Tag Game - Ball Manipulation

Tag Game - Keep Ball Tag

Tag Game - End Ball and Rugby Netball

Tag Game - End Ball and Rugby Netball

Tag Game - Tag Rugby 1

Tag Game - Tag Rugby 1

Tag Game - Team Tag Clip

Adds variety to TAG games and skills

Tag Game - Warm-up Tag

To get children started with TAG

Tag Game - Numbers Tag

Tag Game - Team Tag

Tag Game - Any Direction Tag Clip

Helps to identify space and works vision and decision making skills

Tag Game - Mis-Match Tag

A TAG progression to identify attacking opportunities

Tag games for mini's

Not all TAG games are the same and in this clip the Sale sharks coach uses a variety of conditions and rules to encourage the players to use more passes

Tag Game - Piggy in the Middle

A TAG variation to keep challenging decision-making

Tag Game - Break Out

Use this game to introduce "Decision making"

Tag Game - Stick in the Mud

Tag Game - Egg in the Nest

Different skills with TAG belts

Ball Presentation Game

Use this game to practice great ball presentation. Ensure the tackling player is bouncing back to their feet so that this mentality carries over to game day.

CCRU Game - Ball Touch

Aim of the game: Touch as many players as possible with the ball in one minute. The ball must be held in both hands at all times

Grip Games - Ball Retention

This great game helps you work on your ball transfer and fend. It teaches players how to keep the ball away from contact increasing ball retention on the pitch!

How To Hold The Ball - Grip Games

Young players are very rarely taught how to hold the ball. This video explains why this is important, how to coach it and incorporates some fun grip games to enforce the technique.

Passing Game with Two Balls

Another game to play at home. This time use two balls and four players. Anyone can join in! Three players have a simple task involving just one ball, but the central player has to juggle both balls and work on his/her concentration and hand-eye co-ordination!

Using Games - 'Choke Ball'

Jake Sharp from Oaklands college delivers a fun game that requires a range of skills from the players. The coach uses lots of questioning to cement the learning and talk about why games are such an important coaching tool

Ball Presentation Game

Creating quick ball is crucial to a great attack. Take your players out of a game and into this practice and you'll notice significant improvements in the game pace!

CCRU Game - Tagging

Aim of the game: Take as many ‘Tags’ as possible from as many players as possible in 1 minute. Each player to shout out their score each time they take a tag from someone. Coach to remember the highest score at the end of each minute

Ball Presentation Touch Game

Ball Presentation Touch

End ball game for warm ups

A fun but competitive warm-up game that get's players switched on and ready to train.

Tag Game - Bull Dog Clip

Another variety to use for TAG skills and games

CCRU Game - End Ball

Description of activity: One player from each team must stand behind the try line at the end of the pitch and act as a scorer. The team in possession of the ball may score a point by passing the ball to their scorer. The scorer must stay behind the try line but may move along the length in order to receive the ball. Rotate the scorers after every score

Tag Game - Hare and Hound Sausage and Bacon

Keep mixing up the the different versions of TAG to keep the players interested and experiencing new challenges

CCRU Game - Hare and Hounds

Description of activity: Arrange the players so one player in each pair has the ball. The players stand next to each other, inside the marked out working area, with the rest of the group. On the call of go the ball carrier tries to lose his partner. After a short while, the coach blows his whistle to stop all the players. All of the players must stand still and not move their feet. If the hounds can tag the hair, without moving their feet all going off balance, the hound gains a point–if not, their hair games the point. You can now reverse the roles. This can be repeated a number of times and each individual should keep their own score

Tag Game - Mice and Monsters

Another variation for TAG

Bonus Point Tag Game

Use this game to vary the incentives

Tag Game - Broken Field

Use this game to develop skills and understand space and where to attack

The Lineout Game - The floor game

The lineout competition is not won and lost when the ball is caught. If the team defending the throw cannot compete in the air, they can subsequently compete on the ground and disrupt the quality of possession the opposition wish to use

Mini Games

Some simple but fun games to use for getting very young players enjoying rugby

L2 - Kicking Target Game

Skill Practice Description • Scan and make decisions. • Set up the kick that makes the win scenario by moving the opposition. • Hold and drop of the ball. • Head over the ball and weight forward to reduce scope for error. • Don’t lean back and open scope for error. • Contact with lace, point toe and straight follow through. • Leg speed to generate power. • Catch with hands ready and elbows close. • Keep eye on the ball and watch the ball into the catch. • Gather, scan and return kick accurately Relevance to the Game • This game develops scanning and tactical decisions. • Develops technical accuracy.

