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LOGINUnder-18 6 Week Pre-Season Plan
Pre-Seasonby Dan Cottrell
A six-week plan for a more physical, tactical game. Robustness is the early target; transition objectives and connected line speed are the rugby focus; and the friendly is where you test transfer – not where it must be perfect.
Our Season from A → Z
| Pre-season | First friendly | First match | Half term | Pre-Christmas | Christmas | Post-Christmas | To Easter | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | B | C to D | E–H | I–M | Break | N–Q | R–U | W–Z |
The Approach
Pre-season is not the finish line; it is the start of the season-long journey. Plan it around a few clear intentions, build robustness, and use the rare gift of time without games.
Start with the end in mind
- Point A is your planning and reflection. Point Z is the final game of the season.
- Design the journey backwards from Point Z, like a curriculum.
- The first friendly is only Point B. It will be messy and so will the opposition. Everyone is in the same boat.
Chase robustness, not just fitness
- Robustness is repeatability: the ability to do it again next week without breaking down.
- It is a robustness of body and of mindset – up, down, change direction, wrestle, and back it up.
- The base you build now is hard to chase back later.
Pick a couple of objectives, not twenty
- Chase too many rabbits and you catch none. Pick a small number of things to go after and get real clarity on them.
- Roughly one or two in attack, one or two in defence – not a long install list you hope will stick.
- The friendly is where you test the rabbits, not where they must already be polished.
Objectives & Examples
Go after a couple of clear objectives – typically one or two in attack and one or two in defence – and define how you will measure them.
attack
- Transition from kick (counter shape and support)
- Transition from turnover at the breakdown (play fast)
- Attacking shape off 9 and 10 (clarity in the channels)
- First-phase strike off set piece
- Exit and kicking game
defence
- Connected line speed under pressure
- System cohesion (drift / blitz)
- Breakdown pressure (counter-ruck, jackal)
- Scramble and reload after a break
set piece
- Lineout – CSS (Clarity, Scanning, Speed)
- Scrum platform
individual
- Position-specific development or a new role
Our Objectives for Pre-SeasonWrite the few things this group is going after this pre-season. Keep the list short and specific.
Attack objective 1
Attack objective 2 (optional)
Defence objective 1
Defence objective 2 (optional)
Set piece objective (optional)
Squad objective (optional)
What success looks like at the first friendly
Individual Development Plan (IDP)
Players fill this in and revisit it through pre-season. Keep it short enough to actually use.
My IDPPlayers fill this in and revisit it through pre-season. Keep it short enough to actually use.
Name / position
My super strength
My biggest work-on
What support do I need?
What challenge do I need?
Technical score (1–10)
Tactical score (1–10)
Physical score (1–10)
Contact confidence (1–10)
A role / position I want to develop
The Intensity Dial
Exploring vs common language
A small-sided game like a 5v4 can be run two ways. Both have a place. Move the dial to suit the target.
A – Open Exploration: Slower
Set up the numbers and let them solve it however they can. No shared shape. Best early on, when the objective is problem-solving and reading the picture.
B – Common Language: Faster
Same 5v4, but now off a simple shape, for example 9 to 10 with named runners. Fewer decisions, faster execution. Use it as you build clarity toward the first games.
U18 players still need to be able to do A to be functional. Add B once the basics of reading the picture are there. It lets them solve the same problem in more depth.
Create Density — Match the Dial to the Objective
Decide the intention first, then design for it.
If the objective is robustness and ball-in-play, dial coach intervention down and let the work happen. Stopping every 30 seconds for a two-minute chat kills the density.
Use clear timing blocks – e.g. a 10-minute block with 8 minutes ball-in-play and a 2-minute reset. Coach on the fly, in short bursts.
If instead the objective is clarity or skill, dial intervention up and take the stress down. The dials move to suit the objective.
