Good training today @ Ariake with 16 lads. 9 backs, 7 forwards.
After some warm up and a few fitness and individual skills drills, we quickly moved into collective drills (rucks, phases) to practise both team offense and team defense and improve support (either to tackle or to clean ruck).
Then we split the team. The forwards practiced lineouts and mauls and the backs practiced set attacks and calls. This was great to have numbers to practise backs and forwards separately.
Since we were 16, we finished with 1 hour of game (8 vs 8) to practise the different set pieces. The results were encouraging (few missed tackles) although we could have provided more and better support to the ball carrier in offense. The two teams lost many balls in the contact area and the rucks because players ran away from support or support failed to clean the rucks. Also we should try to come with more speed and purpose when 9 or 10 pass the ball. But this could also have to do with fatigue after more than 2 hours of training under the demanding orders (and yelling) of Damien and Jeanphi.
All in all, a good three hours and a good training for all the players who came, one week before our last game of Shuto League on Sunday 16 @ Yanokuchi.
The Ariake 16 were: Forwards: Kosuke, Mike, Quentin, Fredrik, Philippe, Laurent, Hiro Backs: Hisa, Taka, Kazu, Maxime, Dan, Xavier, Romain L., Damien, Jeanphi,