWS

Game Planning - What & How

Every week the team coach reviews what has happened in the previous the, looks towards the coming week's fixture and devises a game plan that will aid the players in achieving their goals.

What makes up a 'game plan' and what is taken into consideration in developing the plan? It's important that it is relatively simple as players (usually) cannot cope with complicated and highly structured frameworks. The higher the level of competition, the higher the skills level and competency of players - the more complicated it can be.

Essentially the game plan should be centered on the skills of the team. The plan should focus on individual, unit and team strengths. It should also be noted that the players in the "spine" of the team (Nos. 2,8,9,10 and 15) have the most decisions to make in a match. It is helpful if these players are the most skilful and leaders within the team structure.

In terms of what the players need to know, this will vary from individual to individual. The team captain must have a strong working knowledge of what the strategies are. Within the team a number of individuals will be responsible for particular elements within the game.

For example, the flyhalf may call the 'starter plays' from primary possession and the No.4/5 may make the lineout calls for throw-ins and lineout structure. The No.12/13 may be responsible for primary possession defence and the No.2 responsible for scrum ball, both in attack and defence.

The whole team should be cognisant of the team pattern(s), usually two or three, and the back three (Nos.11/14/15) collectively responsible for counter attack. Having two or three team patterns provides flexibility for the team as the primary pattern may not be successful against a particular opposition. Basically, it means that a team has 'Plan B' at its disposal should the primary plan be unsuccessful.

The plan must firstly concentrate on the ball winning capabilities of the team through restarts, scrum and lineout. Without the ball a team has little chance of posting points. Secondly, it should look at ball usage and ball security capabilities and then look towards how the ball will be re-gained when the opposition has possession.

Other areas to consider would include:

kick-chase strategy
turnover strategy
counter attack strategy
phase play defensive strategy
a 'field position' philosophy
the weather conditions
the referee.

Players who possess good core skills of catch-pass, tackle and tackle contest will be better equipped to play expansive, "ball-in-hand" rugby. Its only when these skills are mastered that a team can play a number of styles.

Often coaches will focus on the opposition and set out to stop them. Whilst this may work in the short term its counter productive to the development of a team and its individual players.

How the coach communicates the game plan to the team is another challenge. The majority of rugby players learn through visual means (walk throughs and demonstrations on the field) so it is considerably less effective to provide the team with a detailed and documented written version. Too often these documents are left in change rooms for oppositions to find.

Prior to a match the coach should provide less information as the game plan should have been practiced at training. This is where the Captain should take control for the team's execution. The coach can always make minor changes depending on the execution of particular plays. In short, the coach should provide three or four points to concentrate on and then re-assess their performance at half-time.

Warren Robilliard

ARU Coach Education Manager

REFEREEING NEWS

Preparing to referee your game

Prior to each match we see the two teams warming up for their game. Do you ever stop to look and see what they are doing in their warm up? If you did, you would see that they are doing some physical preparation (warming up and stretching their muscles either through some static or dynamic stretches as well as other activities), practising the skills that they need to play the game, passing, tackling etc. You would also notice that the coach is talking to the players about how they are going to play the game, reminding them of their game plan, tactics etc. Often the coach will talk to individual players. Again this involves physical preparation as well as mental preparation.

Now ask yourself as a referee how should I prepare for my game?

Like players who train at least twice a week, referees should also have a regime that takes them through some physical training at least 2 times each week. Higher level and talented referees will often train 3 - 4 times a week. These training sessions can be done with other referees in a group environment or on your own. Many referees who do not have the luxury of training with other referees train with their local club. This can have the added benefit of observing at close quarters the training the players do and the way in which they work on and develop their skills and techniques for the various aspects of the game. It will also assist the referee in developing their game knowledge.

On a Saturday what should the referee do prior to a match to prepare themselves for the game ahead? Like the players, referees should physically prepare themselves by working through a program of stretching and running to warm up their muscles. This does not need to be an onerous program but should be designed to cover all areas of the body, including the upper torso and arms.

It is also critical that referees prepare themselves mentally for the game. How can this be done?

Firstly, in the day or two leading up to the game, the referee can start thinking about the two teams, the style of game they play, the level of the game (1st grade v 4th grade, competition match v finals match etc), previous history between the two teamsas well as any other facets of the teams that might impact on the way the game might be played.

