World Rugby’s lawbook defines the line-out rather simply as “a method of restarting the game with a throw after the ball or ball-carrier has gone into touch”. So far, so straightforward. Gradually, though, this set-piece has developed into a complex, crucial and clandestine battleground that shapes the vast majority of matches.
Our appreciation and understanding of it is generally limited by two things. Firstly, professional players and coaches devote hours and hours of meticulous analysis to choreographing repertoires and studying those of opponents. Steve Borthwick is renowned as a masterful technician, but has enlisted the help of George Kruis, his former apprentice, to bolster England’s line-out intellect even further.
Secondly, broadcasters often miss subtle yet meaningful action to show replays. And it all happens so quickly. Blink and you will miss cues that determine a team’s strategy. Referees are eager to speed everything up, too. Just this weekend, Saracens conceded a free-kick for assembling one huddle too many as they strived to overturn Sale Sharks in a tense Premiership encounter.
The introduction of lifting in 1999 made line-outs less of a lottery and, therefore, solidified it as a platform. Teams have taken advantage. During this Six Nations, according to Opta data, there have been 246 of them across nine games at an average of just over 27 per 80 minutes. Detailing the number of configurations hints at the variation possible. There have been five quick throws, three three-player line-outs, 24 four-player line-outs, 99 five-player line-outs, 70 six-player line-outs, 41 seven-player line-outs and eight containing eight attackers or more.
For a sense of how significant they can be, 24 of the 54 tries scored in the 2023 Six Nations Championship to date have initiated from a line-out. Backline strike-moves, drives, dummy-drives and peels present scope to use possession in different ways. Defensively, steals and maul turnovers can shift momentum immediately.
But what can we look out for even before the ball leaves a hooker’s hands?
Traditionally, a scrum-half standing in the ‘receiver’ or ‘plus one’ role at an attacking line-out signals that the ball will go ‘off the top’; or directly from a jumper to that player, who will pass into midfield. Here, from England’s win over Wales, is an example. Jack van Poortvliet takes a transfer from Maro Itoje and whips the ball to Owen Farrell. Alex Dombrandt is out in midfield and his tip-on allows Ollie Lawrence to pierce the gain-line:
Often, though, a scrum-half begins 10 metres back and there will be a forward – usually a back-rower – in the ‘plus one’ slot. This will usually signal a maul. Luke Crosbie is the man with that responsibility here, prior to George Turner’s pushover try against Wales. The flanker tracks his jumper, Richie Gray, before jamming in to secure possession and instigate momentum:
Scotland bind tightly and Turner chooses his moment to break clear:
Alternatively, as has become increasingly popular over the past two World Cup cycles, a forward at ‘plus one’ could foreshadow a dummy-maul. This will see a pack of forwards feign to drive in order to commit defenders before the ‘plus one’ peels away to carry or play a pass themselves. Josh van der Flier is often in this slot for Ireland and Leinster. Here, in Cardiff, he burrows in before arcing away. Because Wales have had to respect the threat of Ireland’s drive, there is room to exploit around the fringes of an embryonic maul:
Sides have begun to play cat-and-mouse with these cues and skilful forwards allow for deception. Against Ireland, Italy posted Michele Lamaro at ‘plus one’…
…but went off the top. Having been lurking 10 metres back, scrum-half Stephen Varney wrapped Tommaso Menoncello and found Paolo Garbisi, who sent Lorenzo Cannone rampaging up the middle:
Receivers do not have to take the ball at all.
There is at least one more way that a receiver can influence the line-out, and that is by joining it while the throw is in the air to lift a team-mate. Dombrandt does that here against Italy, arriving in the receiver role...
...and joining as the ball is in the air. He lifts Maro Itoje, allowing England to establish a sturdy maul:
This ploy allows a team to throw to an area that may not be marked up by a defending side because a jumper is not initially supported by a lifter and the deception comes from the fact that Dombrandt will often play passes from a ‘plus one’ position. When a pack of forwards can interchange and adopt different roles, a lineout becomes harder to defend.
Here, early on against Wales, Van der Flier begins at receiver. Rather than stay there, though, he joins the set piece to lift Tadhg Beirne. Peter O’Mahony is then the man to peel away and feed Caealan Doris:
Movement over the ground, from players that are part of the line-out and those that are not, is critical on both sides of the ball.
The above graphic illustrates a popular strike play that aims to flood the ‘seam’ of a defence – the gap between any defensive receiver and the first player that is back 10 metres – with runners.