L2 - Scatter Defence Game

Skill Practice Description • Ideal practice for when defences break up later in games or with counter attack decision making. • Attackers stand in front of a numbered cone and ball. • The coach calls a number and all attackers must run around their own numbered cone but whichever number was called, that ball becomes active. • At the same time a colour is called for the defenders and all defenders must turn and run around a cone of that colour. They must however choose different cones. • If a touch is made, the teams swap over roles. • If a try is scored, the attackers stay the same. • First to five tries wins. Key Coaching Points • Spatial awareness • Communication • Quickness of attack at a disorganised defence • Skills to attack space • Footwork and evasion skills • Scanning skills • Decision making • Importance of getting behind defenders Relevance to the Game • Great for coaching counter attacking disorganised defences from different angles. • Any player can be ball carrier and communication is vital as is decision making in identifying space and the best way to attack it successfully • Cones can be placed to shape different types of defence. Organised or scattered

England Creating Quick Ball

Eddie Jones manages a game at training focusing on creating quick ball, is this the basis of his attacking game & will it work?

TAG Progressions

The coaches introduce TAG progressions to add variety and pressure the learning of skills

CCRU Game - Chaos Touch

Aim of the game: Teams of three or four players attempt to score points by passing the ball to team mates when they are in one of the scoring zones. Defenders attempt to prevent the attack from scoring by intercepting passes. There is no contact between attack and defence. Passes can be made in any direction and players are encouraged to recognise and move into space to receive a pass. If the defence intercepts the ball they can attack. Coaches can involve the players to devise a scoring system i.e. first to five points and so on

CCRU Game - Rugby Rounders

Aim of the Game: The batting player kicks or throws the ball forward into play. Make sure that the size and shape of the ball is appropriate to the age of the players. To get the batter out, the fielders may catch the initial kick or throw before it bounces or complete three passes before the batter gets all the way round the cones and back to base cone. The fielders develop their passing, catching and communication skills. The batter is encouraged to think tactically with regard to their initial kick or throw and subsequent running decisions

Quick Ball Presentation Drills

Use these quick and competitive games to practice good and strong ball presentation. Practice with high standards and it will come naturally in the games!

Quick Ball Presentation Drills

Use these quick and competitive games to practice good and strong ball presentation. Practice with high standards and it will come naturally in the games!

Don't Forget the Ball - Conor O'Shea

Early season conditioning doesn't need to be boring. Get the ball in hand and get fit (and improve skills) by using games! There are loads of great conditioned game ideas on PremiershipRugbyCoaching.com

360 Games - Any Direction Attack

A warm up or starting 360 game where players can attack in any direction. This game is the basis to for coaches to then add numerous conditions based upon the focus of the session

End Ball & Connecting Players

Fantastic game for warm ups, integrating new players and working on a wide range of skills. Its fun and this example has a "Game within a game"

Agility Games for contact warm up

Saracens community coach uses games and competitive activities to introduce the contact elements of rugby. This builds confidence in players prior to actual contact skills

Fun Offloading Game!

Ball control is the key element to an effective offload. Jim Evans from Harlequins uses some fun games to coach this skill

Games & drills for tackle technique

The Falcons coaches use a variety of games and breakout drills to progress their tackle technique session. The players respond to questions to vary the style of coaching

Chapter 1 - Playing Tag Rugby

Introduction to TAG

L2 - Outflanking Game

Skill Practice Description The objective of this game is to develop the ability to execute the 2 v 1 with consistent efficiency. • The attacking team initially has at least one extra players in order to create an advantage. • There is a channel on each wing in which only 1 defender and 2 attackers may enter at any time. • The attack works the play to get the ball into the outside channel then execute the 2 v 1. • With the extra players, the attack can also develop opportunities to penetrate the defence and so the game in not relying on lateral moment and still incorporates the principles of ‘go forward’. • The progression is to remove the cones and see if the players can still take advantage of the 2 v 1 without the conditions set within the channelled areas . • A further progression would be to even the numbers of each team. Key Coaching Points • Running lines to condense and hold defences in order to outflank. • Running lines in order to disrupt and penetrate the defence line. Relevance to the Game • Attacking players often fail to fix defenders effectively and may drift or over elaborate. • This game will assist in angles of run that fix the last defender

L2 - Penetrating Defence Game

Skill Practice Description • The playing area is marked out in 5m channels. • When defending, players must stay within their channel throughout the game. • The attack must look to penetrate the defence by creating and preserving space. • The defence must use a two handed touch. • There is a 5 tackle turnover rule and once possession is turned over, the defence must get into a channel as the opposition can attack immediately. Key Coaching Points • Support players to hold their opposite number as long as possible before cutting a line to take the pass. • The defender can close the space as far as the edge of their own channel. • If the support player cuts too early or the ball carrier does not move their defender enough, the support player will be touched/tackled. Relevance to the Game • This game will help develop the footwork and running lines to effectively move defenders in order to penetrate the tackle line.