On match day, the referee should be concentrating on the game as a whole and preparing for what might occur leading up to and during the game. Prior to the game there are many things that the referee needs to do, including the pre-match briefing to the teams (more about that later), discussion with the touch judges (even if they are just club touch judges) as to their responsibilities and your requirements of them as well as his final preparation for the game. This latter aspect is critically important if the referee is to prepare to perform at his best from the time of the first whistle to the last. The routine that many referees use in this final phase is to mentally rehearse the various phases of the game, what is likely to happen and how he will react to each event. This is often referred to as "visualisation", that is the referee is visualising what will happen at the phase. Another technique used by referees is to mentally rehearse their checklist for each game phase. This is an excellent way to round of the preparation for the game.

As an example of visualising or rehearsing for the game, let's look at some of the events that can happen at the first kick off and the "focus" needed by the referee. The referee needs to be aware of:

Is the kick taken from the correct place and is it the correct type of kick?
Are the players of the kicking team behind the ball when it is kicked (what should happen if this is not the case)?
Are the receiving players behind the 10 metres line?
Where is the ball being kicked to - short or long?
If the kick is short did it go 10 metres?
If it is short and players are jumping for the ball, is there any interference, is the ball knocked on etc - what should I do if there is an infringement?
If it is long, is it likely to go into the in-goal area - if so what is the correct decision if it is made dead?

These are just some of the actions at the first kick off and if the referee is not fully prepared the chances are that if something is not correct, the referee will not recognise it and be on the back foot for the rest of the game.

In short it is therefore critical that the referee prepare mentally as well as physically prior to the game to ensure that he is "ready to go" when he blows the whistle to start the game.

On match day the referee is required to talk to each team and run through important safety information with them, carry out a boot inspection as well as organise the toss etc. The issues to consider here are when should this be done and how much should be covered in the pre-match talk.

In looking at when to do it consider the impact on the team's pre-game preparation. The referee should aim not to interrupt the team's preparation, so a good time to do the boot inspection and the pre-match talk can be as soon as the teams go out to warm up and before they "get into" their preparation. At the end of the team warm up is not an ideal time as the players will be focussed on the game and not wanting to listen and absorb what the referee will be saying.

How much should be covered in the pre-match talk? A good rule is to use the KISS principle - Keep It Simple Sam. The less that is said the better as players will not be focussing on what the referee is saying, but rather be thinking about what they have to do during the game. Therefore as well as keeping in it simple, also make it short, sharp and to the point. Referees are required to run through the scrum (safety) aspects and will want to re-enforce with the captain that they are responsible for their team and will be the point of contact during the game. A 3-4 minute lecture to the teams about foul play, requirements at the tackle, lineout set up etc is unnecessary. The players know about these aspects of the game and the referee should deal with them as they happen during the game.

Finally, with all that has to be done prior to the game, how long prior to the start of the match should the referee arrive at the ground? Whilst an hour to an hour and a half can be used as a guide, it is important to remember that you should allow sufficient time to get through all that is necessary without becoming stressed.

Student School Scholarships

Each year in conjunction with State Unions, the ARU awards referee scholarships to promising school aged referees. The aims of this program are:

To promoteRugbyrefereeing as an athletic pursuit for students at secondary schools
To promoteRugbyrefereeing as a tool to assist with developing leadership skills and management qualities in the workplace
To identify school student referees who in the course of their refereeing have shown potential and aptitude that could enable them to officiate at the highest level
To provide coaching and support to assist recipients in achieving their potential
To involve and expose the recipients to levels of the game which in other circumstances may not be available to them
To recognise personal achievement of the individual

Participation in this program is through nomination by State Unions. Individuals selected for the program are generally in years 10 -12 at secondary school (16-18 years) with at least one year's refereeing experience. They will have demonstrated by performance that they are willing to commit to refereeing for the duration of the scholarship and after they have left school. The scholarships are open to both males and females and can be awarded for more than one year.

