This week as part of our Rugby Tactics feature we’re looking at the effectiveness of the rolling Maul, focusing on Exeter Chiefs' recent use of it to score four tries against Wasps RFC in the Aviva Premiership. Whilst many people see the Maul as negative, boring Rugby it’s hard to ignore the fact it’s a highly effective weapon in attack. It’s a tactic that can be deployed at any level of the game, from social all the way through to International Rugby, as we see in the clip with England’s try against Fiji in this year’s World Cup. In the video we put aside the debate around law interpretations and look at two of Exeter Chiefs tries, first looking at how they manipulate the line out to create a better chance of success in forming the Maul, and then how they use Wasps RFC’s power against them. Key to Exeter Chiefs success is how they ride out the initial Wasps counter drive and then use the force generated by it to turn the Maul infield and “roll” away from the defenders leaving the Wasps defence constantly moving and ultimately struggling to stop their juggernaut as it powers forward, guided by scrumhalf Will Chudley. Like many elements of Rugby it’s about approaching the tactic with a positive mindset. Whilst the Maul is used to score here it can also be deployed effectively in other areas of the game. When used to gain territory, suck in defenders and send defensive lines backwards, it can create space for pacey outside backs to exploit, so it can actually be a tactic for genuinely positive rugby. As always please feel freeto leave feedback and comments in the section below. Let us know what you think of the videos and if there is anything you are keen for us to look at in more detail.

About The DeadballareaAn Englishman living in France, Graeme Forbes runs Rugby Analysis website, thedeadballarea.com. An IRB qualified coach, in his spare time he helps coach a junior men's team in Paris. You can catch him on twitter lazily re-tweeting other peoples comments and the Green and Gold Rugby website where he contributes Super 15 and Wallabies based analysis articles.

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