Rugby: Pressure Cooker

Put some responsibility onto your players and make sure that they?re up to the standard they should be after pre-season. Test their levels with this session.

Work on their speed and stamina in this passing and receiving recap session - designed to get your players spreading their fingers for maximum passing control

• Tell your players the following.....
• The first player runs out with the ball to the first set of cones and passes the ball to the second player.
• The second player then runs out to the next set of cones and passes the ball to the third player, who runs out to the next set of cones.
• In the last area of cones, the ball has to be passed quickly amongst all the players.

• Tell the players the following....

1. The player on the cone passes the ball forward to the player just in front of the cone, the passer then become the runner.
2. The reciever pops the ball for the runner to run onto.
3. Runner takes the ball and makes a bawards pass to the player on the cone opposite them. 
4. The runner can drift to increase the distance of the pass.
5. Players should side step to avoid one another in the middle of the grid.

• The first reciever can change the way they present the ball: they could set the ball on the ground for the runner to pick, they could lob the ball into the air for the runner to reach for and catch, they could deliver a low pass aross the knees for the runner to catch etc.

• Tell your players the follow.....

1. The first two players at each coach will advance, attacking the cone to their left, in the middle of the training area.
2. The players should split as they run, increasing the distance between them.
3. When they get as far as the middle cone, they should then pass.
4. The reciever then passes to the first reciever on the cone they are approaching.

• Tell your players the following.....

1. There will be 4 players on the outside of the circle, starting at 12, 3, 6, and 9 o'clock positions.
2. There will be one player in the middle.
3. The players on the outside of the circle jog around the circle.
4. The player in the middle will have a ball, and will pass the ball to one of the runners - for them to run onto it.
5. The new ball carrier will pass the ball back to the static player in the middle of the circle.
6. And the same happens again, but the passer cannot bass to the same player twice.
7. Players will have to respond to the calls: SLOW JOG, FAST JOG, FASTER, CHANGE DIRECTION, TOUCH THE GROUD WITH YOUR RIGHT HAND, TOUCH THE GROUND WITH YOUR LEFT HAND, etc.

• Don't forget to change the static player.