There are 22 scholarship holders in 2006 from NSW, QLD, ACT, WA and NT. These recipients are:

Sam Bartlett - MarcellinCatholicCollege,Randwick, NSW
Hamish Boyd-Jones - The Kings School, Sydney, NSW
William Boyle -CanberraGrammar School,Canberra, ACT
Jack Brady -CranbrookSchool,Sydney, NSW
Hugh Cavill -ShoreSchool,Sydney, NSW
Graham Cooper -WesleyCollege,PerthWA
Brad Dale -HawkerCollege,Canberra, ACT
Allan Edmondson - TheScotsSchool,Sydney, NSW
Matthew Gallagher - St Ignatius College, Sydney, NSW
Martin Gofton -St Joseph's College, Gregory Terrace, Brisbane, QLD
William Houston -ShoreSchool,Sydney, NSW
Shane Hughes - St Edmunds College,Canberra, ACT
Owen Hull - Marcellin College, Melbourne, VIC
Steven Hurwitz -CanberraGrammar School,Canberra, ACT
Jacob Kerr-Barlow -DarwinHigh School,Darwin,NT
Fergus Lynch -MaristCollege,Canberra, ACT
Tom O'Grady -XavierCollege, Melbourne, VIC
Amy Perrett -HuntersHillHigh School,Sydney, NSW
Andrew Rhodes -ShoreSchool,Sydney, NSW
Jake Samios - St Laurence's College, Brisbane, QLD
Christopher Sutherland -TrinityCatholicCollege, Goulburn, NSW
Matthew Taylor -ChisholmCatholicCollege,Brisbane, QLD
James Walker - Metropolitan North Zone RRA, Sydney, NSW

For more information on scholarships click here

PROFILES

George McDonald, Refereeing Manager, South Australia

Refereeing Manager forSouth Australia, George McDonald, is the subject of May's new-look C&O E-News Referee Profile.

Coaching/Officiating experience. How many years have you coached/officiated?

11 years, including two years as a player-coach.

What are your qualifications (officiating level)?

Level 2 Referee/Touch Judge, Level 1 Referee Coach.

How did you get involved in refereeing?

I injured myself playing but wanted to keep active withinRugby, so after speaking with a local referee, I got involved as a club touch judge. I enjoyed it, so the next step was obvious.

Your officiating career highlight?

Refereeing at the Div II Schools inHobart. It was a great learning experience.

Your future refereeing aspirations?

I want to be the best referee I can be.

What attracts you most to being a State Refereeing Manager?

What attracts me most is being involved and getting others, who have a passion for the sport, involved as a referee.

Most difficult aspect of your officiating position?

Getting others involved as a referee.

Officiating idol/role model? Why?

I don't really have one idol/role model as I have watched different referee's and taken aspects of their styles and adapted them to suit me. There are three referees that I enjoyed watching more than others - Paddy O'Brien, Peter Marshall and Andre Watson.

Best advice you could give a new referee?

Leave any mistakes you make on the field but analyse them after the game. Treat each game as a learning experience. But most of all enjoy the game.

If you could officiate a team from any era, who would it be and why?

I would have liked to referee around the late 1940's early 1950's as the players of that era had come back from WWII and were probably more inclined to enjoy their rugby a little more than in later eras. They would have been less inclined to take it for granted that they were able to play.

Your favouriteRugbymoment?

Pulling on my boots for the first time, and getting out on the field and playing rugby.

Other interests aside fromRugby?

Playing touch, dog obedience, reading, being with good friends and enjoying life.

Favourite Super 14 team/favourite player?

The Hurricanes. Favourite player growing up had to be Buck Shelford. My favourite modern players are John Eales and Tana Umaga.

Brendan Loag, Coaching Manager, Western Australia

Coaching experience. How many years have you coached?

Ten years

What are your qualifications (coaching level)?

ARU Level 3

How did you get involved in coaching?

Through my employment as the Assistant Sports Master atIonaCollegeinBrisbane.

Your coaching/officiating career highlight?

Winning Premierships with Colts 1, 2 & 3 with theUniversityofQueenslandRC in 2002.

Your future coaching aspirations?

To coach in the Super 14 Championship.

What attracts you most to being a State Coaching Manager?

Having a hand in the rapid growth in quality and quantity of players inWestern Australia.

Most difficult aspect of your coaching position?

To keep each presentation and seminar fresh and stimulating.

Coaching idol/role model? Why?

Robbie Deans - It is obvious that he has attention to detail. His team does the little things very well nearly every time (breakdown, support roles, defensive line etc).

Best advice you could give a new coach/referee?

Understand your player's level of learning for each element of rugby and adapt your training appropriately. Keep the training game specific.

If you could coach a team from any era, who would it be and why?

A) Emirates Western Force 2006 - A real challenge, B) 1994IonaCollege1^st XV - Extraordinary talent, especially the fullback.