Alfie is a lineout jumper and caller for his rugby team. He has several strengths that help his performance including balance, power, and strong lineout calls. Balance and coordination are important for his role in the lineout. His power allows him to break tackles and gain meters. His lineout calls confuse the opposing team's defense. However, he has some areas for improvement such as evasive footwork before tackles, agility, speed, and maintaining an optimal body composition. Improving in these areas would make him less predictable, help him gain meters, and sustain a high level of play throughout a full match. Overall, emphasizing his strengths and addressing weaknesses could enhance both his individual game and contributions to his team

1. Unit 27
Task 2 – Performance Strengths and
Areas for Improvement

2. Strength 1/4• Excellence Trait: Balance
• Describe / Explain / Critically Analyze:
• balance is the ability to stay upright or stay in control of body movement, and coordination is
the ability to move two or more body parts under control, smoothly and efficiently. It is
essential that in Alfie’s position being a lineout jumper that when being elevated in the
lineout to receive the ball that his stays in an upright position whilst being in control of his
body in the air in order to precisely receive the ball. I feel like this is a real focus point and
strength for Alfie due to his level of performance as the Lineout plays a pivotal role in a teams
patterns of play (offensively defensively) having a good lineout is important as it is the
foundation for your team to play off it also gives a good platform for the backs to work off
and get front foot ball. The personal advantages of good balance is injury prevention for the
player this means that Alfie will increase his chance in competing in games on a frequent
which means he will be able to perform to his optimum levels. Poor balance ability has been
significantly associated with an increased risk in injuries in the ankle in a number of sports
this will be increased in a game of rugby due to the continuous changes of directions. The
whole team benefits of Alfie having balance would be an advantage in attack as mentioned
above Alfie will be able to have a better win ratio in the lineout and be a real effective option
at the lineout this will benefit the team in terms of attacking as this will give the forwards a
chance to set up a driving maul to gain vital meters and territory which could lead to the
opposition collapsing the maul and points being available.
Describe: Give a detailed account of something
Explain: Give a detailed account to give the meaning of something with reasons. Include the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of the topic of interest
Critically Analyse: Give your opinion of the subject of interest – consider all of the evidence and then write about both the advantages and
disadvantages

3. Strength 2/4
• Excellence Trait: Power
• Describe / Explain / Critically Analyze:
• Power specifically describes the ability to exert force quickly, rugby is largely a power sport. As a forward
activities within an 80 minutes game involve the player quickly moving his own body weight forward,
laterally and vertically, or moving the weight of an opponent quickly, meaning that power is a key
determinant of success in rugby at the highest level. It is important that power is trained especially at
performance level as it is essential in rugby to gain an advantage over your opposition. I feel this a
essential strength within rugby as I feel that for Alfie’s position and level of sport being a powerful player
will allow Alfie to break through tackles and make valuable meters to get his team over the gain line .
Another advantage of being powerful is the ability to stop an opposing player at source when defending
and make a dominant effective tackle. The overall advantage of Alfie being powerful within the game of
rugby would benefit him, due to the level that he is playing at power within a player is noticed as a trait
that gives player an advantage over his opposition this will help Alfie and give him a better chance of being
selected consistently in the first team squad as well as progressing on to higher representative honours if
he continues to show this trait effectively during an 80 minute game. The whole team benefits for this trait
for Alfie will benefit in attack as alfie will be able to get over the gain line and make valuable meters which
allows his forwards to be able to get front foot ball this will also promote fast and high tempo ball for the
backs to play off of which increases the likelihood of line breaks and possible points scored. A whole team
benefit of Alfie having power will be of an advantage in defence as alfie will be able to drive the opposition
attackers behind the gain line by using the power he has in his upper and lower body. This means that the
opposition support will be slower and less effective at the breakdown which increases the likelihood of
Alfie’s team counter rucking and turning the ball over.
Describe: Give a detailed account of something
Explain: Give a detailed account to give the meaning of something with reasons. Include the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of the topic of interest
Critically Analyse: Give your opinion of the subject of interest – consider all of the evidence and then write about both the advantages and
disadvantages

