Touch rugby: pass and support
Ready when: Ball handling and passing backward (b1) and Evasion and tag games (b2) done.
What you are learning
Playing a real game of touch rugby: when a defender touches the carrier, the carrier stops and passes backward straight away, so teammates (support players) must run close, a little behind and to the side, ready for the pass.
Words on this card Try, Forward pass, Carrier, Receiver, Touch rugby, Tagger, Space
- Try
- Touching the ball down over the other team's line to score, and that line.
- Forward pass
- A pass that goes toward the other team's try line; not allowed.
- Carrier
- The player holding the ball.
- Receiver
- The player the ball is passed to; a support player runs close by, ready to take a pass.
- Touch rugby
- Rugby with no tackling, stopped by a touch or by pulling a tag (a ribbon on a belt).
- Tagger
- The player trying to stop the carrier.
- Space
- An open part of the pitch with no defender.
Show it first for the one teaching
- Walk through it: carry the ball, a defender touches you with two hands, you stop.
- Pass straight away to a supporter running just behind and to the side.
- Place the ball down over the line with two hands: a try.
Your part while they practise
Referee; teach the stop-and-pass rule.
Step by step
- Play touch: one touch stops the carrier.
- The carrier passes quickly backward.
- Supporters run close, slightly behind and at an angle.
- Then 4 v 2, so the attackers have extra players.
How much: 2 games 15 min a session 2 days a week
Say one thing Pick one line from "What you will see" for today and say only that.
The game: Touch rugby
3 v 3 in a small space; score tries over the try line.
Who plays: 2 teams of 3 or more; you referee.
How to play, turn by turn
- Turns
- One team starts with the ball on its own line
- Run and pass backward to reach the other try line
- After a touch, the carrier stops and passes within 2 seconds
- After 4 touches, the ball goes to the other team
- Two halves of 5 minutes
- Fair play
- Every child must touch the ball before a try counts.
- Points
- 1 point for each try.
- Fouls
- The ball goes to the other team
- Running on after a touch
- A forward pass
- Pushing or holding instead of touching
- Winning
- The team with more tries at the end.
- 1 tries for 1 star
- 2 tries for 2 stars
- 4 tries for 3 stars
Easier or harder
More attackers.
Equal sides.
What you will see, and what to say
- the carrier runs on after a touch
Stop, pass backward
Touched means pass. - supporters stand still
Run beside and behind
Be ready for it.
Self-check
Each child receives and passes at least 3 times in a 10-minute game.
Stop and get a coach when
A child is hurt.
Fitness for this
Warm up first: how to warm up, at workonfitness.com. For strength and stretching, its exercise library shows each exercise step by step, with an easier version.
This card trains support, drawing a defender.
Basic is done when the child meets the self-checks on b1 to b3.
awiseathlete.com/sports/rugby/rugby-b3