How to be a better winger?

[rugbywinger]

Hey, I'm 15, from the UK and I play for my school team. Alot of the squad also play for the local team.

I played last year for my school, but didn't really play well, and was abit of a wuss to be fair <_<

Yesterday, I had two 30 minutes matches consecutively, and I realised that there's SO MUCH to improve on.

I have an athletic build, im about 12 stone, and about 5 "11. My fitness is pretty crap, and I'm a noob at rugby rules and that.

Honestly, my roles on the pitch are: tackle people on the opposite team on my wing, and run when i got the ball. I'm in need of a coach, one might say.

That also furthers a question. Would anybody be willing to send me their MSN address, and teach me, and coach me?


If not, reply please


Cheers

B.

 

[Bull]

Mate it's difficult to explain and what you need to improve on, but let me try. Watch rugby games on tv and see what top class international wings are doing, work on positional play too. You will need to support the fullback either in kicking or dealing with up and unders. Look for work, a lot of wingers just hang around on their side of the field and make the odd tackle or run with the ball if they get it. Don't shoot up in defense like Bryan Habana and go for the intercept every time. When on defense just mark your man and try to get him into touch, don't let him take you on the outside.

When you get the ball run straight, it's the shortest way to the try line, work on your step like Shane Williams did to Habana. It's pretty easy to do and once you've nailed it can't be beaten. Work on your interaction with the outside center, eg. if he has the ball do you stay on the outside or do you cut to the inside etc.

Do you play 11 or 14? Try and settle in one position, 11 is very different from 14 and vice versa.

Good luck!

 

[gingergenius]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Bull @ Nov 13 2008, 06:12 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

Mate it's difficult to explain and what you need to improve on, but let me try. Watch rugby games on tv and see what top class international wings are doing, work on positional play too. You will need to support the fullback either in kicking or dealing with up and unders. Look for work, a lot of wingers just hang around on their side of the field and make the odd tackle or run with the ball if they get it. Don't shoot up in defense like Bryan Habana and go for the intercept every time. When on defense just mark your man and try to get him into touch, don't let him take you on the outside.

When you get the ball run straight, it's the shortest way to the try line, work on your step like Shane Williams did to Habana. It's pretty easy to do and once you've nailed it can't be beaten. Work on your interaction with the outside center, eg. if he has the ball do you stay on the outside or do you cut to the inside etc.

Do you play 11 or 14? Try and settle in one position, 11 is very different from 14 and vice versa.

Good luck![/b]

Bang on. Try coming into the line in the 12 channel at pace and at an interesting angle.

Also, assess what size you'll be in future. If you've had a big growth spurt already then your final height will be hovering around 6ft give or take an inch or so. That means you're no beast, but neither are you a midget. Beasts tend to steer towards bumping off tacklers; midgets should have good feet. You should be average height for a winger which means you should have a decent step and be quite strong. If you haven't had your growth spurt yet and are already 5'11 then start watching tapes of Matt Banahan and Jonah Lomu...

Practise finishing. Wingers main job is scoring tries. So work on sliding in to the corner; you're much harder to tackle that way. And get a good strong hand off sorted out, and practice banging the ball down with your other hand.

Work on your kicking game as if you were a fullback. As an extra, practice chips and grubbers through as this is often a way to exploit space behind a solid defensive line.

Obviously work on your speed, especially acceleration.

Don't be a pussy. Think of the respect you get off your mates for making a big tackle; adrenaline should mask any bumps and bruises you pick up. I was always a lightweight compared to most people on the field but I had a reputation for being a hard tackler - go out there thinking you'll f*** anyone up who tries anything and that you won't be dominated. There's always players who think they're the dog's ******** or who think they can bully their way around. Don't let them. Be the most arrogant little **** on the pitch and you'll find your play can start backing that up. Even if your team's **** you don't want to come off the pitch with anyone thinking that you're a pussy.

 

[rugbywinger]

Thanks guys. I usually play left wing(14). To be fair, I only know basics, and im not experienced in rugby much. I wanna change that, so it'd be awesome if I had a bunch of you guys on MSN, chatting about rugby all the while and that.

I've gone through growth spurts, and im on one now. Grown about an inch in a month. I think I'll be about 6 foot, to 6ft 1in I think

I'm joining a gym after christmas, so my body will build quickly, I think. My nutrition will change.

Also, random health question. As a 15 y.o, what amount of sleep should I be getting?

 

[Thingimubob]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (rugbywinger @ Nov 12 2008, 10:36 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

Hey, I'm 15, from the UK and I play for my school team. Alot of the squad also play for the local team.

I played last year for my school, but didn't really play well, and was abit of a wuss to be fair <_<

Yesterday, I had two 30 minutes matches consecutively, and I realised that there's SO MUCH to improve on.

I have an athletic build, im about 12 stone, and about 5 "11. My fitness is pretty crap, and I'm a noob at rugby rules and that.

Honestly, my roles on the pitch are: tackle people on the opposite team on my wing, and run when i got the ball. I'm in need of a coach, one might say.

That also furthers a question. Would anybody be willing to send me their MSN address, and teach me, and coach me?


