WE OFTEN HEAR about players going through ‘tackle school’ to get a match shaved off their bans for high tackles, but we rarely get insight into what it involves.
Garry Ringrose is here to help.
The Ireland centre undertook what World Rugby calls the ‘Coaching Intervention Programme’ to have one game of his three-match suspension for a high tackle removed.
Ringrose was initially shown a yellow card during Ireland’s clash with Wales three weekends ago after his high tackle on centre Ben Thomas was flagged by the TMO. The incident was sent for an off-field review and upgraded to a 20-minute red card.
At the time, Ringrose had thought it might just remain as a yellow but the decision went against him and an independent disciplinary committee subsequently agreed with the match officials that his actions warranted a red card.
From there, Ringrose and Ireland were put in touch with an independent body that World Rugby calls its ‘expert coaching review group.’ They’re separate to the disciplinary committee and are the ones who remotely oversee and review tackle school.
Ringrose and his coaches were tasked with going through a series of training drills to allow the centre to work on scenarios similar to the one in which he collided with Thomas.
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“So you’re going back over the incident, what I believe as a player that I could have done differently in the situation,” says Ringrose.
“I would have naturally worked quite closely with Simon Easterby as the defence coach and worked closely with Andrew Goodman who was particularly helpful last week, his experience as a centre, understanding that element from the player perspective as well as now, he’s been coaching a fair while now.
Ringrose at Ireland training. Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
“So designing little drills to break down the incident into segments and then that evolved into effectively reenacting what happened and being acutely aware of what I can do differently in that situation.
Ringrose had to rope in a few team-mates to help.
“I was breaking it down in different elements, what I perceived I can do better, what Goody thinks I could have done better,” he says.
“And then explaining why you’re doing the drill, what you’re hoping to achieve, what you’re hoping to work on for each different element of it and then the same when you put it all together and re-enacting it.
“So I had Tommy O’Brien and Ciarán Frawley over the couple of days on a [tackle] bag helping me out.
“All of that through the week was videoed and passed on to World Rugby who then reviewed it and we went from there.”
With the videos sent back to the review group, Ringrose had to wait to get confirmation he had graduated from tackle school.
They were happy and World Rugby confirmed that Ringrose’s three-game ban had been reduced to two.
With the disciplinary committee having allowed Ringrose to include a Leinster match in his ban, he only missed one Six Nations game against France last weekend. The midfielder is set to return to Ireland’s starting XV against Italy on Saturday.
Ringrose said he has blocked out the “outside noise” coming from France about his ban.
Ringrose is set to return to Ireland's number 13 shirt. Billy Stickland / INPHO
Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO
“In terms of selection, it’s never something I overthink. I just trust whatever the coaches want for me and plan for me for the Six Nations. That was the plan.
“The coaches have the bigger picture plan, but similar to Bundee, Robbie and me rotating. The Six Nations going on was clearly part of their plan, but it was not something that I overthink. I just do whatever.”
Ringrose is glad the experience is behind him as he gets set to return at outside centre against Italy on Saturday.
And while he has learned about the specific tackle situation involved in the incident with Thomas, Ringrose won’t be drastically changing his defensive mindset as a result.
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“It’s kind of situational. The incident itself, there was no malice or intent behind it. It was just something that didn’t go right at the time. I guess it’s just an experience you go through.
“That was a picture I hadn’t seen before and didn’t react accordingly. It’s the nature of the beast, split-second decisions, high-pressure moments, so it’s trying to react as best I can going forward.
“You’re trying to do whatever you can to try and get the ball back when you don’t have it, that would be the principal in any team I’ve ever played in.
“So still having that mindset but trying to do it in those split-second moments, trying to do it as technically right as possible.”
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This is what Garry Ringrose had to do to pass tackle school
WE OFTEN HEAR about players going through ‘tackle school’ to get a match shaved off their bans for high tackles, but we rarely get insight into what it involves.
Garry Ringrose is here to help.
The Ireland centre undertook what World Rugby calls the ‘Coaching Intervention Programme’ to have one game of his three-match suspension for a high tackle removed.
Ringrose was initially shown a yellow card during Ireland’s clash with Wales three weekends ago after his high tackle on centre Ben Thomas was flagged by the TMO. The incident was sent for an off-field review and upgraded to a 20-minute red card.
At the time, Ringrose had thought it might just remain as a yellow but the decision went against him and an independent disciplinary committee subsequently agreed with the match officials that his actions warranted a red card.
From there, Ringrose and Ireland were put in touch with an independent body that World Rugby calls its ‘expert coaching review group.’ They’re separate to the disciplinary committee and are the ones who remotely oversee and review tackle school.
Ringrose and his coaches were tasked with going through a series of training drills to allow the centre to work on scenarios similar to the one in which he collided with Thomas.
“So you’re going back over the incident, what I believe as a player that I could have done differently in the situation,” says Ringrose.
“I would have naturally worked quite closely with Simon Easterby as the defence coach and worked closely with Andrew Goodman who was particularly helpful last week, his experience as a centre, understanding that element from the player perspective as well as now, he’s been coaching a fair while now.
“So designing little drills to break down the incident into segments and then that evolved into effectively reenacting what happened and being acutely aware of what I can do differently in that situation.
Ringrose had to rope in a few team-mates to help.
“I was breaking it down in different elements, what I perceived I can do better, what Goody thinks I could have done better,” he says.
“And then explaining why you’re doing the drill, what you’re hoping to achieve, what you’re hoping to work on for each different element of it and then the same when you put it all together and re-enacting it.
“So I had Tommy O’Brien and Ciarán Frawley over the couple of days on a [tackle] bag helping me out.
“All of that through the week was videoed and passed on to World Rugby who then reviewed it and we went from there.”
With the videos sent back to the review group, Ringrose had to wait to get confirmation he had graduated from tackle school.
They were happy and World Rugby confirmed that Ringrose’s three-game ban had been reduced to two.
With the disciplinary committee having allowed Ringrose to include a Leinster match in his ban, he only missed one Six Nations game against France last weekend. The midfielder is set to return to Ireland’s starting XV against Italy on Saturday.
Ringrose said he has blocked out the “outside noise” coming from France about his ban.
“In terms of selection, it’s never something I overthink. I just trust whatever the coaches want for me and plan for me for the Six Nations. That was the plan.
“The coaches have the bigger picture plan, but similar to Bundee, Robbie and me rotating. The Six Nations going on was clearly part of their plan, but it was not something that I overthink. I just do whatever.”
Ringrose is glad the experience is behind him as he gets set to return at outside centre against Italy on Saturday.
And while he has learned about the specific tackle situation involved in the incident with Thomas, Ringrose won’t be drastically changing his defensive mindset as a result.
“It’s kind of situational. The incident itself, there was no malice or intent behind it. It was just something that didn’t go right at the time. I guess it’s just an experience you go through.
“That was a picture I hadn’t seen before and didn’t react accordingly. It’s the nature of the beast, split-second decisions, high-pressure moments, so it’s trying to react as best I can going forward.
“You’re trying to do whatever you can to try and get the ball back when you don’t have it, that would be the principal in any team I’ve ever played in.
“So still having that mindset but trying to do it in those split-second moments, trying to do it as technically right as possible.”
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