The Behind-the-Back

Starting position

A quick tap penalty five metres out, and the whole thing is decided in three actions. The hooker picks it up and shows up like he is going to carry — body low, feet square, the defence reads a crash ball. Except he does not crash: he hits the three-man cell on his left. The cell is set to smash it up, and the opposition curtain closes on them. That is exactly what you wanted. The carrier then pulls a no-look pass behind his back to the 8, flying into the gap that has just opened. He arrives like a rocket on the opposition 12, who has neither the size nor the momentum to hold him. Try under the posts. The whole combination exists for one reason: shift the defence one notch and isolate the 8 against the 12. Power against a mismatch, and it is done.