Last week I reviewed the performance of Will Genia when the Reds played the Cheetahs. A lot of the discussion that arose from that article focussed on Genia’s kicking and in particular, his box kicking.

I made some comments in response but I thought the whole topic of box kicks was one worth expanding on including why the box kick is important, the technique involved and the role of the players forming the screen in front of the kicker.

Why use a box kick?

The most common use for a box kick is as an exit option from within the 22 where the ball can be kicked directly into touch.

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But why use a box kick instead of a pass to a kicker behind the line who should have more time and angle to make a longer kick? There are two answers to this question; the pass back to a kicker nullifies some of the potential distance gain over a box kick; and the other players are normally in front of the kicker so can’t start chasing until they are put on side.

The following images show a typical situation where a box kick is normally the preferred choice from last year’s match between England and New Zealand. However, in this case the deep kicking option was used and New Zealand had three chasers ready to apply pressure.

From this position the ball needed to be kicked out. Regardless of the outcome caused by the pressure from the chasers, the length of kick from a well executed kick from 10-12 metres further up the field than Farrell’s depth should have matched the potential length of Farrell’s kick with less risk.

With all of the other England players in front of Farrell none of them would have been able to start chasing if he failed to kick the ball out until he ran forward and put them on side.



The following example demonstrates the much better position the chasers are in as Genia box kicks from a similar field depth to the previous example.

As well as being used as an exit option, many teams use the box kick further up field. New Zealand regularly use the box kick to put up a high ball in mid-field. They don’t look for distance with these kicks – their aim is to make them contestable for the chasers. Again, using the box kick as opposed to a deep kicker gives the chasers a better starting position as you can see in the following example.

The kick goes less than 20 metres forward but the height is sufficient that Read gets to the landing zone before the ball and with his forward momentum leaps high and knocks the ball back for New Zealand to regain.

This box kick is not a defensive kick and is not kicking possession away. It’s part of the game plan and there was obviously a call made so that the chasers knew what was on and could time their runs. The fact that it is so well executed is not luck – all of the skills involved will be practiced regularly.

A box kick is also a really good option when a turnover is achieved. Whenever a team is attacking their fullback and wingers will be close to the attacking line looking to get involved. On a turnover they have to turn and try and get into a deeper position to cover any line break or kick by the opposition.



The time taken for a kicker to get into a position behind the ball and for the ball to be passed back often gives the opposition back three the time they need to get back into position. However a box kick from where the ball is turned over can be made immediately and from a good flat position. This usually means that there is insufficient time for the back three to recover.

Here’s a good example from last year’s Super Rugby final where the Brumbies won the ball from a Chiefs lineout. Nic White kicks immediately the ball is available. You can see in the background that Jesse Mogg, who would have been a good deep kicking option, isn’t in position yet and if White had waited for him the opportunity that arises may have been missed.

The Chiefs back three have not been able to get back deep enough in cover and White’s kick goes over their heads and goes out on the Chiefs 22. You can see the ball doesn’t beat the Chiefs back three by much and this illustrates how that little bit of extra time to pass back to a deep kicker would have eliminated the opportunity for a good gain in territory.

Box kick technique

There is no rigid answer for what is the best technique for the box kick. Players develop their own little variations and over time find out what works best for them.

However, there are three keys that all of the best halfbacks use.

The first key is to start with a wide base with the kicking foot well back from the ball. A wide base provides stability for the next step but also helps to move the body away from the ruck or maul and therefore any players seeking to charge down the kick.



The second key is to take a step away from the ruck or maul with the non-kicking foot. This step turns the hips and shoulders of the kicker towards the sideline and sometimes even towards the corner post if the step is large enough.

The third key is to swing the kicking foot around the body to kick the ball. With the hips and shoulders turned away from the intended direction of the ball the kick is made over the shoulder and slightly backwards.

The following images show these three keys from two different halfbacks.



The key difference between halfbacks is the length and direction of the step with the non-kicking foot. How far back that step is also depends on how much charge down pressure there is.

Following are examples where the halfback doesn’t have to step too far back due to the lack of charge down pressure being applied.

The screen

Players acting as screens must be behind the last feet at the ruck or maul and must not move to obstruct the player rushing through. There also needs to be a gap between them and if they form a solid wall, the team is usually penalised for the halfback running behind players.

When screens are used correctly they make a huge difference to how far back the halfback has to step and how high they have to kick the ball to get it over the player trying to make the charge down. This obviously has a big impact on the distance and accuracy of the kick.



We’ve all seen a number of Genia’s box kicks charged down in the past. He used to be a little too lateral with the step with his non-kicking foot which left him closer to the players trying to make the charge down and therefore gave them an opportunity.

The lack of effective screens, particularly when playing New Zealand teams, has also not helped him with box kicks.

This year he has clearly worked on taking that step further back as shown by the previous images in this article. The position of his feet on the box kick against the Cheetahs a couple of weeks ago that was charged down was also good but with le Roux starting from so far offside he was never going to get that kick over him.