What's the difference between "rush" and "drift" defence?

Question

And . . . how can both patterns be sliced up?

Answer 1

A rush defence is man on man ( mark your oposite number)flat tack in there face.

Problem.easly countered with depth or going to fast-easy to step or put outside man in hole!

Drift defence is where you drift to the next man outside your opposite. eg flanker takes 1st 5,

1st 5 takes 2nd 5, 2nd 5 takes centre,centre

takes fullback,wing v wing.

Bonus - fullback left over to cover a line brake.

drawback - vision needed to spot man cutting back

Answer 2

simple,a rush defence can be countered with a chip or grubber kick,since the rush defense is more of a  in your face rushing up one on one.drift defense is shadowing your oppositon squeezing them to the side line,ways to counter is to switch or cut 2nd five and wing or centre  passing back in to no7 coming outside no.10,drawing defenders into the ruck leaving holes in an outside.its not rocket science to counter these defenses the N.R.L is a great example

Answer 3

a rush defence is when a back line runs straight up in to there opp. numbers where as a drift defence is when the back line drifts and follows the ball as its passed not making any tackles pretty much running sideways,

to slice up the rush defence cut-back passes and change of direction works really well because the defence are up to quick and have less reaction time, for drift defence the best way is off loads, when going into a tackle have the ball ready and try and drag in some of the outside defenders as you are being tackled pass the ball to your outside numbers and they should have broken the line, from there is easy.

Answer 4

The rush defence was made popular by English Club side London Wasps, under the guidance of former Great Britain Rugby league legend Sean Edwards.

It means that the 10, 12 and 13 get in the face of their opposites as fast as possible to shut down their options.

The open side wing often rushes even faster than these three to cut out the option of the cut-out pass.

It is a risky strategy that needs team buy-in of the whole backline and loose forwards. tThe loosies' and half-backs' role is to mop-up should there be a 1/2 break.

A clever kicking game might undo this sort of defence - depending on the positional play of the fullback.

The drift defence simply marks up man on man to push the backline move towards the touchline - and relative safety.

Answer 5

Oh for the days when I was able to coach this into players!  Where I am right now, I am still trying to get them to HAVE a defensive line and then keeping it somewhat flat.  I can't wait until I am able to move onto defensive schemes etc.

Everyone has pretty much answered your question.  Just take the parts of everyone's answers and you're there.  

Personally I use the rush style when the other team has us for speed.  I line my defenders up just outside their opposite and get the line to move up fast and flat.  This visual will make the fly half turn the ball back into the forwards quite often.  It is HUGELY important that you watch the chips and grubbers though, like everyone said.  I always have a flank covering the midfield and the half back should be coming across.  Combine those with a winger staying back until the 2nd five touches the ball and you have all but the most perfect of kicks covered.

Drift is really dangerous if the other team has speed.  You have to have really good communication, HUGE trust in your team mates and even then, you're asking for trouble.  Australia does it a lot but that's because they are really smart.  They have the communication and they have the ********* to believe all their team mates can do what they say.  You are VERY susceptible to the change in angles and the slightest miscalculation in speed or distance can have the opposition free down the wings but Australia plays with a lot of heart and they usually have a ton of cover so the angle problem is negated to all but the most perfectly executed plays.

Carter has been executing those chip kicks to perfection earlier in the tournament and I think that was with an eye towards the rush defence of South Africa.  The All Black forwards can really put the muscle on the Australian pack so this will probably draw in some defenders and make their drift defence work extra hard.  If they can get passed France then I think the intensity and style they play against the others will give them a huge chance in any game.

Answer 6

I can't be exactly sure, but I believe a rush defence is a man on man, spiriting up to the man you are marking, placing pressure on him and giving him/ her no room to move.

A drift defence is where you are marking the person next to your opponent who you would normally mark, depending on which way the ball is heading. e.g. if the ball is heading to your left, you would mark the person on the left side of your opponent and the opposite should the ball go to the right.

All sports are a game of angles and how you run these angles and how fast you can change your angles can make a different, but in rugby you have your cover defence. They also play an important role.

Answer 7

Hey buddy, I'm sure you could answer this better than I can. Hawkeye will probably blow me out of the water with his answer but I'll have a crack.....

Rush: Made famous by the South Africans of course, the English also used it well in the 2003 RWC. Basically the defence rushes up in a line as soon as the ball is released from the ruck/maul/scrum/lineout. The defence usually borders on the offside line and rushes up quickly on the outside to force the ball back on the inside. It is also known as the umbrella defence, the outside backs run up quickly to prevent the ball getting out wide.

Drift: The drift defence is useful if the other team has an overlap, the aussies are quite good at it. Basically the defensive line drifts as the ball is moved out wide. An inside defender will drift out to the outside man and the whole backline drifts across the field.

Weaknesses: The rush defence is a high risk strategy, if a team can pull it off (e.g SA) then it is very successful. It is not easy to do though. If an attacking player slips a tackle there is very little cover, it is vulnerable to chips over the top and players can be stepped more easily because they are rushing up. Best way to slice it up, keep the opposition guessing. Put in a few chips and kick out wide for the winger to run on to. If you are not successful you will at least put the opposition in two minds and make them weary of a kick.

The best way to beat a drift defence is to have players running at different angles. If a team simply shifts the ball laterally across the field it will be easy pickings. So cuts/scissor moves, dummy runners running on an angle, inside balls, players straightening the ball up and slick passes to players from depth running onto the ball are all good. The drift defence is also vulnerable in the number 10 channel. A quick inside ball to a winger/loosie can catch a drift defence out.