{{unreferenced, date=June 2013
The Blitz defence is a defensive technique used in rugby union. It was brought to prominence by Shaun Edwards, the head coach of
London Wasps
Wasps Rugby Football Club is a professional rugby union team. They last played in Premiership Rugby, the top division of English rugby until being suspended on 12 October 2022. On 17 October 2022 the club entered administration, resulting in r ...
. The Blitz defence relies on the whole defensive line moving forward towards their markedman as one as soon as the ball leaves the base of a ruck or maul. The charge is usually led by the inside centre.
The idea of this technique is to prevent the attacking team gaining any ground by tackling them behind the
gain line
The gain line, in rugby union, is an imaginary line (parallel to the halfway line) drawn across the pitch at the point where there is a breakdown in open play, such as a ruck, maul or scrum
Scrum may refer to:
Sport
* Scrum (rugby), a method ...
and forcing interceptions and charged-down kicks. However, the defending team can be vulnerable to chip kicks and any player breaking the defensive line will have much space to play because the defence are running the other way and must stop, turn and chase. In many ways, the blitz is similar to the defence used in rugby league which can be explained by Edwards's background in that code.
It has however, paid dividends for London Wasps with the team winning the
Heineken Cup
The European Rugby Champions Cup (known as the Heineken Champions Cup for sponsorship reasons) is an annual rugby union tournament organised by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR). It is the top-tier competition for clubs who compete in a pre ...
in 2003-04 and 2006–07, the Premiership title in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2008 and the Anglo-Welsh Cup in 2006.
Not only this, but this style of defence played a significant role in the
2008 Six Nations
The 2008 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2008 RBS 6 Nations because of sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the ninth series of the rugby union Six Nations Championship, the 114th series of the international championship.
Fifteen ...
Grand Slam for the
Welsh national team
)
, Association = Football Association of Wales (FAW)
, Confederation = UEFA (Europe)
, Coach = Rob Page
, Captain = Gareth Bale
, Most caps = Gareth Bale (111)
, Top scorer = Gareth Bal ...
, who conceded only two tries over five games.
The term blitz defence is derived from a defensive play in American Football, where the defence players (usually Linebackers) pile forward against the offensive line ''en masse'' in the hope of tackling the Quarterback while he is still in possession of the ball.