CCRU Game - Capture the Aliens

Description of activity: Two players start with one ball between them, as humans and the rest are aliens. The humans capture the aliens by holding the ball in two hands and touching the alien with the ball. Once an alien has been touched they are turned into a human and can help. When a human has the ball, they cannot move but if they don’t have the ball they can run anywhere inside the grid

Using Games to Develop Passing and Support

Using games to coach is how most Premiership coaches improve skills and especially decision making. In this clip Jon Curry uses some clever rules to encourage supporting lines to help keep the ball alive

Team Scarecrow Tag

This progression of 'Scarecrow Tag' sees multiple defenders working together to tag others. They can pass the ball between them but cannot run with the ball.

Tackling Game

A full-contact game with uncontested breakdowns, conditioned to have one team attacking for an extended time. The focus is on the defenders, who each have two tennis balls, to concentrate on their tackle technique.

Tag Thief

Tag Thief Game

Games for Coaching - Examples

Coaches often request ideas to help them plan sessions. Here are some examples of the conditions that coaches can apply to make training more challenging and enjoyable

Ground Work and Ball Presentation

It is important for players to practice working hard on the ground to get the ball presented back to their team. This session uses bodyweight exercises to practice the movement and enforces it with a conditioned game. Log in to see the full video.

Step 1 - Playing Tag Rugby

Small-side game - Ruck Touch

There are many versions of ruck touch with the support players needing to recognise the needs of the tackled player.

The defence should be conditioned to provide increasing pressure to the tackle area. This will develop the situation recognision of the attacking players who must play accordingly. Robotics in rucking regardles of the situation should be discouraged and the option of picking upthe ball and going forward should be an option

Conditioned game for offloads

A basic game of offload touch with constraints on how much time the ball carrier has. coaches can vary the rules to get more success / make it easier for the attackers

Touch rugby - ball presentation

A game for understanding how the presentation of the ball can affect the speed of the game and the ability to attack space

Turnover session - 1 Game to start

A full contact game, conditioned with channels on either side of the pitch. The attacking team must get the ball to both channels before they are allowed to score a try.

This is to spread the attack out, and create more opportunities for turnover ball to occur.

NB - Please ensure players have completed a full upper body warm-up before going into this full contact session.

Turnover session - 2 Games

A full contact game, conditioned with channels on either side of the pitch. The attacking team must get the ball to both channels before they are allowed to score a try.

This is to spread the attack out, and create more opportunities for turnover ball to occur

10 passes game

This game promotes working hard off the ball and communicating with the ball carrier to give them the easier passing option.

5. Blindside Game

Fun Catching Games

There's often down time before a training session where you can't help butthrow a ball around. Why not try out these fun games that will work your core skills as well. They work great as a gentle introduction to a session to switch players on.

TAG Introduction to get started

Owen Davies from Saracens gets a TAG session moving quickly and straight into a simple game where each individual tries to collect as many TAG belts as possible

British Bulldogs - Defence game

The classic schoolyard game. Played full contact but with tackle pads. Attackers must get to the other side of the field without dropping their ball or being pinned to the ground by defenders with tackle pads.

Quins - Rugby Netball Game

Rugby netball is a ball game that is great for warm ups and getting a session started. The coach can set targets for the number of passes or set up goals to score through, just set the conditions you want to work to

Warm up - 10 Pass Game

The 10 pass warm up game is excellent to introduce an activity that has a focus on dynamic mobilisation and raising the heart rate.

Players should be asked to focus on their special awareness, passing technique and communication.

To maximise participation, introduce another ball or split the game into two or three smaller games.

The Lineout Game - Under14

Players begin to use movement with the intention of deceiving the opposition as to where the ball will be thrown. However if the ball is always thrown to the front, how effective will this movement be?
This clip illustrates how the front ball is secured by jumping and catching skill and then protected by the support players. If the same skills could be used with a middle ball, the tactical decision making will also be developed

How many coaches opt for safety and not for the long term development of their players?

Tag-grab

A familiar playground game which gets young players used to using tags, or just to promote evasion, footwork and spacial awareness.

