Contact Help center
Rugby Rugby
HOME Rugby SEARCH

Rugby: speed passing

speed passing DRILLS
View All

Speed passing, scoring wide and realigning

Any number of players can be used. Make the distance between each pass shorter for lower ability groups. Excellent develop ability to move ball wide at speed. Developed ability to pass a full speed, in different positions and under pressure. The runner provides super competition and feedback to players. Past ball down the line quickly then realigning using full width. End man fall down on the 1st cone and then goes round the 2nd came to become the defender. 30 m in width and 5 players. Realign early using whole width and path while at full speed. The aim is to get the ball to winger in Cone zone before defender gets there.

School

Rugby: Speed pass challenge - ...

Groups of 8Ball Cones2 sets of 4 players line up back to back.Cones are places 3m apart and 3 in fornt of both set of players.When the coach says go the players must complete 4 passes before reaching the far cones. Then they must turn and do the same off coming back. (1 rep) Its a race agaisnt the opposing attackers to compelete the the reps given.

General

Speed Pass Tag Rugby - Rugby D...

8 in each group.6 in the playing area and 2 outside it.The six in the playing area play a 4 v 2 against each other trying to pass the ball as many times as possible without getting tagged.The two players on the outside pass the ball to each other 25 times at which point both practices stop. The two players change places with players from the other practice.

General

Fast Hands Passing - Rugby Dri...

Drill to practice fast, accurate passing.Set up a T shape with 3 cones roughly 5m away from the central cone (see diagram)One player stands on each cone, the player in the middle of the T is the player who works (yellow).The players on the outside (blue) take it in turns to pass to the working player (yellow), who must catch the ball and pass it to the free player on the edge (see video.PROGRESSIONS:Start slowly and increase the pace at which the players pass to the working player, giving them less time to catch and pass the ballIncrease the distance that the working player must pass the ball.

General

Passing 1 Step Passing - Rugby...

The aim of the drill is to develop players speed of pass.

General

Speed Handling Race Passing - ...

Two lines of four stand back to back with the ball on the right hand side of each line. On go they both sprint 15m whilst passing down the line and then turn to run back whilst returning down the line to the player who started with the ball.

General

Speed pass challenge Handling ...

Groups of 8Ball Cones2 sets of 4 players line up back to back.Cones are places 3m apart and 3 in fornt of both set of players.When the coach says go the players must complete 4 passes before reaching the far cones. Then they must turn and do the same off coming back. (1 rep) Its a race agaisnt the opposing attackers to compelete the the reps given.

General

Lateral Pass Passing - Rugby D...

General

Quick Hands Passing - Rugby Dr...

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.

General

Defensive Line Speed: How to S...

General

Building Speed Onto The Ball S...

The speed of the pass should be reasonable and provide the interceptors with a chance of success. Tell the players the following.... The rest of the players will start one cone back from the passers, each standing one behind the other. The first player will go, aiming to intercept the flat pass. Then the next, until all players have intercepted the pass. They then move another cone back - to do the same. 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.

General

Pass and run Passing - Rugby D...

Tell the players the following.... Player 1 starts with the ball. Player 1 passes the ball to player 2 and then quickly moves off their cone and runs to the cone where player 2 is and back to their cone. Player 2 then passes to player 3, follows the pass to the position of player 3 and back to their starting position. Change your passing hand each time The aim is to for the players to be back in their starting position before the ball returns back, but main thing is that they provide a good pass to the receiving player.

General

Speed On Sevens - Rugby Drills...

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.

General

Rugby: Passing Width and Pace ...

The aim of the drill is to develop wide passing.

General

Short Passing Passing - Rugby ...

Give each training area one ball to start with and tell the players the following...... Lets just get the ball moving down the line. Give the player at the start of one of the lines a ball, tell the line to advance using lateral passing - with the last player in each line passing the ball to the first player in the opposite line. Players should change positions in the line following each attack. Focus on the coaching points - the drill is only a means to an end. No spin passing. When you feel that the players are executing the short pass to your satisfaction - add in more pressure by have two opposite lines run at once.

General

Pressure Cooker Passing - Rugb...

4 players stand on the middle cones in the grid, avoiding the corner cones. The 2 players at the top and the bottom of the grid will have a ball. The players on the sides of the grid will have one ball between them. The 5th player will be the ball carrier. The ball carrier starts at the top of the grid facing the bottom. Moving forward they will take a pass off one of the middle players and pass the ball onto the other middle player. They will then collect a pass off the player in front of them, before popping the ball back to them. They will then turn and once again collect a pass off one of the middle players before moving it on to the other middle player. They then take a pass off the top player before popping it back and starting the exercise again. They keep going until told to switch with another player. The player in the middle can turn and flick the ball to the static players at the top and bottom of the grid, as well as popping the ball.

General

2 v 1 Passing - Rugby Drills, ...

This is a simple 2 v 1. The two players have to get past the one defender without being touched, that's it. The defender will start 10 meters back, and can move anywhere inside the box. The attack must remain inside the box and all pass msut be legal. Don't forget to change the defender.

General

Line Speed Sevens - Rugby Dril...

Tell the players the following.... Players will advance as a line, and as one hit the pads. The pads can also advance as a line. If the pads do advance, they should return to their starting positions. The players hitting the pads just the end of the lines, ready to go again. The nest line should go when the players on the pads area ready. Don't forget to change the players on the pads.

General

Passing circle Passing - Rugby...

Tell your players the following..... There will be 4 players on the outside of the circle, starting at 12, 3, 6, and 9 o'clock positions. There will be one player in the middle. The players on the outside of the circle jog around the circle. 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. The new ball carrier will pass the ball back to the static player in the middle of the circle. And the same happens again, but the passer cannot bass to the same player twice. 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.