Weeks at a Glance
| Wk | Theme | Main intention | Dial |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reconnect | Robustness, density, individuals | Mostly A |
| 2 | Explore | Read pictures, solve problems | A |
| 3 | Collision & contact | Evade-first, safe tackle | A → B |
| 4 | Transition (attack) | Kick & turnover transition | B |
| 5 | Line speed (defence) | Connected, under pressure | B |
| 6 | Set piece, pressure & clarity | Safe technical, game pressure | Game |
WEEK 1
ReconnectLay the robustness base: repeatable, hard, game-like work. Reconnect with the group and find out what each player needs.
| Block | What we do | Why (intention) |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Big-pitch games, high ball-in-play, low intervention | Robustness & density |
| Contact conditioning | Up-off-the-floor, wrestle, repeat efforts | Sharpen the basics |
| Finish | Big-ups, individual questions | Support & buy-in |
WEEK 2
ExploreOpen problem-solving. Dial coaching down and let them find solutions to live pictures.
| Block | What we do | Why (intention) |
|---|---|---|
| Small-sided | Overloads run open (’A’ on the dial) | Problem-solving = the key basic |
| Conditioning game | Line-break follow; turn and burn | Game running replaces Broncos |
| On-the-fly | Short, sharp corrections | Keep density high |
WEEK 3
Collision & ContactBuild contact properly. Coach the hierarchy and break the tackle down so it is safe even on hard ground.
| Block | What we do | Why (intention) |
|---|---|---|
| Footwork | Approach and body height (upright → hinge) | Safe collisions |
| Hierarchy | Evade → fend → keep the ball. Set piece revision. | Manage the collision |
| Game | Contact constraints in a small game | Test under pressure |
WEEK 4
Transition – AttackGo after the first attack objective. Make transition the big, fast focus of the week. Weave in set piece breakouts.
| Block | What we do | Why (intention) |
|---|---|---|
| Kick transition | React to kicks, counter shape, support | Transition from kick |
| Turnover transition | Play fast off breakdown turnover | Transition from turnover |
| Measure | Define what a successful transition looks like. | Know if we caught it |
WEEK 5
Line Speed – DefenceGo after the defence objective. Connected line speed that applies pressure.
| Block | What we do | Why (intention) |
|---|---|---|
| Connection | Move together, hold the line shape | Connected line speed |
| Pressure | Close space, force errors | Put teams under pressure |
| Game | Defensive constraints in a game | Does it transfer? |
WEEK 6
Set Piece, Pressure & ClaritySet piece is a start point. Technical and safe first; then connect it to transition, line speed and the friendly test.
| Block | What we do | Why (intention) |
|---|---|---|
| Technical (~10 min) | Safe lifting / scrum basics | Confidence + safety |
| Game start | Begin games from set-piece contests | Set piece feeds the game |
| Pressure block | Replay transition & line-speed pictures | Measure transfer before the friendly |
Team Profile & Tactical Challenges
Team Profile (Build it with the Squad)Fill this in from the IDPs and squad conversations. The model is built to fit what is in these boxes – not the other way round.
| Area | Squad super strengths | Squad work-ons | Squad work-ons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Technical | |||
| Tactical | |||
| Physical | |||
| Psychological | |||
| Social |
Internal-Fixture Tactical ChallengesList the things worth points in the internal game. The score doesn’t matter – catching the objectives does.
| # | Challenge | What good looks like | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | |||
| 2 | |||
| 3 | |||
| 4 | |||
| 5 |
Collision Management
A hierarchy – start at the top. Most coaches jump straight to the bottom.
1
EvadeCan I beat the defender and get into positive space before contact happens at all?
2
Fend / ManipulateIf contact comes, turn a square shot into a side shot; keep free hands to offload.
3
Keep the BallBody position after the tackle so my team gets quick, clean ball (or an offload off the floor).
Defence mirrors it: footwork and approach, then the collision point and body height (upright to hinge), then completion. None of this needs the ground to be soft.
Session Design Checklist
Tick each box before every session:
Five to Do · Five to Avoid
Five Things to Do
1
Plan with the end in mind. Every session should link to where you want to be at Point Z.
2
Get to know your individuals, new and old. Pre-season gives you the time and space to actually do it.
3
Set problems. The best players are the best problem-solvers; problem-solving is the real basic of rugby.
4
Involve your players. They help build it, and they come back because they have a say in it.
5
Geek out on practice design. Take time to build clever practices that help players find their own solutions.
Five Things to Avoid
1
Chasing too many objectives. Go after too much and you catch none.
2
Stressing that it is not polished. The first game is Point B, not the finished article.
3
Copy-and-paste coaching. Be inspired by the elite game, but make it specific to your players.
4
Random sessions. No throwaway sessions – if it does not fit the bigger picture, leave it out.
5
No rugby balls. Players came for rugby; do not leave them sledgehammering tyres for 90 minutes. Get balls in.
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