England unfurled this at the Principality Stadium, launching Ellis Genge around the back in the build-up to Kyle Sinckler’s try. Genge, one of their keynote carriers, takes a pass from Jack Willis and runs at Owen Williams, with Jamie George and Ollie Lawrence for company:
The player at the front does not have to be a go-to carrier, either. Here, during the second half of their win over France in Dublin, Ireland station scrum-half Conor Murray in this spot.
Following a dummy-maul, Van der Flier feeds Murray and the hosts open up the full width of the field:
Van der Flier, the reigning World Rugby player of the year, has been prominent in this article already. He features in the next section as well.
A throw to the front does not have to restrict a team. Sometimes, you will see players at the back of the line-out drop to make themselves available for a pass. Leinster provided a good example in last season’s Champions Cup quarter-final against Leicester Tigers.
Ross Molony was the target of the throw, and Caelan Doris and Van der Flier dropped. There was another layer here, though. Robbie Henshaw was lurking in midfield…
…and Jamison Gibson-Park fizzed a pass beyond Doris and Van der Flier to his centre. A huge gain-line win ensued:
Line-out defence can be split into two categories, generally speaking. A ‘mirror defence’ will see a team mark their opponents’ jumpers. A ‘zone defence’ will see a team mark space. With this latter system, which we will now explore in slightly more detail, a side will aim to tempt opponents to throw into areas that they feel more comfortable defending.
Leicester Tigers are a team that have shown a tendency to play with a ‘zonal defence’. This is signposted by how they leave a lifter, usually one of their props, in space at the front of a line-out.
Here, in a recent win over London Irish, that man is Joe Heyes. In a five-man line-out, from front to back, Tigers have stationed Heyes, Hanro Liebenberg, George Martin, Cameron Henderson and Tom West in that order. Essentially, their props are bookending the line-out with Liebenberg and Henderson as the key jumpers and Martin as a mobile athlete capable of lifting or jumping.
Irish could play to the space where Heyes is, but have to be mindful that Liebenberg could come forward to be lifted by Heyes and Martin – a zonal defence can change the picture quickly. In turn, for Heyes to commit to a lift, he has to be confident that Irish are not about to a target on the ground:
As it happens, Irish go to the middle with some movement. Henderson, rather than Liebenberg, is lifted by Leicester and Juan Martín González gets in front of him. However, the ball is overthrown and Tigers earn a turnover through their receiver, Julián Montoya:
A few weeks earlier against Northampton Saints, Leicester drop prop Dan Richardson into the receiver role at the front:
Northampton take that space, but Liebenberg comes forward to challenge and messy ball results:
It does not take a genius to work out that there may be some crossover between the line-out strategies of Leicester and England. The latter have been using the second of these ploys. Sinckler begins this line-out against Wales in the receiver role at the front:
A defence is not obliged to have a defensive receiver either. Here, against Italy, England do not deploy one. They pile seven forwards into a defensive line-out to match their opponents’ numbers with Jack Willis out in the backline. Again, the space at the front is being offered. Italy take it, with Stephen Varney spinning from the front to feed midfield:
When defending a close-range line-out, a team has two options and the stakes are high. Putting up a jumper can be a gamble because there is less cover to stop a maul if they do not steal. James Ryan pilfered this Wales throw in round one, reading the play astutely:
Staying down and mounting a counter-shove can be just as effective. Scotland stalled England in this manner hours later on the opening weekend. Jonny and Richie Gray were to the fore:
Direct throws over the top of line-outs are another trendy tool. Done well, these allow an attack to access the defence while tying in the forwards involved in the set piece.
The line-out brings knock-on effects for tactics and team selection. Wales maintained their policy of keeping kicks in-field to deprive England of chances to use that platform. Coaches need a wide inventory of skills. Foremost among those is the capacity to keeping a clear head and know which moves can connect the forwards with the backline and exert control on a game in any situation. There is a reason that the ability to call line-outs is respected and takes a while to learn.
Paul Willemse, the France lock, is not the most prolific line-out target. However, he will often be the man to shuttle across the ground and lift more agile jumpers such as Thibault Flament or François Cros. Willemse’s weight in the scrum is another bonus. Peter O’Mahony’s spring has produced big moments for Ireland and Munster. Lewis Ludlam is enjoying a strong tournament for England. Part of the reason for that has been his use as a jumper to complement Maro Itoje and Ollie Chessum.
With two more rounds remaining, this absorbing Six Nations will feature more twists and turns. The nuances of line-out strategy are certain to be pivotal.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbHLnp6rmaCde6S7ja6iaKqlnK%2B6edSnoKimX2d9c3%2BOaWpoaGhksaavzp2gp59dobavsYyorK1lp52utXnMoqqsoZ6cerPBxpuwrGWdnsC2usOeqaysn6Sxbq7AraulnZenvLa6w2g%3D