Rugby: player

I'm coaching and reffing U11 rugby and one of my players is the definitive 'big lad'. His 'strength' is his size and his power, but last weekend he didn't seem to get reffed fairly. The opposition couldn't tackle him down, one on one and when another two joined in to make a mini maul, that didn't slow him down much either. The ref then let other people join in the (one sided) struggle to tackle him down, which seemed very unfair as A) it's outside the laws of U11 rugby,, B) it makes it nigh on impossible for him to offload, C) when he is brought to ground, he has 4-5 players all over him and he got pinged for 'holding on'. He is a recent arrival to rugby and it was our first game for a couple of months, so the situation hadn't reared his head before. We are keen that he learns all of the core skills of rugby and doesn't get used as a battering ram, but after seeing a pack of hyenas trying to pull down the big fella, something just didn't seem right to me.I'd be grateful for any thoughts and opinions.

My fowards seem afraid to ruck and stand around the ruck while in the way of the scrum half trying to get the ball out to the backs. They also don't support the ball carrier while he is being tackled. Please help me with any suggestions!!!

Some of my U9s players, who are experiencing contact for their first season, are showing reticence in tackling - how do you coach or get through the fear factor/element?

Tomorrow i am going for rugby trials and i wanna play flyhalf. What do i have to do to get the position

switch pass in rugby union

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My under 18 team tried to take a quick lineout with one attacker in the lineout and 2 defenders in the lineout. When he threw the ball to another attacker who was about 10metres behind the lineout he was told by the referee that the lineout had formed and could not take a quick penalty. What is the clarification of this as I always thought you had to have at least 2 players from each team in the lineout to say that the lineout had formed?

My son has played all season U9's on the wing and has now be brought into a inside centre role. What are the key differences he needs to make to be successful in his new position

what are the rules of tag rugby?

Is sealing the ball at the tackle and ruck legal again?

where is the offside position for attacker during maul

When the ball is kicked directly over the touch line but does not hit the ground and bends back in field before landing in play, is this in or out?

hi i coach mini rugby to u9s. wondering if you have any useful drill s to 1) introduce positions to group 2) COntrol presentation of ball in tackle

The law says that a forward pass is one "thrown forward" "in the direction of the opponents' goal line" Does that mean that, if the ball is passed and the receiver catches it NEARER to the opponents goal line than from where the ball was passed that the pass was forward? (Leaving to one side any other touches of the ball that might have taken place.) Maybe an example is better. Player 1 passes the ball sideways - releasing it on the 22 metre line. Player 2 (with no other player having touched the ball), running from well behind the 22 metre line, catches the ball when it has travelled sideways but the ball is now 20 metres from the opponents goal line (2 metres further forward from the place that the ball was passed). Is that a forward pass or throw forward? And if not, why not?

What is the clear definition of "rolling away"? Playing in the SCRFU we've been penalized a few times for the ball carrier (sometimes tackler) not rolling away when they are at the bottom of a pile. Even when raising our hands and not making any play for the ball. We simply can not move from the pile because our leg/head/arm is beneath other players. It seems like a misinterpretation of the rules and their intent to prevent the play from continuing.

is a player deemed of their feet at a ruck when both hands and feet are in contact with floor (basically in a press up position)

Positional rotation at U9 level... I originally posted this as answer to a question about squad rotation, but thought I might get a better response if I posted it as a question in its own right... I have an 8 year old at the age level you are talking about - he isn't the best player at the club by any means, but has his good moments. He loves watching the game, he has a good understanding of the way it is played (to the extent that he has often shouted at the telly over recent weeks at some of our illustrious stars when they're out of position) and he has good handling skills - to be honest he's just not brave enough in the tackle yet, but I know it'll come so I'm not making a big thing of it. However, he and a couple of others are constantly stuck on the wing, and are getting fed up with the fact that they don't get the opportunity to get involved much. The coaches seem to have their "big names" and as you say seem more interested in the short term aims of winning each game rather than trying to keep the lads interested and challenged each week. I know my son's aware that I think they should move them all around, although I have made a point of not criticising the coaches at all - I think he heard me talking about it to someone else. The coaches have talked about moving players to different positions, but haven't done it, and aren't really receptive when they are asked about it. There are two coaches, and the one that seems to have the "casting vote" is pretty autocratic and doesn't seem to accept criticism or suggestions. My son has mentioned about moving to another club, where he may or may not get more of a chance to shine, but I am not sure this is the right move as it may teach him to give up rather than sticking with something. Any thoughts please?

Does any body have a plan on how and why Squad rotation works when you are running 3 teams, A,B,C to ensure that the best players from the lower teams get to move up and down through the other teams. It is not expected that the C team players will rotate to the a team but we want to try and capture the better players from B and C and rotate them up to the team above.

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