Knowing where to position himself and what line to take in a run are vital for every back on a rugby team, but none more so than the fullback. As the literal last line of defence, the fullback often has the opportunity to make a try-saving tackle or start a good counter-attack from receiving high ball.

The key to doing these and not letting in tries or giving away territory under high ball lies in achieving the right positional play. Here are some tips for the coach on getting the most from your own fullback's play.

When opposition play reaches your teams 22, the most important rule for the fullback is to follow the ball. In other words, the player should stand behind the defensive line and stay slightly inside of where the ball is. This way, should any opposing player make a break, the fullback will be in the right place to make a covering tackle. Often fullbacks will be barely a metre short of making an important tackle – it is therefore important that they should very carefully follow the ball, and never allow themselves to be too far from its position. This can be practiced very simply by forming an attacking and defending line and testing the fullback's ability to position himself properly at all times. Eventually, it will become like second nature to him.

The angle a fullback runs at is crucially important, both in defence and on the counter-attack. The angle chosen of course depends on the speed of the player and the distance from the ball (or try line!). While fullbacks will often be among the fastest players on the team (along with the wingers), there is nevertheless a degree of variation between them. The slower the player, and the further he has to travel, the greater the angle should be. A slower player would have to run almost level with the running line of his opponent to make a tackle.

In order to defend against kicking, one tip for the fullback is to stay deep inside his own 22. This is for a number of reasons. For one, it is easier to run towards a ball and catch it than to have to run backwards and do so. For a second, wingers will often catch the shorter kicks anyway. Lastly, being further back gives you a better view of the line of play, allowing you to orchestrate the defence with much more clarity. Receiving high ball properly is vital to a team's success – dropping it and knocking it on gives away a valuable scrum as well as losing all the hard yards the forwards may have earned on the other side of the pitch.

If positioned properly, the fullback can be crucial to the defence and devastating in counter-attack. Positioned incorrectly, no matter how good a footballer he is, a fullback will be nearly useless. Therefore it is vital that you impress on your players the importance of being in the right place at the right time.