EXPERT SESSIONS AND ADVICE FROM QUALIFIED AND EXPERIENCED GRASSROOTS RUGBY COACHES
07/7/2020 | Warm Ups
Use this box passing game to develop pass, catch and movement skills as well as defensive movement. The players can quickly develop their own adaptions. A great warm-up game for in-season training. MORE
07/5/2020 | Small-sided games
Use this kicking game to improve kicking, catching and tactical awareness, as well introduce some fatigue elements into training. Tactically, using a variety of kicks, the aim is to find spaces where the defenders are not covering. MORE
06/23/2020 | Rugby drills
With up to five players in action, use this exercise to work on footwork, decision making and teamwork. Quick to set up, it can be used as part your RTP sessions or into the main season as a warm up 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
06/25/2020 | Small-sided games
Don’t just play a game in training, make sense of it for you and your players. London Irish Academy Coach Development Officer, Rhys Davies develops “Fiji touch”. MORE
06/9/2020 | Rucking & Mauling
Making quick, accurate decisions at the ruck will help create quick ball. The role of the first supporter at the ruck is based almost entirely on the threat of the nearest defender. Here is how I define the different options and ways to coach those options more effectively. MORE
05/28/2020 | Rugby drills
Encourage all the best attributes in a good defensive line with this game of slide and hammer. It will improve your teams’ line speed and cohesiveness. MORE
06/28/2020 | Rucking & Mauling
06/27/2020 | Kicking & Catching
06/18/2020 | Rugby drills
06/14/2020 | Rugby drills
06/11/2020 | Rugby drills
06/6/2020 | Rugby drills
Safe rucking equals good rucking. This session helps players get the idea that arriving at the ruck with a good body position will give them more power at the contact and will keep them on their feet. This low to high movement is like a plane taking off. MORE
The three point stance is used in American Football, where getting low and exploding forward is essential for players in the front line. Defending the channels close to a ruck is very similar. Players need to be ready to go but patient, waiting for the ball to be played. It’s then a race to get to the gain line and stop the attack. MORE
Help your players relish tackling by making a competition of it. Not only will this improve the team’s defence as they become incentivised to tackle more, it can change the mindset of players from “have to tackle” to “want to tackle”. MORE
03/10/2020 | Warm Ups
Here is how you can integrate ACTIVATE Pogo jumps into a 1 v 1 evasion activity. MORE
03/3/2020 | Warm Ups
Integrate ACTIVATE activities into your warm-ups with ski-jumps and with 2 v 1s. 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
07/8/2020 | Podcast
Liza Bird Burgess and LJ Lewis discuss a round of questions about the practicalities of the game. In this episode, they are with Loughborough BUCS women's coach, Maria Crowfoot. MORE
07/5/2020 | Podcast
Host Phil Llewellyn with guests Jess Bunyard, Maria Crowfoot and Anastacia Long review some of the many great podcasts and webinars from the last week. The team pick out the key takeaways from each episode and how to use it on the pitch, at all the levels of the game. MORE
07/4/2020 | Rugby coaching
Trust is very important between a player and his manager. But how is trust earned? Sports psychologist Dan Abrahams offers grassroots coaches four tips to help them gain the confidence of their players. MORE
07/1/2020 | Podcast
Si Nainby delivers a two-part podcast with Andre Quinn. He is Head of Athletic Performance at Cavan GAA. He was previously a strength and conditioning coach at London Irish and sports scientist at Harlequins. MORE
07/7/2020
You want your training to be purposeful. That means players feel they've gained something from the session. Here's a mix of handling, fitness and kicking games to help populate your training sessions for the return to play. It looks a lot like pre-season of course. You will see the fundamentals of skills, teamwork and movement, but little or no focus on tactics or contact. MORE
06/25/2020
Here's a quick preview of my talk at the The Virtual Rugby Show. I'm speaking at 2pm on Saturday (27th). MORE
06/23/2020
We've got more ideas for teams who are tentatively coming back to training. These are good warm up activities once we get back into the regular season too. Also, there are some lessons from the return to full blown rugby in New Zealand with the Super Rugby Aotearoa competition. These lessons are very simple. Follow the true letter of the law around the tackle and ruck area. 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
