The shape
The scrum-half acts as the half at the roll-ball, standing a metre behind the mark to pick the ball up. The fly-half and inside centre stand as first and second receiver, flat and close enough for a quick pass, with the centre and right centre a step wider. The wings hold the touchlines, the left centre balances the short side and the full-back sits deep behind the receivers as the inject runner. The shape looks the same on every play so the defence cannot read it.
Roles
- Scrum-half. The acting half. Picks up at the roll-ball and passes at once, or runs at a slow defence; the half cannot score in most touch laws, so near the line he passes.
- Fly-half. First receiver. Draws a defender and passes, or drives at the line to take a touch and get a quick roll-ball.
- Inside centre. Second receiver and the main link to the outside; runs an angle back towards the ball or passes wide.
- Centres. The left centre balances the short side; the centre and right centre run straight, fix defenders and pass to the wing.
- Wings. Finishers on the touchline. Stay wide until the ball is two passes away, then arrive at pace.
- Full-back. Injects into the line where a gap appears, usually between the first and second receiver.
Strengths
- Nine players across fifty metres means an overlap is always close.
- A quick roll-ball and a fast half keep the defence retreating.
- The inject runner from deep is hard for a flat defence to pick up.
Weaknesses
- Needs clean handling at speed; a dropped ball is a turnover.
- Players who run sideways waste touches and gain nothing.
- A half who runs too often gets touched near the line where he cannot score.
When to use it
Touch suits mixed-ability and mixed-age groups, pre-season fitness for a contact squad, and social and summer rugby where there is no tackling. Use the two-playmaker shape when your players can pass off both hands under pressure; with beginners run a single receiver and shorter passes. In wind and rain the ball is hard to hold, so play tighter and drive for quick touches rather than going wide early.
What to coach in training
- Roll-ball and half: the carrier takes a touch, rolls the ball at the mark, and the half picks up and passes within two seconds; repeat across the pitch.
- Drive and shape: four carriers drive at a passive line to take a touch, then 10 and 12 switch the point of attack with the full-back injecting on a call.
- Overlap game: 5v4 in a channel, and the attack must score without the ball touching the ground.
Works well against
It copes well with a flat defence that retreats slowly, because the quick roll-ball catches defenders still moving back. Against a defence that rushes, the drive from 10 takes a touch and the next play is quick. Against a defence that hangs its wings wide, the inject runner from full-back finds the gap inside. A disciplined line that resets quickly is where the two-playmaker switch earns its place.
