This week's Rugby Tactics feature is a try analysis looking at Leicester Tigers center Matt Smith's try against Northampton Saints. Aaron Mauger returned to Leicester as head coach at the beginning of the season and we think it’s fair to say his impact has been noticeable. One of Mauger's trademarks as assistant coach at at the Crusaders was the team's focus on basic skills, and it’s clear to see that he’s brought the same mentality to the Tigers, as they’ve quickly transformed themselves into one of the most dynamic and exciting teams in the Premiership. There are a few things really worth focusing on in this video, such as how tactically they look to stretch the Northampton defence early on, pulling them out to the sidelines to maximise space and give themselves options that they exploit in some style. As well as the way they regularly use the split field set up to maintain space and reduce teams defensive line speed, and of course the way they use a previously highlighted tactic in the screened pass in the midfield to fix defenders and preserve space. Individually there is some excellent decision making skills on show, for example the way Vaeiniu and Thompstone identify and attack the slow Northampton kick chase, and ultimately the way Matt Smith beats his man before he's even caught the ball. The speed that Leicester play the game at is impressive and that comes from a well drilled, cohesive side who are confident in their ability to make the right decisions at pace. As we've always highlighted in our previous tactics, it's important to remember this kind of attacking Rugby can be achieved at all levels of the game. The focus for professional teams like Leicester is clearly getting the basics right so they can play uncomplicated Rugby at pace. So it really does just come down to being able to execute your basic skills faster and more efficiently than the opposition. As always please feel free to 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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