EXPERT SESSIONS AND ADVICE FROM QUALIFIED AND EXPERIENCED GRASSROOTS RUGBY COACHES
01/10/2020 | Rugby drills
Now we are back into the swing of the season again, it’s time to give our training fresh impetus. Here are 40 of our latest sessions, activities, games, tactics and coaching advice to give you momentum. We’ve split it into: handling, attack, contact, defence, kicking, coaching, games, set piece and mini rugby. Handling VIDEO: Handling... MORE
11/8/2019 | Tackling
We've got over 600 drills, activities, tips, tactics and games on the site about tackling. So, while we love all of them, here's our top ten. MORE
10/21/2019 | Rugby drills
Sometimes, a play from a ruck finishes behind the original ruck. Help your players understand their roles and reactions to reset and attack again with this scenario activity. MORE
12/7/2019 | Rugby coaching
Your side will have its fair share of stars, good players and not-so-good. Keep all the players involved and happy, and make each one feel they are a world-beater. MORE
11/24/2019 | Rugby drills
"There’s not much incentive to be a third receiver. The Law of the Jungle suggests that if you want to touch the ball, you get close to it." 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
01/21/2020 | Rugby coaching videos
Use this continuous one minute game to put passing and decision-making under pressure. MORE
01/18/2020 | Defence
Use this game-skill-game approach to develop your players tackling skills and game awareness of how to complete the tackle. It focuses on footwork and shoulder contact. MORE
01/8/2020 | Small-sided games
Running back a kick will be an important part of any team’s attacking play. Use this game to work on the chase and the kick-return in open play. MORE
01/20/2020 | Rugby coaching videos
01/19/2020 | Warm Ups
01/17/2020 | Rugby drills
01/16/2020 | Rucking & Mauling
01/15/2020 | Rugby drills
01/9/2020 | Attack
01/21/2020 |
It is important that your players are aware of the different roles in attack from broken play. Though some may rarely play that role in the game, a greater understanding of the needs of other players will improve their own all round decision making. MORE
01/20/2020 |
Simple patterns of play from breakdowns can create overlaps. Here is a pattern where the players behind the breakdown situation move to one side of the breakdown, leading to an overload. It works on running and handling skills with a real “in-game” feel to the outcomes. MORE
01/14/2020 |
Use this session to improve your players’ ability to break down an organised defence, simply by changing their running angles. It is not about fancy footwork in front of the defence. The ball carrier must hit a point and then move off at an angle with pace and force. MORE
10/4/2019 | Warm Ups
Use this template to get your team mentally and physically fired-up and ready for their match. Pre-match warm-ups aim to activate the body and mind ready for the kick-off. But, you cannot cover your complete game-plan in the warm-up. MORE
08/6/2019 | Warm Ups
A physical, fun and warm-up, log rolls encourage teamwork and prepare players for contact. Split players into groups of at least six. Put five players in a row, on the ground, shoulder-to-shoulder. Put another player, on their back, across these players, lying across their middles. On your call, the group has to propel the... 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
01/20/2020 | Podcast
Wilbur Kraak, a senior lecturer and rugby researcher at Department of Sport Science, Stellenbosch University, South Africa, has recently published his findings on the effects of a skills specific coaching education programme on the skill level of mini-rugby players. Working with Jacques Basson, their conclusions shed further light on what good practice design looks like... MORE
01/14/2020 | Rugby drills
Here is a new contact activity, and how I would introduce it to players who've not seen it before. The activity itself works on good techniques in the ruck area and decision making around the tackle. This is part two, when I add some knowledge to their current understanding, to build up their skillset. MORE
01/14/2020 | Podcast
Craig Gunn and I tackle some of the more difficult parts of coaching, especially with younger players. MORE
01/11/2020 | Rugby drills
We use lots of games and game-related scenarios in training to develop our conditioning, skills and tactics. Here are my favourites when we prepared for the World Rugby Sevens Series... MORE
11/5/2019
Players love games...and so do we! But are you getting the most out of them? We've got a series of ways to you can exploit the natural desire to play games in training to help develop your players' skills, teamwork and general play. MORE
10/31/2019
With the 2019 World Cup final only two days away, there's never been a better time for coaches to show players what's happening at the top end of the game. And then to put some of these into practice during training and into matches. MORE
10/29/2019
Improve your players' handling by giving them plenty of opportunities to pass the ball in training. Not all the passes are the same, and not all passers either. Help your players discover which works best for them, while giving them hints and tips on how to progress. 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