4. Strength 3/4
• Excellence Trait: Lineout Calls
• Describe / Explain / Critically Analyze:
A lineout call or code is used to communicate the throwing and catching strategy for that lineout, The lineout
plays a pivotal in a game of rugby, the lineout It is a way of restarting play after the ball has been knocked or
kicked out of play past the touch line. I felt that this was an important strength, In Alfie’s position he not only is a
lineout jumper he is also a lineout caller it is important for Alfie to have a lineout call that outwits and confuses
the opposition lineout in order for his team to maintain the ball and give a solid platform for the backs to get
front foot ball off. Without a good lineout it prevents you and your team getting front foot ball, if you have
predictable lineout calls then the opposition team are more likely to disrupt and steal your lineout ball. A good
lineout call provides the throwing team with a huge advantage because, providing the hooker is accurate, they
know exactly where the ball is going to go and who should jump or be lifted to catch it. Having good lineout calls
with be of a personal advantage to Alfie being a good lineout caller at Alfie’s level is seen as a trait that coaches
really take a liking to and a real factor within team selection and possibly being selected for higher
representative honours , being a lineout caller and leader within the lineout will increase Alfie’s chances of being
selected in the starting forwards line-up. The whole team benefits of Alfie being a good lineout call will be of an
attacking whole team advantage, having a good lineout call that confuses opposition forwards will increase the
percentage win ratio of the lineout's which will mean that they will be able to set up a driving maul, build phases
and play the game an the opposition half. If the percentage of lineout win’s is high and Alfie calls a lineout move
that maintains the ball then this will be a whole team benefit in attack as the backs have a solid platform to work
off set from the lineout ball.
Describe: Give a detailed account of something
Explain: Give a detailed account to give the meaning of something with reasons. Include the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of the topic of interest
Critically Analyse: Give your opinion of the subject of interest – consider all of the evidence and then write about both the advantages and
disadvantages

5. Strength 4/4
• Excellence Trait: use of skills
• Describe / Explain / Critically Analyze:
• Use of Skill is an athlete's ability to choose and perform the right techniques at the right
time, successfully, regularly and with a minimum of effort. Being able to use your skills
in rugby is essential as a flanker you are involved in close contact throughout the game
whether it’s “tipping” the ball on, “Jackling” for the ball or making dominant tackles, it
is important that the skills and strengths that Alfie has acquired through his training he
uses to his advantage not only for his own performance but his teams performance. In
Alfie’s position being able to be a good “jackler” of the ball adds another trait to his
repertoire and will make him a more effective player during the 80 minute period. Being
able to be a good ball player and use skills such as the “tip on” is a real benefit within
rugby the tip on changes the focus point of attack and confuses opposition defenders
this creates half gaps and effective meters made over the gain line. This will result in
territory for Alfie's team creating opportunities for more points as they will be closer to
the try line and posts. The whole team advantage of Alfie utilizing his skills will be of
both attacking and defensive whole team benefits. Firstly one main skill identified was
Alfie’s ability to “tip” the ball on and be an effective ball player in close contact, this will
be of an attacking advantage as Alfie’s supporting team mates will be running short
lines trying to attack the opposition defenders weak shoulder this will allow his team to
get over the gain line, maintain possession and create opportunities to score points.
Describe: Give a detailed account of something
Explain: Give a detailed account to give the meaning of something with reasons. Include the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of the topic of interest
Critically Analyse: Give your opinion of the subject of interest – consider all of the evidence and then write about both the advantages and
disadvantages

6. Development Area 1/4
• Excellence Trait: evasive footwork before contact
• Describe / Explain / Critically Analyze:
• Evasive footwork is the ability to destabilize an opposinjjg defender,
• In Alfie’s position as a forward he will be receiving a lot of ball around the rucks as well as
running lines of his fly half, If Alfie has poor footwork before contact he will become
predictable to opposing defenders meaning that they will be able to make effective dominant
tackles behind the gain line, as Alfie is running in a straight line and not trying to destabilize
the defender, another disadvantage of having poor footwork before contact is that when the
tackle is made Alfie will be on the floor whereas having good footwork will allow you to stay
on your feet longer which means that there is a higher chance of support players being
available to Alfie. If Alfie has poor evasive footwork then this will affect his team negatively as
it likely that the likelihood of the opposition team turning the ball over as Alfie will either be
stopped on the gain line or tackle behind the gain line which increases the chance of Alfie
losing possession which means that the opposition team will win the ball back and have a
chance to counter attack and therefore score points from a loss of possession. At the level
that Alfie is playing at the margin for error is minuscule and one vital error such as a loss of
possession could either win or lose you a game therefore if it is a noticed weakness that Alfie
has poor footwork before contact and therefore he is losing possession his coaches may
chose not to select him for further games if this weaknesses is not improved on. A whole
team disadvantage of Alfie having poor footwork will affect them in an attacking sense this is
because Alfie will not be able to destabilize defenders meaning that he will be predictable
and an easy player to defend against meaning that his team will not making effective meters
and get over the gain line.

