Rugby-2nd Edition

Master the skills, master the game. Rugby: Steps to Success covers all of the skills, tactics and strategies you need to improve your play and dominate the pitch.

With 13 progressive instructional steps, you’ll learn all aspects of the game. Detailed descriptions, illustrations and photo sequences demonstrate the essential skills, including footwork, ball handing, tackling and kicking. Then practice and improve with 90 drills, each featuring a personal scoring system to gauge and accelerate your progress.

After mastering the individual skills, you’ll learn to apply them in match play. From retaining possession to attacking the opposition’s weaknesses, you’ll learn the strategies to dominate the pitch.

Become a complete player and lead your team to victory. As part of the popular Steps to Success Sports Series—with more than 1.5 million copies sold worldwide—Rugby: Steps to Success will elevate your performance to new heights in all facets of the game.

Foreword
Climbing the Steps to Rugby Success
The Sport of Rugby Union
Key to Diagrams

Step 1 Ball Handling
Step 2 Footwork
Step 3 Tackling
Step 4 Kicking
Step 5 Contact
Step 6 Mini-Units in Attack
Step 7 Mini-Units in Defence
Step 8 The Front Five
Step 9 The Middle Five
Step 10 The Back Five
Step 11 Team Attack
Step 12 Team Defence
Step 13 Strategies and Tactics

Glossary
About the Authors

Tony Biscombe was already a very experienced rugby teacher and coach of 25 years when he joined the Rugby Football Union (RFU) as a development officer for the North of England in 1989. In this role, he traveled extensively, taking on a variety of coaching assignments for the RFU.

In 1997 he was recruited by Sir Clive Woodward to the England Management Team as the technical support manager, where he provided video analysis and statistical support to the coaches and players on the England squad. In 2005 he had the same role with the British and Irish Lions in New Zealand.

His career with England spanned 10 years, 123 Internationals and 3 Rugby World Cups. In 2003 he was part of the back-room staff of the England team that won the Rugby World Cup in Australia. The defeat by South Africa in the Cup final of 2007 was his last game, and he retired from his role on December 31 of the same year. He lives in Leeds with his wife, Larraine, and close to his grown-up children, James and Zoe.

Peter Drewett is the England Students Team Manager for the rugby team. He is a former director of rugby and head coach for the Exeter Chiefs. He is an RFU senior coach and was the England U21 manager, winning the Six Nations Grand Slam in 2004 and 2006. He has played and coached rugby at various club, county, divisional and international levels.
With Tony Biscombe, Drewett developed the Supercoach CD-ROM, a rugby teaching and coaching aid and the first software package of its kind. The product has been praised for its content and design. He also developed the Tag Rugby resources and introduced the non-contact version of rugby in the early 1990s with Nick Leonard.

Peter was previously an exercise and sport science lecturer at the University of Exeter. He lives in Sidmouth, England, with his partner Jenny and has four children, Tom, Olly, Megan and Richie. In his spare time he enjoys exercising to stay fit and healthy.

Gaining the attacking edge in rugby
Rugby's four principles of play
Use turnovers and counterattacks effectively