EXPERT SESSIONS AND ADVICE FROM QUALIFIED AND EXPERIENCED GRASSROOTS RUGBY COACHES
This season, never hunt around for a fresh rugby drill again, find activities to help you train all the skills your players need in Rugby Coach Weekly.
Get proven and easy to use drills for all groups and abilities and to coach all rugby skills with Rugby Coach Weekly. As a coach, it is your job to give your team the skills and technique to be great players.
The rugby drills in this section will help you coach your players in the core skills of the game. We’ll tell you what to look out for, how to get the ideas over to your players, and we’ll give you games and exercises to really power-up their skills.
Challenge defenders to work in pairs but from different starting angles and distances from the attack. They will have to make decisions about whether to “manage” the attack by drifting or to close it down before it can spread the ball wide. MORE
in Contact, Practice plans, Rucking & Mauling
This session works on players taking the ball into contact in groups of four. This is most likely in a game when you know the opposition is a good rucking team, the referee might be loose on hands in the ruck, or you need to increase your chances of ball retention. MORE
in Tackling
Because ball carriers make every effort to avoid being tackled, a defender might find themselves struggling to tackle them…to begin with. It’s how you finish that matters, according to Les Kiss, head coach at London Irish. Dan Cottrell explains… A lot of tackle coaching can be static. The key points are head position, shoulder contact,... MORE
in Defence
There is a lifecycle to a tackle that starts with the contact point and ends when the ball is either recycled or turned over. Concentrate on this philosophy to improve tackle outcomes. MORE
in Contact, Rugby drills
Avoid slow ball at the tackle or even losing the ball by making every ball carrier far more active on the ground. Use these two exercises to build up players’ ball placement skills under pressure. After the tackle is made, the farther away your player can place the ball from the defence, the harder it is for the opposition to disrupt it. Encourage good placement habits with these exercises. MORE
in Attack, Contact, Practice plans
This is a tough, physical session that works on players going forward in narrow spaces. The emphasis should be on ball retention in contact, with players using footwork to get to the edges of defenders while going forward. If their progress is stopped, they should recycle and attack the next space. MORE
in Rucking & Mauling, Rugby drills
Put your slow ball ruck plays into more game-like situations. This wrap play exercise is a good starting point, and you can then use it to develop other tactics. A wrap play turns slow ball into quick ball and allows your 9 to recycle it at pace. MORE
in Defence, Practice plans, Rucking & Mauling
Defending at the side of the ruck provides an excellent chance for a turnover because of the closeness of defenders. If the first defender can put the attacker on the ground, the second defender can cause the turnover by quick thinking. In this session, we develop the “run over” turnover. MORE
in Kicking & Catching, Practice plans
This session works through the main kicks needed in a match: Grubber, punt, box and high ball. The players will also be able to work on catching. MORE
in Attack, Rugby drills, Small-sided games
“An attacker picks up a rolling ball under pressure and then decides whether to pass or run to keep the play going forward.” MORE
