From: Richard Every <revery@usarugby.org>
Date: Wed, Apr 4, 2018 at 10:15 AM
Subject: Spring Season Focus Areas – 4/4/18
All,

We are well into the Spring Season and want to be clear on a few areas:

1. SCRUM:
   1. Be patient, slow down the BIND to SET call – be sure the scrum is steady.
   2. #8 has to be bound prior to the SET – seeing the slingshot quietly making its way back
   3. Credible feed, has to be hooked – team putting in cannot simply drive over the ball
2. BREAKDOWN:
   1. Tackler: If the tackler is slow to move, you should not be rewarding the tackler assist or first arriving player as the tackler prevents the ball carrier from exercising their options.
   2. Tackler Assist: Clear release and through the gate
3. SPACE:
   1. Slow ball leads to more offside. Manage space from the outset.
   2. Appears some defenses are setting up a few meters behind the offside line and to gain more momentum – this is difficult for referees and AR’s to monitor and will either take time for everyone to adjust to make accurate calls.
   3. Restarts – remind players to remain behind the kicker.
4. LINEOUTS: Formation
   1. Players may not approach the lineout, stop a distance away, then move into the lineout to gain momentum on the jump – manage initially, then FK.
   2. Players may take a quick lineout by continuing to move toward a lineout and jump when they arrive.