New
New
Year 10
OCR

Breaking the line

I can create try scoring opportunities by moving at pace and supporting the ball carrier from an onside position.

New
New
Year 10
OCR

Breaking the line

I can create try scoring opportunities by moving at pace and supporting the ball carrier from an onside position.

These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.

These resources were created for remote use during the pandemic and are not designed for classroom teaching.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Move: using fast feet with a varied rhythm helps to wrong foot the opposition.
  2. Move: attackers supporting the ball carrier should run on to the ball at pace from deep.
  3. Think: once you make a pass, it is important to get back onside to support the next phase of play.
  4. Feel: individuals need to show determination to get past a defender successfully.
  5. Connect: leadership at the breakdown helps capitalise on opportunities to attack or to deny the opposition's attack.

Keywords

  • Feint - a brief movement in one direction to confuse or deceive the opposition before running in a different direction

  • Swerve - a small change of direction at speed to evade a defender

  • Offside - if a player is not behind the ball when it is played by a teammate and they interfere with play

Common misconception

Pupils think they should stand next to the ball carrier when running a support line.

It is better to start deeper so you are able to catch the ball at full pace and have more chance of breaking the gain line


To help you plan your year 10 physical education lesson on: Breaking the line, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Tackling, rucking and mauling can be us used in this lesson if pupils are experienced and safe to do so, however, contact versions of the game should only be managed by suitably experienced and qualified staff (inc. concussion training).
Teacher tip

Equipment

1 ball between 2, 12 tackle bags and 30+ cones

Content guidance

  • Risk assessment required - physical activity

Supervision

Adult supervision required

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Prior knowledge starter quiz

Download quiz pdf

4 Questions

Q1.
When are spin passes beneficial to use?

over short distances
Correct answer: over long distances
as a crash ball

Q2.
What is a dummy pass?

a long pass
a short pass
Correct answer: a pretend pass

Q3.
What can a lateral pass to a player at the gain line be known as?

spin-pass
Correct answer: crash ball
switch ball

Q4.
What’s the attacking play where the player passes and then runs around the outside to catch again?

switch
dummy switch
Correct answer: loop

Assessment exit quiz

Download quiz pdf

4 Questions

Q1.
What is it called if you curve your run at speed to evade a defender?

Correct answer: a swerve
a feint
a dummy

Q2.
Where should you start as a support runner to the ball carrier?

side on
Correct answer: further back behind
in front

Q3.
At a ruck, if an attacker moves forward quicker than the ball is released what is likely to happen?

Correct Answer: offside penalty, penalty offside

Q4.
If you are the person distributing the ball from the breakdown what good qualities should you demonstrate?

selfishness
Correct answer: leadership
indecisiveness