The Wales lock gives his tips for getting your hands on the ball in the air

Cory Hill: How to catch in a lineout

Cory Hill made his Wales debut against Australia in 2016 and famously scored the decisive try after 34 phases in his country’s Six Nations win over England in 2019. Here he talks about a skill second-rows are more known for and gives his advice on how catch the ball at lineout time…

The catch

“Develop a relationship with your hooker. First, stay on the floor to get used to catching above your head. Then build in the lift, staying straight-on with hands above head.”

The lift

“It is important to get
 a good lift. The front lifter should be low, their hand just above the knee, with the back lifter having their hands under your buttocks. They step in and squeeze you up – if you emphasise staying square, with a strong core and arms above your head and trust the lift, you are in a good place to catch.”

The drill

“The catcher’s responsibility is to take the ball. So try a drill where you are on your knees, with someone kicking the ball to you to catch it. The more confident you are, the harder the kick. You can also practise catching up-and-unders above 
your head.”

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The timing

“Work on your timing. At the front of the lineout you can attack the ball, but if you are catching at the middle of the lineout, the later you leave it to go up the more chance you have of beating the opposition. So know where the ball should be above your head at full stretch.”

This article originally appeared in the October 2017 edition of Rugby World magazine.

Every month Rugby World features advice from professional players and coaches on specific skills.

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