EXPERT SESSIONS AND ADVICE FROM QUALIFIED AND EXPERIENCED GRASSROOTS RUGBY COACHES
07/8/2019 | Pre-season
Here is a collection of great ideas for planning, fitness, skills and games for your pre-season preparation, whatever age and level of player you coach. MORE
01/13/2019 | Tackling
Develop good footwork in the last few steps before the tackle. First, to power into a tackle situation, and then to adjust as the tackle target moves either to the left or the right. This activity uses low-impact outcomes with tackle tubes to focus on the technical aspects of the skill. MORE
01/5/2019 | Rugby coaching
Teach the basics of the game, with a game, playing walking rugby. Stop the game to highlight key areas and ask the players for solutions. MORE
05/4/2019 | Small-sided games
We know what a challenge getting youngsters to listen can be. So how do you get them motivated and having fun? It starts with the warm-up, when you need to set the tempo for your session… MORE
03/23/2019 | Rugby drills
Use this tag game to improve tagging ability. You could also change up the tag to grab or even full tackling for older, more experienced players. MORE
11/13/2018 | Email Newsletters
Need to inject some new ideas in training. Sometimes the old games have run their course. Well, for the time being anyway. Here are some fun games which are quick to set-up and, with few rules, give the players new challenges. Though they are primarily aimed at mini-tag, you can easily adapt them for older players. I think you find the energy generated quite uplifting. MORE
07/9/2019 | Small-sided games
In this touch rugby game, which works well for up to 9 v 9, the players concentrate on good ball placement and then quick passing away from the tackle area. Also, notice how the coach intervenes quickly and effectively. MORE
06/27/2019 | Podcast
In our series of session walkthroughs, Chris Sweetapple discusses with a game he renamed "hot rucks", which was a development of the Rugby Coach Weekly game, Snap-back ruck game. MORE
06/10/2019 | Small-sided games
Develop the understanding around support lines and how they change depending on whether the attack is in a narrow channel or wider. MORE
07/19/2019 | Core skills
07/17/2019 | Core skills
07/16/2019 | Rugby drills
07/11/2019 | Rugby drills
07/6/2019 | Rugby drills
07/4/2019 | Rugby drills
07/16/2019 |
Being aggressive in the tackle and presenting the ball well creates quicker ball at the ruck. This session focuses on how your players take contact if they can’t avoid it. Winning the contest at the breakdown is a fundamental piece of your core unit skills. MORE
07/15/2019 |
This session makes oral communication a feature. It forces the players to be accurate, concise and urgent when they are without the ball – both in attack and defence. You will see the difference when you take the communication option away. MORE
07/9/2019 |
Creating an extra player in attack is a great advantage. It certainly makes the decision making process for your players more straightforward. It is even more of an advantage if the extra player arrives from deep and at speed. MORE
07/18/2019 | Rugby drills
One of the key influences you have on your team is in the hour or so before the match. Learn how to maximise that time to bring the best out of your players and get them flying from the first whistle. MORE
07/16/2019 | Email Newsletters
Getting ready for training needs players to get their bodies and minds in tune. Play lots of games to motivate and engage the players. Then break out into skills zones where your players can start to concentrate on the details. Here are four warm-up skills activities which can be mixed into your training routines, all from our growing video archive. MORE
07/8/2019 | Rugby drills
Get your ruck defenders into the right position then create an awareness of the ball and the attacking threats in this simple ruck warm-up exercise. MORE
07/21/2019 | Rugby coaching
Sometimes the most logical answer to a problem isn’t the right one. So when assessing how to improve performance, apply the DAP principle to your thought process – Deep, Accurate, Practical. So, you’ve reached the end of the season or you are getting ready for next season. The most difficult thing you’ll do at this... MORE
07/19/2019 | Podcast
Liza Burgess talks with former Scottish international and experienced coach, Donna Kennedy. She is passionate about the women’s game, Scottish rugby and coaching as a whole. She talks about how the women’s game needs to change to continue to move forward. Donna has coached at lots of levels of the game, including the Barbarians, and... MORE
07/14/2019 | Lineout plays
What should you do if the opposition are just too good in the air? Or if you don’t have any jumpers? Instead of throwing the ball several feet above people’s heads, some ingenuity will be called for… MORE
07/12/2019 | Girls/Womens
A podcast with the legendary Anna Richards talking about her progression from playing to coaching along with an insight into what is exciting her about the future of the women's game. MORE
07/11/2019
Technically better tacklers are also safer tacklers. Develop tackling expertise with these exercises – they are ideal for pre-season training and are also great as revision tools as the season progresses. You will note that they include plenty of footwork, which is an essential part of the process of improvement. We will start with 4... MORE
07/9/2019
The Super Rugby final last weekend between NZ side, the Crusaders and the Jaguares from Argentina was brutal! The contact area was keenly fought, and the players with the best technique and decision making prospered. In the end, we got to see Scott "Razor" Robertson, the Crusader coach, celebrate with his iconic dancing. However, the detail that goes into winning rucks was a crucial part of the reason that they won. MORE
07/2/2019
The best coaches earn their corn by improving their players' skills under pressure. Let's focus on handling, and how we can provide different opportunities for players to learn, enjoy and explore. 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
