U19 Lineout Lifting Review Group Report

Transcription

1 U19 Lineout Lifting Review Group Report December 2013

2 BACKGROUND Over the past few years, the Australian Rugby Union has received feedback from both community stakeholders and its own talent development staff regarding the effectiveness of restricting lineout lifting by the front lifter in the older U19 age groups to the shorts. These concerns arise from both a safety and player development point of view. A review group was commissioned to discuss the issue, conduct a trial if relevant, and make recommendations to the ARU Laws Advisory Group (LAG) as to whether the current ARU U19 Law Variation at lineout should remain or be modified. The review group consisted of individuals involved in coaching players at all levels, and individuals currently coaching at both a Schools level and a Juniors level. The review group was: Luke Bower (NSW Schools) Jamie McGregor (ARU) Greg Nelson (Brisbane Juniors) Manu Sutherland (ARU) Adrian Thompson (ARU) Matt Tink (Rebels Rugby) CONTEXT Australia is the only country that we are aware of that limits lifting of lineout players to the shorts in the older U19 age groups. Discussions with the former Coach Education Manager, Warren Robilliard, confirmed the original reasoning behind the U19 Law Variation was to prevent lineout jumpers from being lifted too high in the lineout. The fear at the time was that this might put these players at greater risk if dropped. (Note: Warren also indicated there is reasoning to suggest that leg lifting is a safer technique as it allows for multiple points of contact and hence better stability. By comparison, when both lifters lift on the shorts they tend to act as a fulcrum to cause instability in the jumper.)

3 CURRENT SITUATION The issue the review group was asked to discuss was whether there was any evidence to suggest that the situation at present was providing more risk to players compared to the previously identified risk of being dropped from a height. The following points were considered with regard to players safety: The current trend of nylon/synthetic material for shorts hinders safety around the crotch area both in the lifting movement and in maintaining stability at the top of the jump. The movement of shorts (even with old style cotton shorts) is therefore not conducive to good technique and safety. The confidence of players in a consistent jumping technique is therefore minimised. Lifting technique on shorts varies, and relies in many instances on the incorrect muscle groups being used. Many teams in younger age-groups are using small players as jumpers with a view to getting up in the air easily, without consideration being given to safety or the future development of players position-related skills. In addition, the following points were raised about the current implementation of the Law Variation: Very rarely is leg lifting policed accurately by referees. Significant apprehension regarding some Schools and Clubs regular adherence to the current laws. Inequity in games when one team lifts on the legs and the other team does not. The Division 1 Schools Championships have already sought and received a dispensation from this Law in order to prepare players for playing International U19 Law, although this leaves only a brief window for players to up-skill to a whole new technique. There is regular confusion when overseas U19 teams visit Australia and are required to play under Australian U19 Law.

4 INITIAL CONCLUSIONS The review group concluded that there was enough anecdotal evidence to consider a change in the Law in the U16 and above age groups. At these ages, the core strength and technique of these players should mean that the risk of players being dropped from a height would be low. The safety benefits of leg lifting as a technique would therefore outweigh the risks at these age groups. Before making a final recommendation, the review group decided to: 1) Review footage from 1st XV level matches in Sydney and Brisbane looking for evidence of current leg lifting in these matches, and 2) Conduct a trial of allowing the front lifter in lineouts to support on the leg at the 2013 U16s Championships, and comparing lineout success and rates of jumpers being dropped to REVIEW OF 1st XV FOOTAGE 194 lineouts from 14 matches from both Sydney CAS and Brisbane GPS competitions in 2012 and 2013 were reviewed. Lift on Shorts % Lift on Legs % Acceptable technique % 48 86% Poor technique 33 24% 8 14% Total % 56 29% Key Points 29% of those lineouts showed evidence of leg lifting, all of which went unsanctioned by the referee. Of those 56 lineouts, 14% showed poor technique (jumper unstable or dropped). 138 lineouts were conducted with lifters solely on the shorts, and 24% of these showed poor technique (jumper unstable or dropped).

5 The review indicated that: 1) Leg lifting could be considered fairly regular at 1st XV level, and often goes unsanctioned. 2) Leg lifting appears to be no less safe a technique than lifting solely on the shorts at this age group. TRIAL AT U16s NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS The ARU coordinated a trial at the U16s Championships, which involved dedicated coaching on the new technique (ie front lifter supporting on the leg) to all teams in the lead up to the tournament. The trial specifically included Division 2 teams (NT, TAS, SA, NI) to ensure the results were representative of the full spectrum of talent and abilities of each age group, not just the best players. The anecdotal feedback from all team coaches was very positive. Video footage of every lineout in every game from both 2012 and 2013 were sent to Prozone Sports for coding and analysis, with results as follows: Div 1 % Div 2 % Total % Shorts Won clean % 22 38% % Won scrappy 68 20% 20 34% 88 22% Lost % 16 28% % Total Legs Won clean % 42 58% % Won scrappy 43 17% 14 19% 57 17% Lost 70 27% 16 22% 86 26% Total Key Points There was an increase in the amount of cleanly won ball in both Divisions. Division 2 saw the greatest increase, from 38% to 58%.

6 The number of occasions in which a jumper was dropped (due to the jumper overbalancing, lifters dropping the jumper or interference from other players) fell from 23 (5.8%) in 2012 to 14 (4.3%) in The review indicated that: 1) Players coped with the new technique without an increase in scrappy wins or lost line outs 2) There is no evidence that leg lifting is a less safe technique than lifting on the shorts at the U16s age group 3) The presumably less skilled players (i.e. Division 2) actually gained greater benefit from the new technique than the more skilled players RECOMMENDATIONS Based on the expert opinion of both high performance coaches and current practitioners at U19 age groups, and based on the footage review and trial conducted at the U16 National Championships, the review group is confident that leg lifting at the U16 age group and above is a safe and preferred option. The review group recommends to the LAG that for 2014: 1) U19 lineout lifting Laws (and the associated variation regarding leg lifting in open play) for U16s and above be brought into line with senior Law 2) U19 lineout lifting Laws for U15s and below remain as they are at present (Note: there is no lifting allowed in U12s and below).