7. Development Area 2/4
• Excellence Trait: Agility
• Agility is the ability of the body to change direction quickly, this will be a disadvantage
to Alfie as a Flanker you are involved with a lot of close contact collisions within the 80
minute game which require good agility. I felt that this was a definite area for
development as a flanker, having poor agility will reduce the likelihood of Alfie
destabilizing opposition defenders therefore making him easy and predictable to tackle
this means that he will not stay on his feet which means the time taken to support Alfie
will be reduced increasing the chance of a turnover. Another disadvantage to Alfie
having poor agility is that he will not be able to make effective meters when coming up
to opposition defenders . Having good agility in Alfie’s position is essential due to the
position that he plays, the majority of the ball that Alfie will receive will be running
short lines off the 9 and 10 all close to contact, therefore Alfie will need to be able to
destabilize opposition defenders to make possible line breaks or half breaks which could
result in Alfie giving an offload to his teammates meaning that his team will get over
the gain line this overall will give his team an attacking advantage. A whole team
disadvantage of Alfie having poor agility will affect the team in attack this is because
one of Alfie’s roles is to be an effective ball carrier this means making important yards
over the gain line through raw strength and power as well as being agile to destabilize
defenders , if he is not able to carry out this skill then this could really affect his teams
flow of attack and prevent them from building phases and continuity.
Describe: Give a detailed account of something
Explain: Give a detailed account to give the meaning of something with reasons. Include the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of the topic of interest
Critically Analyse: Give your opinion of the subject of interest – consider all of the evidence and then write about both the advantages and
disadvantages

8. Development Area 3/4
• Excellence Trait: speed
• Describe / Explain / Critically Analyse:
• Speed is the ability to move the body quickly and efficiently, speed is an essential trait within
the game of rugby it is simple if your are faster than an opposition defender you will get
round the outside of him. I feel that this was a define area for development for Alfie
especially due to his performance, Speed is important to gain an advantage over the
opponents in all aspects of the game, e.g. chasing kicks, supporting line breaks. Without
speed it can really have a negative affect on your performance reducing the chances of Alfie
making line breaks and supporting play which is a pivotal role as a flanker. It is a simple fact
within rugby speed is one of if not the most important factor within the game of rugby for
Alfie’s position he needs to be a work horse around the pitch and get to every breakdown to
support his team mates without speed the is a real disadvantage to the as Alfie will not be
able to get to the breakdown to provide protection for his team from opposition players
competing for the ball this will increase the chances of his opposition player jacking and
turning the ball over. A whole team disadvantage of Alfie not being fast will affect them
defensively, Alfie plays a pivotal role and his main role is to make tackles and “jackle” turn the
ball over if he can’t get to breakdowns or track opposition players down then this will put real
pressure on his team mates and will mean that the opposition are building phases and
building continuity into there attacking play.

9. Development Area 4/4
• Excellence Trait: Body Composition
• Describe / Explain / Critically Analyze:
• Body composition is the percentage of body weight which is fat, muscle or bone. It helps
sportspeople depending on the type of sport they play. A flanker like Alfie needs to make
sure he has a balance between muscle and fat if he doesn’t then this will negatively affect his
performance due to being involved with close contact collision which means he will not be
effective when carrying the ball in contact which means he will reduce the chances of him
getting over the gain line, if he has to much fat and not enough muscle he will not be able to
sustain a high level of performance in an 80 minute game meaning his will become less
effective as the game goes on. The disadvantage of poor body composition will mean that
Alfie's effectiveness as the game goes on will gradually decrease which means he will not be
able to carry the ball into contact effectively, in Alfie's position it is essential that he is an
effective ball carrier through the entirety of the game giving his team front foot ball and
making effective meters on the gain line, if he does not have the correct balance between
muscle and fat then he will not be an effective player throughout the 80 minute period. This
could negatively affect Alfie as his coaches may notice this weaknesses therefore not select
him for upcoming games until his body composition improves. The whole team disadvantage
of Alfie not being able to maintain a high level of performance throughout the entirety of the
game will negatively affect the team attacking wise and defensively, Alfie plays in a very
important role and if he fatigues late on in a game he will not be able to make effective
tackles on the gain line this will put pressure on his team mates and may affect the structure
and flow of the defensive pattern.