Rugby: Coach Says!

• Keep your player briefing, brief! Tell the players the following laws for this exercise.....

1. Players must start the game behind the outer cone of their corner and only one of them can enter the grid at any one time.
2. This game works on a relay basis, one and only one player in the grid from each group at a time - and the next player must be touched before they may enter the playing area.
3. While balls are in the center of the grid, one relay robber from each team can enter the grid to steel a ball from the center of the grid and bring it back to their own box or bank.
4. If all the balls in the center of the grid have been stolen, teams can now steel each others balls - but the same relay rules apply.
5. The winning team is the team that can get 4 balls into their box. Adjust this to allow your players to experience success or to make the game harder.

• You can add or remove balls to make the game harder or easier.
• No cheating! Only one ball can be carried at a time, only one player from each team in the grid, and you cannot go until tagged.

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.

• Divide your players into groups of five, with one player acting as a running. Each grid will need a runner. The runner starts on the runners cone.
• You might wish to have two groups of five at each grid, and to have a quick demo before sending all the players to their own grids.
• Keep your player briefing, brief!
• The first five passers attack the runners line, passing the pass down the line as they go.
• The runner sets off as soon as the first ball carrier starts to move.
• The aim of attack is to score a try in the corner, beating the runner - so quick hands.
• Each player should realign following their pass, there will be two attacks for each group before they move the ball onto the next group.
• After the first attack the runner goes to their cones on the opposite side of the grid ready for the next attack. The attack begins when the first players picks the ball off the ground.
• Don't forget to change the runners.
• Move the runner cones in to progress the exercise and to put the attack under more pressure.

Involve a ball in your warm-up.

Get players to pass the ball around their head to flex the neck and shoulders.