Rugby: u11s

Ask a question and have it answered by Coaches from around the world and Sportplan's team of Experts.

U11 Rugby I am coaching the U11's this season. There are some significant rule changes from U10. Please can I get some advice on what lessons were learned from coaches who have been through a similar experience.

Are there any drills to encourage three-quarters to quickly return to the midfield to defend 2nd phase possession? My U11s backs get drawn into rucks amp; mauls and leave the opposition too much attacking space in midfield. Thanks

Strength and speed training for U11s....thoughts?! Way are people's thoughts on 10/11 year olds doing strength/speed training? I'm guessing that many will disagree with it and say that kids should be learning skills, getting match practice and enjoying themselves, rather than getting bogged down with this kind of training. I'm also guessing that there's a school of thought that children are too physically immature to be putting extra strain on joints etc. If there's anyone out there that knows of any evidence for, or against, I'd be really grateful. I coach a team with a number of (in my opinion!) quite talented players. At least one of them is somewhat let down by his lack of speed and a lack of strength. Should I let them concentrate on learning, and leave the speed/strength training until they're a few years older, or does anyone have any advice on what they could be doing now? Thanks!

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.

Getting quite frustrated that my u10's are not using the space on the pitch and tend to bunch up. Despite various drills and game scenarios to force them to spread out and pass to someone in space they revert in any game to bunching up around the ball and taking it back into the thick of the opposition rather than looking left or right! Any ideas how to change their ways?

I have read U11 RFU rules but would like clarity on the kick off/re-start. If the ball is knocked on at the re-start is it a/ a scrum put in to the team that knocked on, b/ play continues or c/ scrum put in to attacking team? Thanks for any help.

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 U11's are a mixed bunch when it comes to tackling. Some very good, most OK, some ...hmmmm... enough said. Been through all the drills and when we break things down, go back to basics, everything appears OK, but it doesn't always transfer into the game. Any ideas on small group games that will allow me to combine technique with confidence?

U11 Rugby I am coaching the U11's this season. There are some significant rule changes from U10. Please can I get some advice on what lessons were learned from coaches who have been through a similar experience.

I have read U11 RFU rules but would like clarity on the kick off/re-start. If the ball is knocked on at the re-start is it a/ a scrum put in to the team that knocked on, b/ play continues or c/ scrum put in to attacking team? Thanks for any help.

We are touring France. Where can I find the French rules for U11's ?

I think a pass has to be made from the back of a maul or ruck but I am not clear about the rules at the scrum .

I am slightly confused by the recent changes to U11 rules. If a kick off is dropped and knocked forward I understand it is a scrum to the side kicking the ball. However, for all kicks from open play , a knock on would be treated as scrum to the defending team, who have actually knocked forwards. Can anyone confirm if this is correct ?

Getting quite frustrated that my u10's are not using the space on the pitch and tend to bunch up. Despite various drills and game scenarios to force them to spread out and pass to someone in space they revert in any game to bunching up around the ball and taking it back into the thick of the opposition rather than looking left or right! Any ideas how to change their ways?

As well as coaching U10 rugby, I also get to referee U10 games, under the New Rules Of Play. I feel that my refereeing of the ruck isn't as good as it could/should be. Has anyone got an easy to follow system to help them referee U10 rucks ?

I have started an under 10s team up, and I would say about 8 from the 13 children I have , did not play rugby until about 6 months ago. Of these players, there seems to be a lot of potential, as we are scoring tries against teams, that very rarely concede tries.the problem I got with them, is that we are very poor at organising our selves in defense when the opposition has the ball, which does result in us conceding quite a few tries. We have some very good tacklers in the team. Can anyone offer some ideas on how I can get them to organise themselves? Thanks . Chris.

I am a coach with an under 10 rugby side. Last season the team found it hard to stay in their positions (acting like a swarm of bees). Can anyone suggest how i can get them to stay in positions, particulary our backs.

How can I overcome my son's fear of tackling. He's 10 and shaping up to be a useful player in other areas but is very reluctant to engage other players in contact. What drills might help overcome this?

In relation U9's, I've read about the two hands on the ball ruling in U7 tag, Is there a similar requirement in U9's to have both hands on the ball when running etc (this was flagged up by a learned touchline parent?). Can anyone close the loop on this one for me?