15. Mismatch Tag

Off The Ball Organisation

The aim of the drill is to develop mechanisms to unlock defences in open play. It requires players to communicate, self-organise off the ball, and be aware of their role in the attacking line.

Warm-up Handling Game

A slightly harder handling game that challenges one player to concentrate on two balls at once. A good test of co-ordination.

'Around the world' Passing Game

Here's a fun game you can play at home with several players and a ball each. Excellent for hand-eye co-ordination and multi-tasking.

Small sided evasion game

Developing core skills for agility and ball carrying

Skills at home - Quick hands game

"Quick hands" is a term used regularly in rugby and relates to a players ability to move the ball quickly. This fun exercise pressures one player to move two balls in different directions

CCRU Game - Passing Pairs

Aim of the game: In pairs, walk, jog or run around the grid, passing to their partner only when they call for the ball. Other players will be obstructing their vision and the flight of the pass, so decisions on when to pass will need to be developed

Chapter 2 - Introducing Competition for the Ball

CCRU Game - Piggy in the middle

Description of activity: In groups of 3 v 1 the three attacking players have the ball and pass it around to each other trying to keep it from the defender. Give the attacking players a target i.e. make 10 successful passes. The defender tries to either intercept the pass or force a poor passes where the ball goes to the ground or outside of the marked area

CCRU Game - Statues

Aim of the game: The chasers try to turn all the other players into statues in the shortest possible time. The players are put into pairs and each pair will have an opportunity to be the chasers. A player who is touched must stand still and hold their ball in two hands above the head. The chasers continue turning the other players into statues until everyone has been caught

Coaching the breakdown with games

The challenge of using games to coach contact is a tricky one for many coaches. This clip shows the Leeds carnegie academy coach explaining how to integrate games into his coaching and the different styles of delivery

Coaching Contact Skills With Games - U 11's

Using games to coach can be a challenge for junior coaches. In this clip the Sale sharks community coach delivers a session to develop contact skills at the breakdown by using games, questioning and challenging the players. This can be used for all Junior age groups

Drop off touch - start with a game

Chris Kibble of Esher RFC & Whitgift school says to start your sessions with a game. In this clip Chris runs a game called "Drop touch" where the players run back to a line when they make a touch. This is good for fitness and creating wholes to attack

The Lineout Game - Defence

Defending against the lineout throw is a key area for disrupting the opposition and their attacking platform. The defending jumper can be very effective by getting a hand in between the opponents’ hands and disrupting the catch. This may also block the vision of the opponent who wishes to follow the flight of the ball

Games or drills ?

The coaches explain why they use games and provide examples of how they deliver a session using games with technical skills as the basis for learning

Quins - Support Touch Game

The coaches use games to teach techniques and allow players to experiment in game situations. The coach can set the parameters for the game dependent on the skill sets of the players

Games for Juniors - 10's & over

The Sale sharks community coach delivers a "Game based" warm up with progressions that will lead onto to contact skills. The coach uses examples and questioning to support learning

Game - Tackle Touch

Whether you're introducing tackling to young players for the first time, or re-introducing it to senior players after a summer away, this is a great game to play to ease back into it. It isolates the 1v1 tackle and puts emphasis on technique without the high speed impact of a full contact game.

Warm-up with Games and Handling (Rugby ready)

A rugby ready style warm up with games and handling as they focus prior to moving on to more technical skills. The game centres around the teams trying to make 10 passes

Quins - Two touch Game

This conditioned game allows attackers two touches so that they can isolate one defender, the game encourages good support play and can be used to improve fitness

New Kicking Games

Adding variety to your kicking practises will engage your players and motivate them to step up to the challenge. Dave Walder from Newcastle Falcons introduces Three new kicking games in this clip

Simple Passing Exercises & Games

The Wasps coaches use a mixture of games and drills to develop the passing skills of young players. Players are encouraged to respond to questions. Games are used to improve the learning experience

Egg in the nest game

Owen Davies provides the main points for "Egg in the nest" game and why he uses games to keep the players engaged and active

Defensive Game with Coaching Points

A touch game conditioned to develop the drift defence. Worcester Warriors Community Coach Tamara Taylor explains the objectives of the conditions, gives feedback and adjusts them when necessary.

Quins - Using Games In Training

Elite coaches explain how they translate their desired playing philosophy and principles into practical hands-on coaching approaches, drills and games

Number Touch Game

Number Touch Game

Tackle games - 5v5 Semi-contact

The sides are now even and the players can tackle, but not attempt to steal the ball. Again, the defence must retreat 5m, giving the attackers opportunities.