How to lift at a lineout – by Scott Andrews

Strength, athleticism, timing… The lineout in rugby involves many different facets and one of the key elements is hoisting the jumpers into the air to try to win possession.

Here Cardiff prop Scott Andrews explains how to lift at a lineout…

Footwork

“The first thing to focus on is footwork, to get your feet square. That means that the front and back lifter are facing one another, and your feet are nice and wide.

“That allows you to drop your hips quite low to get into position to lift effectively. You want to get your feet really close to the jumper too.”

Hand positioning

“Next is hand positioning. Get your hands around the strapping on the jumper’s thighs to be able to lift securely to maximum height. If you miss and slide up the leg, you won’t get an efficient lift or the height.

“The back lifter should get their hands under the niche of the bum for a solid grip.”

Gym work

“You can train for lineout lifting in the gym with power lifts and push presses. We make it more rugby specific by using weighted medicine balls. We get in the squat position and then throw those balls directly above us as high as we can.

“You can also practise one-man lifts, usually just with the front man. You won’t be able to get the jumper up right to the top probably but with a two-man lift they will fly up.”

Speed

“We have a lineout where there is a front jumper and it’s just a race to get the jumper up. The jumper will be coiled, ready to go. We take our grip and it’s on the jumper to choose when to go.

“The jumper shouldn’t dip, they should just push off and then we drive them up and chase our feet in under the jumper and get a full arm extension. It’s a great option if your lineout isn’t working that well.”

This article originally appeared in Rugby World’s February 2022 edition.

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