Rugby: 3 Touch Kick

This is a great warm-up for defensive and evasion sessions, or it might even be a warm-up that helps you reinforce coaching points made during a previous session. The best bit is that it's fun and relevant to all ages. If you're coaching tag rugby, change the warm-up exercise from contact to tags.

One team runs clockwise round the inside of the circle with the other team running anti-clockwise around the outside of the circle. The circle in this case is marked out using blue cones, but you can use whatever colour you like.

When the coach shouts 'Jailbreak' the players inside the inner circle try to 'escape' to outside the 10m x 10m square (yellow cones). The size of the square and distance from the circle is a suggestion, play with it a little and let us know your variations!

The inside team scores a point for each 'jailbreaker' - swap over. If you have an odd number of players give the defenders the extra man.

The following are the laws for this game:

• Equal number of defenders and attackers.
• Use bibs to identify both teams.
• Normal laws of rugby apply; a knock on etc. results in a turn over.
• The attacking team gets 8 touches before the ball has to be turned over.
• Change this to suit your training goals. When an attacker is touched they: stop running, turn and present the ball to a support player who wait for the entire defence to gather in around the defender that made the touch.
• Following a touch all defenders must gather in and be connected by touching another defender.
• Only when the support player passes the ball out can the defence restart the game.
• If the defence goes offside or operates illegally, the attack gains 10 meters.
• If the defence does not get in quickly, the attack can gain 10 meters. Judge this depending on your player's fitness.
• There is no kicking.

• Normal laws of rugby apply; a knock on etc. results in a turn over.
• The attacking team gets unlimited touches.
• A player is touched only when the defender has made a two handed touch, you can change this to one hand if you wish.
• Defenders cannot hold the attacker, nor can the attacker use significant force to push through defenders.
• Defenders who make a touch go to the touchline where an assistant coach will have an activity waiting for them, doesn't have to be fitness related - a passing activity will be fine. They stay there until the attack scores.
• As each defender leaves the pitch, the attacker has an increasing advantage in terms of numbers and available space.
• If a player is touched: they stop, set the ball down, stand over it, and the scrum half is allowed to move the ball again to restart the attack.
• The defence must remain onside following a touch. Only when the support player passes the ball out can the defence press up on the attack.
• If the defence goes offside or operates illegally, the attack gains 10 meters.
• Don't forget to switch the teams around and to count how many defending players are on the pitch when the attack scores.
• he winning team is the team that can score with the most defenders on the pitch.
• Tries only, no conversions - keep the game tempo high.
• There is no kicking.