The shape
A full seven-man lineout between the 5 and 15 metre lines: props at the front and middle as lifters, locks as the front and middle jumpers, flankers as second lifters and the number 8 at the tail as the third jumping option. The hooker throws from the touchline. The scrum-half is receiver three metres off the line, the fly-half ten metres back, the centres and open wing across the field, the blindside wing in the five-metre channel and the full-back deep.
Roles
- Hooker. Throws flat and fast on the call. The throw is the whole lineout.
- Props (1, 3). Front and middle lifters. Hands on the jumper's thighs and shorts, drive up and stay stable until the ball is down.
- Locks (4, 5). The jumpers. Decoy or real, they time the jump to the throw and deliver two-handed to 9.
- Back row (6, 7, 8). The flankers are second lifters and the first to support the drive; 8 is the tail option and carries round the corner when not jumping.
- Scrum-half. Calls the play, passes to 10 off the top or feeds the drive.
- Fly-half. First receiver with three options: run flat, hit a flat 12, or feed the full-back joining.
- Centres and back three. 12 runs straight, 13 stays wide, the open wing holds the touchline, the blindside wing covers the short side and the full-back joins or covers.
Strengths
- Seven forwards in the line leaves a wide open field for the backs.
- Three jumping options are hard to mark at club level.
- Off the top gives 10 quick ball with the defence ten metres away.
Weaknesses
- Everything depends on the throw; an unreliable hooker makes it a lottery.
- Lifting and jumping take training time most clubs do not give them.
- Mauls are restricted or banned at the younger age grades, so one option is gone.
When to use it
Any lineout in the opposition half, and the tail or middle option inside their 22 where a maul or a quick strike from 10 can score. Short locks mean a front throw with a quick lift and a flat delivery. Wet or windy days call for a short front throw and a drive, not the tail. Lineouts are uncontested or limited at the younger age grades and lifting is introduced gradually, so coach a safe, legal jump before any lift.
What to coach in training
- Throwing: the hooker throws at a target on the posts or a raised hand, thirty throws a session, in rhythm with the jumper's count.
- Lifting with a coach: a static lift first, hands on the shorts, controlled up and down, then add the throw. No lifting below the age grade that permits it.
- A seven-man lineout on cones running the three calls (front, middle, tail) until the timing is clean, then the back line added off the top against shields.
Works well against
It copes well with a defence that commits all seven forwards to the line, because the backs have width and numbers. Against a side that pulls two forwards out to mark 10 and 12, the maul or the tail peel punishes the thinner line. Against a drift defence off the lineout, the full-back joining between 12 and 13 breaks the pattern.
