Watch any amateur touch match and the same pattern repeats: attacking team shifts the ball wide, the wing defender bites in, the next attacker breaks the line untouched. Every time. Drift defence is the shape that fixes it. Four rules, ten minutes of practice.
What drift looks like
When the ball moves wide, every defender slides outwards by one position. The middle defender takes what was the link's man, the link takes the wing's man, the wing pushes outwards to cut off the touchline. Nobody guards the player they started on — everyone's tracking the player one channel outside.
The whole line moves together at the same pace. If one defender stays put, you get a hole on their inside; if one runs ahead, you get a hole on their outside. Drift only works when the line slides as a unit.
Rule 1: Inside shoulder, outside foot
Each defender keeps their inside shoulder pointed at the ball-carrier and their outside foot stepping outwards. That body shape forces the attacker to cut back inside (where another defender already is) instead of going around the outside.
Rule 2: Talk constantly
The drift only works if everyone moves on the same beat. The middle defender calls "drift!" the moment the ball leaves the dummy half. Without that call, half your line is still defending the player they started on.
Rule 3: The wing pushes UP, not in
Most concessions happen because the wing defender breaks the pattern and runs at the second-last attacker. They get round him; the actual wing scores untouched. The wing defender's only job is to cut off the touchline — track the wing attacker, push up, force them inside into the link.
Rule 4: Reset between sets
After the six-touch turnover, the whole defensive line walks back to the line of touch and resets. Don't try to scramble drift mid-set when you've lost the shape — concede the touchdown if you have to and reset clean for the next set.
Get the team out for a 30-minute drill session: walk through the slide at half-pace ten times, then ramp to full speed. The pattern locks in within one training.