If not, reply please


Cheers

B.[/b]

weirdly enough I was in a similar position - then again, I still probably am My club folded recently (all the players left pretty much <_< ) so my fitness is terrible atm (lack of training), so I'm not brilliant either. But I'm a much better winger than I was last year, as I pretty much got coached the basics like, keeping your depth, running onto the ball at speed, cutting inside - just general stuff like that. My biggest problem wass, I didn't go in field looking for work enough when the ball isn't coming my way. You should talk with the fly half, see if you can do a set play which he gives you an inside pass to sprint onto (we called it a Campo at my club). It's pretty useful, as it can take defences by suprise.
Another bit of advice is to try and get a bit of game time in other posistions, because it can improve your game by lot. I learnt that because I'm forced to play flanker for my school a lot, because we have so many talented wingers who play for the Blues age grade squads and stuff. It's helped me a lot, especially with my tackling, rucking and general loose play, nd it's work looking into I guess.

 

[Fa'atau82]

Ok, i am an expert. I was playing wing at 14 from my shite school team (a try in every game ratio) and managed to work my way up very quickly to local club 1st XV in the U-16's and we had county players too. I was just quick.

I think your first 5 goals to achieve are:- and follow them in this order..

1. Get FIT. Fit enough so that you can play the minutes required of you as a sub, as you will probably be for quite some time. You can't do anything if you are puffed and panting after a few minutes, but by the sounds of it and at your age with your build.. fitness is really not an issue. My tip is join the school athletics team, even if it is just practice.

Specifically, you want to improve your acceleration and also tackling. Often as a wing you will have to just run up and down the touchline.. often just to get into a good position. You might not get service.. you might **** it up when you do when attacking, but at least you will be in the right places, rather like a referee has to be and that is fundamental #1. Coaches look for all-around awareness, not flashy sidesteps. If you are fast and can defend, you are 1st on the teamsheet. First priority in sport, is to not concede points on a counter attack.

2. Learn the basic rules of how to play wing. You need to learn the following:-

a) Positional sense: So that you don't leave a huge gap between the touchline and your teammate and also know how to follow a defensive line or a set-play.
B) Basic rules: How to kick to touch (clear your lines) and basic rules like 'calling mark'. If you don't call and the ref doesn't hear/see it, it's not a mark!
c) Always be busy: If you are doing nothing, standing still for minutes.. you are a liability. Try to observe and figure out their attack patterns. Keep on your toes and look for something to do. Be passive and aware.
d) Defend as a priority: Watch the ball, not the man.. the ball will only go where the man goes, but the man has to go there first. And you only have to get the ball first. Championships are won on who has the best defence.

3. Watch the pros: Don't copy them, but try to understand why they are doing what they are doing and use that information in a game. Also observe what they do wrong, i.e when it all goes ***s up and they concede a soft try.

Look for the following:-

Why has he moved out in the defensive line? Because he is trying to adjust his defensive position.
Why has he dropped back suddenly? Because a kick into your 22 is likely and the full back will need support.
Why is he in a ruck? Because turnover ball is not an option. Always support if first to the breakdown (start of a ruck)
Why is he running half way across the pitch for no reason? There is always a reason, which is the overlap. It's not a tactic, it's just making yourself available and busy and is the simpleist way to make space and score a try. Works everytime and is often forgotten.

4. Eat well: Don't eat ****. Eat proper food like pasta or rice and drink water or still sugary drinks before games. Keep hydrated, or you will get dehydrated. If you are trying to get fit, don't get fat at the same time. Bananas are good and so are sugary foods before games, as they will give you some reserves during the game.

5. Be vocal: Heads will drop during games, they will also over-inflate. Rugby is a man's game so don't be a pussy. I used to own everyone on the field. I was a very quiet boy usually and on the pitch i was like a f*cking banshee. I also used to play backrow, often you can save a try by alerting the fact the ball has broken and as attack ball that you must defend immediately. You can also do this as a back, as usually you can see an overlap developing, alert them so they can counter it as best you can. If everyone knows what going on then it will help to organise your team.

Coaches look for general awareness, defence and commitment. The rest will come naturally.

 

[jonald]

Hey, I'm 15, from the UK and I play for my school team. Alot of the squad also play for the local team.

I played last year for my school, but didn't really play well, and was abit of a wuss to be fair <_<

Yesterday, I had two 30 minutes matches consecutively, and I realised that there's SO MUCH to improve on.

I have an athletic build, im about 12 stone, and about 5 "11. My fitness is pretty crap, and I'm a noob at rugby rules and that.

Honestly, my roles on the pitch are: tackle people on the opposite team on my wing, and run when i got the ball. I'm in need of a coach, one might say.

That also furthers a question. Would anybody be willing to send me their MSN address, and teach me, and coach me?


If not, reply please


Cheers

B.

are you a fast winger or a big machine winger? ...
if you are fast look for the cross field kicks (talk to your 10 about that) and also work on your footwork (stepping)
if you are slightly beefier you should also try to work on your footwork and look for kicks but your main job is to run straight and hard u should try scare the .... out of them im 14 5"8 and quite skinny but am scary because i smile at them almost chuckling and 9/10 they take a step back + try make your first hit a big one because that will make them forever worried about you and less keen to tackle you. hope this helps

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

are you a fast winger or a big machine winger? ...
if you are fast look for the cross field kicks (talk to your 10 about that) and also work on your footwork (stepping)
if you are slightly beefier you should also try to work on your footwork and look for kicks but your main job is to run straight and hard u should try scare the .... out of them im 14 5"8 and quite skinny but am scary because i smile at them almost chuckling and 9/10 they take a step back + try make your first hit a big one because that will make them forever worried about you and less keen to tackle you. hope this helps

This is a really old thread but the advice worked. OP is Anthony Watson.