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
02/2/2020 | Small-sided games
In this fast-paced game, teams have to retain possession in a small area and then try to raid the opposition box. It will develop communication, footwork, defence and passing skills. MORE
01/27/2020 | Rugby coaching videos
We take a traditional 2 v 1 exercise and add in two elements, a random starting position for the defender and forcing the ball carrier to change their line twice. MORE
01/21/2020 | Rugby coaching videos
Use this continuous one minute game to put passing and decision-making under pressure. MORE
02/18/2020 | Contact
02/17/2020 | Rugby coaching videos
02/16/2020 | Kicking & Catching
02/15/2020 | Passing & Handling
02/14/2020 | Rugby coaching
02/10/2020 | Contact
02/18/2020 |
Offloading out of contact is “risk and reward” rugby. It maintains continuity and might get your attack behind the defence. Offloading the ball out of the tackle while still on your feet is often the quickest option, but the offload off the ground can be just as effective. The support runner can then attack the space where the tackler was. MORE
02/17/2020 |
Against an organised defence the chances to break the line with a pass are reduced. However, by drifting out and then passing back in the ball carrier can create an opportunity, because defenders often become lazy and don’t cover the inside pass. The skill comes from the receiver “tracking” inside the passer, following his drift. MORE
02/11/2020 |
“Core on” will teach players the significance of their core strength and how they can utilise it effectively in the scrum. The exercises replicate some of the movements that will happen in the scrum, so players get used to moving around as they scrummage. MORE
01/19/2020 | Warm Ups
Set your players up for the session with this competitive warm-up game which helps them use footwork, communication and in the development, passing skills. 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
02/9/2020 | Podcast
In the podcast, Geraint explains... The benefits you and your teams get from reviewing video footage from top class games. How you translate what you see in the footage into training design. How you can vary your feedback on the footage to suit different age groups. Different ways to introduce a new technique or tactic. The right focus on when you are watching back videos. How can we watch our games in real time. MORE
02/8/2020 | Rugby coaching
Dr Camilla Knight and her research team at Swansea University have been looking into the ways that parents interact with their children in a supporting environment. Here’s how their findings can help you work more effectively with your parents. MORE
02/2/2020 | Podcast
Doug Lemov, author of Teach Like a Champion, gives us some amazing insights into how to organise your training more effectively, and how to ask the best questions to enhance players' learning. MORE
01/30/2020 | Mini tag
Use this activity to develop running forwards with the ball in two hands, and aiming to evade an oncoming defender. MORE
02/18/2020
A strong, stable scrum provides an excellent platform for attacking play or effectively clearing your lines. Yet training this crucial area is never easy since you may not have all your scrum players available or access to a scrum machine. So, here are some practical solutions to build a stronger scrum. MORE
02/11/2020
Some scores from the men's Six Nations this weekend: Ireland 17 Wales 22, Scotland 14 England 5; Ireland 6 Wales 13, Scotland 2 England 0. You guessed it. These are not the final scores, because both Ireland and England won. The first "other result" is defenders beaten, the second, successful offloads. MORE
02/4/2020
"Defence wins games". Of course, that's always half the story. But it was the crucial factor in the opening Six Nations games and especially for France v England, and to a certain extent Ireland v Scotland. And, note that Italy didn't score any points at all against Wales. 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
