EXPERT SESSIONS AND ADVICE FROM QUALIFIED AND EXPERIENCED GRASSROOTS RUGBY COACHES
08/8/2022 | Rugby drills
Put your slow ball ruck plays into more game-like situations. This wrap play exercise is a good starting point, and you can then use it to develop other tactics. A wrap play turns slow ball into quick ball and allows your 9 to recycle it at pace. MORE
07/31/2022 | Rugby drills
Expect higher standards from your players, no matter what level they are. Do this by creating one focus for the session, a principle of play they must keep to all the time. MORE
07/20/2022 | Rugby Coach Weekly with Dan Cottrell
Dan Cottrell speaks to Inside Running Academy boss, Mike Rogers. Mike, who's just finished a season in the US MLR with the New England Free Jacks talks openly about his experience coaching in both his homeland of New Zealand and the States. There is a very moving passage where we discuss vulnerability and authenticity. Mike's message about his relationship with rugby and his family will strike many chords with coaches. MORE
05/14/2022 | Mini tag
Use parent stations to allow you to run lots of activities with a parent overseeing each activity. It requires one parent, minimal setup and minimal instructions. Each station runs for two to three minutes before the players move to another station. MORE
05/13/2022 | Mini tag
Use parent stations to allow you to run lots of activities with a parent overseeing each activity. It requires one parent, minimal setup and minimal instructions. Each station runs for two to three minutes before the players move to another station. MORE
07/28/2020 | Mini tag
Get your ball carriers used to running forward to score tries. This session can be run as a warm-up or as a proper tackling session as well. Often players fail to run forwards even when they know the try line is that way. This session should encourage them to attack a space in front them and go for it. MORE
08/4/2022 | Rugby drills
“An attacker picks up a rolling ball under pressure and then decides whether to pass or run to keep the play going forward.” MORE
08/2/2022 | Rugby drills
“An attacker and defender run unusual running lines, which map out an R, to create a dynamic 1 v 1 which gives a chance for the attacker to attempt to step inside or outflank the defender” MORE
07/9/2022 | Rugby drills
The wolf (the defender) aims to bring down the hero and steal the ball. The hero aims to save the ball and then, after a count of five, pass to a teammate. The wolf wins if they bring down the hero, steal the ball or force them out of the edges or starting end of the box. MORE
08/12/2022 | Tackling
08/10/2022 | Rugby drills
07/16/2022 | Rugby drills
07/12/2022 | Tackling
07/11/2022 | Rugby drills
07/6/2022 | Contact
Challenge defenders to work in pairs but from different starting angles and distances from the attack. They will have to make decisions about whether to “manage” the attack by drifting or to close it down before it can spread the ball wide. MORE
This session works on players taking the ball into contact in groups of four. This is most likely in a game when you know the opposition is a good rucking team, the referee might be loose on hands in the ruck, or you need to increase your chances of ball retention. MORE
This is a tough, physical session that works on players going forward in narrow spaces. The emphasis should be on ball retention in contact, with players using footwork to get to the edges of defenders while going forward. If their progress is stopped, they should recycle and attack the next space. MORE
01/28/2022 | Warm Ups
Get your players ready for contact with these games. They'll warm up your players’ shoulders and upper bodies in a fun way to prepare for sessions involving contact. It will put them into dynamic positions that they might not usually be used to. MORE
01/13/2022 | Rugby drills
Get your session buzzing with these three activities for an active warm-up. By using games, chaos and lots of movement, the players will be using all the key physical literacy skills in a busy environment. MORE
09/4/2021 | Rugby drills
"When asked what my three go-to U12s warm-ups are, I have no hesitation in listing them out", says Dan Brockhurst, owner of DB Sports Coaching. MORE
08/14/2022 | Round-up Rodeo with Phil Llewellyn
Host Phil Llewellyn with guests review some of the many great podcasts, books, articles and webinars from the last week. This week's guests: Mike Pride, chiropractor and rugby coach, Isak Hommedal, Norweigan sports club leader and Matthew Shaw, sports lecturer and coach. All are rugby players in Norway who have been instrumental in setting up rugby clubs in the west of the country. MORE
08/6/2022 | Rugby coaching
Balance training, so players move from technique to real situations, even if the technique isn’t perfect. Use challenges to see what they can achieve, not what they can’t. Greg Cooper, Utah Warriors head coach explains how he does this. MORE
07/29/2022 | Rugby coaching
Pointing out a player’s weaknesses can be difficult and possibly counter-productive. Here, we explain how you can work with each player positively, by changing your focus. MORE
07/27/2022 | Rugby Coach Weekly with Dan Cottrell
Dan talks to two key people from the Crusaders Coaching Leadership Programme™: Crusaders International Academy Manager Grant Keenan, and Kaila Colbin, CEO of Crusaders leadership training partner Boma. They share their experience of working with the 13-time Super Rugby winners from New Zealand, and how the team has built their culture and environment MORE
10/19/2021
Lineout training should be based around getting the basics right first. When Gary Gold was coaching the South African team with Victor Matfield and they were the best lineout in the world, he used to say: "They know where the ball is going, but Victor will always beat them into the air." But a lineout is not just about the jump/lift. It's also about what happens afterwards. Here are four activities to develop different aspects of this set-piece situation. MORE
10/5/2021
There are so many elements to passing, which ones do you concentrate on first and how do you train them? Here are a bunch of the priority skills you need and then great ways to train them. MORE
06/15/2021
The RFU has brought forward plans to reduce the tackle height at age grade rugby to below the armpits. Talking to experienced school coaches in particular, they don't see much change in the impact on the game as a whole. However, it is an excellent opportunity to reexamine your tackle technique training. MORE
“The boys have really enjoyed the drills from Rugby Coach Weekly. It's been great having them at my fingertips and every training session this season we tried new things, which I believe helped keep the boys interested and enthusiastic.”
Phil Hopkins, Perigueux, France
72 of the Game's Tactical Concepts in Simple, Plain Language MORE
With so much to cover when coaching young players, it can be a daunting task to know the basics... now there's help MORE
