Another facet of our great game is the charge down. A very simple tactic to pursue which can be a real game changer as they often lead to a try scoring opportunity and a loss in confidence of the kicker. Let’s start with the basics.
A ‘charge down’ is when a player manages to block an opponent’s kick with any part of their body. Typically this happens in open play and involves an opponent literally charging towards a kicker with their arms outstretched as high and as far out in front of themselves as possible in an attempt to block the ball just after it leaves the boot.
Kicks that are not from open play, like touch kicks from penalties, or penalty kicks at goal cannot be charged down. The exception to this is conversion kicks at goal which can be charged down, more on this later.
If a charge down of a kick in open play is completed successfully the ball will hit the person charging down the kick on part of the arm, or hands, but sometimes directly in the face. This can be a very painful experience and is a common reason for a broken nose in rugby.
After a successful charge down though, the ball will often rebound onto the floor providing an opportunity to gather the ball and score a try. As charge downs are so unpredictable defenses can’t really prepare for them and thus they create havoc and are well worth pursuing.
Check out this famous try created by one of the king of charge downs Lewis ‘Mad Dog’ Moody. Note the all out commitment required to make this charge down in a highly pressured key world cup campaign. Charge downs can play a key role in games that are very close when the team that makes the least mistakes wins.
A further reason for trying to charge down a kick is to reduce the quality and distance of their kick. This can result in an attacking opportunity from a loose kick into the back field or regaining possession in the form of a lineout not too far upfield.
The final reason for a charge down, certainly when I was growing up, is to injure the opposition kicker, typically the fly-half. What would happen is that the kicker would get their kick to touch away but the opponent, often the open side flanker, would not pull out of the tackle and have a free shot at the kicker, (no TMO’s in my day} as they would be in a very vulnerable position with their kicking leg in the air standing on one foot.
In response to this, canny fly halves would kick the ball and then ensure their foot stayed in the air with studs facing up towards the tackler which would often be enough to put them off the late tackle. It was Johnathan Davies the great Welsh fly-half and dual international of the 80s and 90s that introduced me to this idea.
At this point you might also want to read our article on how to kick in rugby with pro tips, here.
Why is a charge down not a knock on?
A charge down is not a knock on because rule 11 of the game explains that the ball is not knocked on, and play continues if a player knocks the ball forward immediately after an opponent has kicked it.
Essentially, this ruling from World Rugby penalises a poor piece of play, i.e. the player not executing the skill in time thus it provides another competitive situation in the game, creating more tension and excitement. Imagine if charge downs were knock-ons then kickers might even use it as a deliberate tactic, kick it into a player, and get a scrum platform to play from.
Incidentally, I have written a concise and simplified guide to the basic rules of rugby here which is worth a quick read if you want to brush up on your knowledge of the game.
Can you charge down a conversion in rugby?
You are allowed to charge down a conversion kick in rugby. Conversion kicks are place kicks at goal which follow a try and are worth two points if successfully kicked between the posts. These additional two points are very valuable, hence the incentive to block the kicker’s attempt.
They key to charging down conversions is to have your fastest players lined up as close as possible to the kicker behind their own goal line. As soon as the kicker begins moving towards the ball then the blocker should go all out to run directly towards the space just in front of the kicker. A leap and dive may be required in order to maximise the chance of blocking the kick.
A couple of points to be wary of are that if the blocker starts running too soon then the referee can reset the kick if the kicker misses. This famously occurred in an Ireland v New Zealand game and handed the game to the All Blacks as the retake was successful.
Secondly, if the kicker begins their run up and the ball subsequently falls over, usually due to high wind then the goal kicker will probably try to pick up the ball and drop kick the ball instead. This drop kick can also be charged down.
One form of blocking that is not allowed, however, and was popularised by the great Australian player John Eales is an attempt to block a place kick at goal by standing just under the cross bar and attempting to stop the ball going over the bar by being lifted, or jumping up.
It was proving to be an effective way of stopping long distance kicks at goal scraping over the bar but was pretty quickly banned by World Rugby.
How To Make More Charge Downs In Rugby
- Pressure each and every kick. You never know which one is going to pay off so pressure them all as much as you can.
- Notice which foot the player is kicking from and target that side of the body.
- Raise both arms towards the attempted kick, not just one, as it gives a much greater chance of achieving the charge down, turning your head to the side is not a bad idea though unless you want a broken nose.
- Be particularly ruthless at the beginning of games and let the opposition kicker know that you are there. This can play on a kicker’s mind and create moments of hesitation which can lead to success.
- Running in from the side of a kicker, i.e. not from a direct angle straight ahead can mean that they don’t see you coming and give you a greater chance of getting the knock down.
Finally, remember at some point the ‘cheeky’ fly half kicking the ball is going to dummy a kick and you are going to go face first into the mud with your attempt at a charge down. Don’t worry this happens, he won’t be able to do it all game, if anything it shows that you are putting pressure on them so keep it up.
You might also be interested 11 Tips For Beginner Rugby Players here.
Photos Credit:
Featured image: All Blacks v Australia 2011 Rugby World Cup Jean Francois Beausejour from Cannes, France, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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