Rugby: Catch Confidence

Keep your player briefing short, and get the ball moving around the circle as quickly as possible.

• First have the players move the ball - clockwise around the circle, passing off their right hand.
• Then switch it, and have the ball move anti-clockwise around the circle, with the players passing off their left hand.
• Once the players have gotten into a rhythm of passing the ball, tell the players the following.

1. The player holding the ball will become a runner, their job is to pass the ball and then to set-off in the direction the ball will be traveling, trying to get to their starting position before the ball does.
2. They win if they make it back before the ball.
3. The players win if they can get the ball back before the runner.
4. The passers cannot miss-pass, the ball must travel through every set of hands.

• Each player in the group should have the chance to become a runner.
• Change the direction of the runner and the ball half way through.
• You might decide that the runner has to do a press-up or two, if they don't make it back ahead of the ball.
• And you may also decide that all the other players need to do the same if they do not get the ball back before the runner.
• You can further develop this game by making the circle bigger. This will push the runner and will increase the length of the pass required between each player. Just ask all of the players to take one or two steps back.

• 8+ players 
• Ball 

• Players stand at equal distance away at differnt points along the grid.
• One working player runs in the middle of the channel. 
• The players on the outside pass the ball into the running player.
• The Working player must complete 2 sets of passing - 1 run off each hand. 

Tell your players the following......

1. One player will be a ball carrier.
2. The player directly opposite will make a half tackle, lifting the ball carrier onto their shoulder.
3. The ball carrier will look for an off-load to a supporting player on the left or right. The support players will be the first player on the other two cones, to the right and left of the ball carrier.
4. The ball is off-loaded and the catching player becomes the new ball carrier, while the remaining support player becomes the new defender. The other two players clear the traffic and the above happens again - with the new support players coming from the other two cones.

• This can take a minute or two to get going, but stay with it.

• The speed of the pass should be reasonable and provide the interceptors with a chance of success.
• Tell the players the following....

1. The rest of the players will start one cone back from the passers, each standing one behind the other.
2. The first player will go, aiming to intercept the flat pass.
3. Then the next, until all players have intercepted the pass.
4. They then move another cone back - to do the same.
5. They keep moving back until they don't have enough speed to get onto the ball.

• Don't forget to give the passers a chance, they could be injured players who you might want to keep busy with simple passing.