Not every forward needs to contest every ruck every time. Often the ball is already won or lost by the time they get there (these things can be decided in seconds), so things quickly descend into a pile-up. This may seem obvious, but when it comes down to it, players might not be clear on when or when not to join a ruck.

As a coach, you need to set up guidelines for your players as to what to do depending on the nature of the ruck. Here are some tips on coaching your players in clever and strategic committing to rucks.

There are a number of different simple yet effective methods you can teach your players so they know when to commit to a ruck. The first is judging their distance from the tackled player. The closer the player is, the more ready he should be to get in. Further away players should move towards the ruck and be ready to join if needed. Finally, the furthest players should keep back from the ruck and be ready to receive the ball if it comes towards them.

The second is the position of the ball relative to the gain line. This can have a significant effect on how many players are needed and how quickly the ball can be recycled. If the tackled player has made ground and taken the ball over the gain line, their impact will tend to mean quicker ball will come out of the ruck and therefore fewer players are needed. If the ball is on or around the gain line of the previous phase, then more players will be needed to ensure there is not a turnover. On the other hand, if the ball is behind the gain line, alarm bells should be going off in the player's head – this is a very dangerous position and more players should be committed to ensure no turnover.

Lastly, you should come up with a series of calls that players in the ruck can give to advise their teammates whether it is worth joining the ruck or not. Many teams use a “traffic light” system where green means there is no need to join – the team already has the ball; amber means the ball is still being contested, so join (or at least move towards the ball); while red means the ball has been lost – prepare to counter-ruck or defend. This simple system immediately gives other forwards the necessary information to make their decision.

It is important that your players be able to react instinctively and act appropriately almost without thought. For this reason, you should run practise sessions for decision making regarding rucks. This can be organised as a drill – split the team in two, slightly biased towards attackers. Then organise a set piece as usual and put the ball at a cone somewhere in the pitch and immediately have players respond as if the ball was in a ruck – i.e. decide whether they should join the ruck or not and move accordingly. Obviously, positioning is the most important thing, the players do not need to contest the ball. Vary the positioning of the ball at different cones to encourage them to constantly think differently.

Good field positioning is everything in rugby. If your players know when or when not to join a ruck, they will be one step further towards ideal attacking and defending lines!