Essential Skills Every Rugby Player Should Master Our Blog

Rugby is one of the most popular sports in Melbourne due to its passionate fan base, sporting culture and successful teams like the Melbourne Storm in the NRL. People of all ages love this fast-paced, heart-pounding sport. The city is also home to world-class stadiums and international rugby events, making it a diverse sport scene. This has encouraged youngsters and kids to become a successful rugby player and play for their local teams.

However, the gameplay demands a lot of physical stamina. It requires players to foster a set of skills. Whether you are a novice or an experienced player, mastering the techniques can boost your overall performance and contribute to the team’s success. So, today, we bring you a guide on essential skills every rugby player should master before going on the field.

Let’s Get Started!

1. Passing and Catching Skills

Rugby is all about passing the ball. It keeps the team moving towards the goal while maintaining possessions. So, it is important for players to master spin passing for longer distancing and pop passing for quick plays.

An accurate, well-timed and directional pass towards a teammate keeps your gameplay in the best attacking position.

Similarly, catching the ball in different circumstances is equally imperative. You should ace the skills of keeping your hands up and track the ball’s movement while preparing for the net play. Remember that excelling these skills can teams win neck-to-neck matches.

2. Mastering the Defensive Positioning

Do you understand the importance of strong defensive positioning in rugby? Melbourne Storm  Team mastered the skills of strong defence and  that’s why they win all matches. Defensive positioning allows players to stay aligned to avoid leaving gaps. It makes it difficult for the opposing team to break through it and score.

On the other hand, an effective tackling can help stop the opposition from gaining ground. The tacklers in the team hold a low body position and keep their eyes on the target. They’ll wrap their arms tightly around the opponent’s legs to bring them down without causing any injury.

3. Acing Rucking and Mauling Skills

Rucking and mauling are essential in retaining possession and maintaining momentum. A ruck occurs when players contest possession after a tackle, while a maul happens when a ball carrier is held up by both teammates and opponents but remains on their feet. Controlling rucks and mauls allows teams to dominate possession and dictate the pace of the game.

4. Kicking For Distance & Precision

Kicking is one of the imperative skills in both defence and attack positioning. This means players should master the skills to kick for territory, clear the ball from their areas and execute tactical kicks to score better. Some of the common techniques are punt kicks to gain territory and pressurise the opposition, grubber kicks are low bouncing kicks to defend the gameplay. etc.

5. Agility and Speed

Rugby is a fast-paced sport where quick movements can be the difference between winning and losing. Speed helps players outrun defenders, while agility allows them to change direction quickly and evade tackles. So, focus on sprint training, footwork drills and rection exercises to improve your stamina.

You can also join the Melbourne Storm fan club to meet like-minded people, learn the game and support your favourite team.

Wrapping up

These are some of the most essential skills you should master to achieve rugby success. Acing kicking, mauling and other skills can improve your gameplay.