Rugby: Step Up

• The exercise is simple, the attacker has 2 minutes to score as many tries as they can.
• They do this by attacking the space between 2 sets of cones, but there is a defender they need to avoid.
• When it is clear which area the attacking is going to attack, that defender can advance. This is a full contact exercise.
• If the attackers scores, they return to the center of the grid to attack again. They cannot attack the same defender twice.
• If the attack fails, they reset and have another go.
• After 1/2 minutes, switch the attacker. This is a competition, so keep score.

Tell the players the following.......

1. Lay flat on the ground.
2. In a moment but not yet, I want you to get to your feet, but you cannot use your knees.
3. You will get up like a surfer, pushing up with your hands and jumping to your feet.
4. It's a race, lets see who can get up first?
5. On your call the place get to their feet and then back down again.
6. When they have got the idea, have some fun with it e.g. last one up sings two lines from their favorite song. But whatever you do has to be fun and not humiliating.

• Basically players will pass the ball diagonally across the grid, but the the ball is to be caught, not by the player at the cone, but by the player from the next cone back, who will sprint onto the pass. Ecah player move down one cone following each pass.
• Players can leave their cones before the pass is executed, but this exercise is to be conducted at pace.
• You might have to reduce the size of the training area in order to put less strain on the players, and don't forget to change the direction of the run e.g. clockwise and anticlockwise.

• The first group of 4 starts at the top of the grid, moving forward. The ball should be with the outside player, who makes a short pass in to his supporting runner, who then makes a long pass to the next receiver in the other short passing box, they will then make a short pass to the last receiver. The players realign and do the same again in the opposite direction.
• When they get to the end of the grid, they go around the cones to their starting position, while the next group goes.
• They should change position in the line, and when ready, they start again.