General

Break Passing - Rugby Drills, ...

Keep your player briefing short. Tell your players the following.... Pass the ball left, clockwise for 2 passes. Then right (anti-clockwise) for 1 passes. Retain the ball and flick it to the player behind you. Attack, at speed, across the grid. You will take a pass from the ball carrier on your left before finishing with a pop to the player in front of you. The pattern of this exercise can be a little confusing at the start, but when your players get the pattern there will be no problem. Start off slow and build from there.

General

Fast And Pressured Sevens - Ru...

Tell your players the following...... There will be one runner. 1 player, static, on each cone. 4 players on the cones in total. There will also be two players in defence, they will have a tackle/ruck pad each. The defenders will be 3 meters in from the start of the grid, the second defender 7 meters behind the first. The defenders can move left and right, but not backward and forward. There will be a ball on the first left cone, and on the second right cone. The player at the first cone with the ball will pass the ball to the runner, who avoids the defender and passes the ball to the reciever on the opposite first cone. The runner then catches the second ball, passed by the player on the second cones. The runner passes the ball to the opposite reciever, avoid contact with the defender. The runner then turns and does the same again - the defender steps back a bit. Don't forget to change the defenders, proving all players will the chance to attack.

General

Passing Technique Progression ...

1. Square on: one hand Stand square on, in your partners pass the ball back and forth no more than 5m away from eachother, rember use 1 hand and start with ball on hip. 2. Side on: one hand Same again but no stand side on. 3. One step: two hands Same distance apart, introduce the second hand and take a step and pass try to do 10 off each hand.

General

Up and Down Passing - Rugby Dr...

Tell them the following...... Each attack will be up and down, up the left and down the right side of the cones. Eack attack will see the ball move down the line once. Run out to far cone and back - 1/2 pace - no forward passes. Run out to third cone and back - jog - 3/4 pace back. Run out to second cone and back - fast out - fast back. Off-load the ball to the next attacking line - they do the same. That's it, get working. Refer to the coaching points in order to help your players improve.

General

Crossover Relay Passing - Rugb...

Keep your player briefing short. You may consider having a demonstration group. Give two players opposite each other, one ball each. On your call they will come forward, towards each other, sidestepping to avoid contact before passing the ball either left or right. There should be no forward passes and the players need to communicate to avoid both balls going in the same direction. When the receivers collect their pass - they do the same as the first set of ball carriers. Players that have completed their run and pass within the grid should join the end of the opposite line. Players should seek opportunity to pass off both their left and right hands.

General

Fixing Defender Progression Pa...

Groups 10+ Balls Cones Sausages.1. Chanel Fix Groups of 5. Attack sausages lined up one behind eachother. They must use footwork to step to a side of the sausage and then give a pass before running into/past it.2. Passing Grid - Static Defenders Normal 3 man passing grid, however with sausages placed in the middle.Players run forward use footwork to beat the bag and give the pass back inside. (pass before the sausage).3. Passing Grid - Moving defenders. Same as above but instead of sausages, use moving defenders with bags.4. Passing Grid - Starting on corners.Groups of 4 start on each corner with 2 defenders in the middle. The attacking line must get around the corner and square up to beat the 2 defenders. At other end give to next group and start again. Continuous. 5. Final Game Groups of 3 on all sides of the grid, with 2 defenders in the middle.Continuous drill to score as many tries as possibel in 1 min. Focus on all skills above.

General

L-Shaped Passing Sevens - Rugb...

Lets get the ball and the players moving with lateral passing through the hands. Each training area only needs one ball, and that ball should start with the any of the two players at the very ends of the L. Tell players to move forward, passing the ball down the line. When the ball gets to the last receiver, that player will pass it to the first receiver in the next line that is waiting to go. They should advance right away. Allow the players to simply move the ball down the line.

General

Traffic Lights Game Passing - ...

Brief your players one what you would like the to do by telling them the following.... One of the players will stand outside the grid, they are the traffic light. The rest of the players will be inside the grid passing one ball. When the traffic light player shouts GREEN, they turn and face away from the grid (they can decide for how long). The players within the grid and continue to pass the ball, as fast as they can - they don't want to be the player holding the ball when the Traffic Light shouts RED. On the call of RED the Traffic Light player turns around to see who is holding the ball. On the RED call the players must stop passing the ball right away. The player holding the ball becomes the new traffic light, and the old traffic light enters the grid as a passer.

General

Rugby: Passing to Support - Sp...

Tell your players the following...... One the call of the scrum half, the 3 attackers turn, round the cone and attack. The scrum half feeds the ball to the first reciever, players will need to decide who the first reciever is. The other two players fall in at depth, providing support left and support right. The support players can expand the space between them and the ball carrier. As the attack approaches the end of the grid, the coach will point left or right, and the ball must be (without delay) passed to the support player on the side the coach has pointed to. The attacking unit return to join the line in preperation for the next attacking opportunity, they should pass the ball back to the scrum half.

General

Wave After Wave Passing - Rugb...

Keep your player briefing, brief! Tell the players the following or have a demonstration group..... We have 1 scrum half, 4 runners and 3 defenders with tackle/ruck shields. The scrum half starts the attacking line by passing a ball from the ground at the first cone, to the first receiver in the attacking line. The defenders start 10 meters back and press up on the first 3 attackers, leaving the 4th attacker free. The attackers use quick hands to move the ball down the line, before the next cone. The last receiver sets the ball down, the attack line will have realigned, and the scrum half will now be on the second cone of the opposite side of the grid ready to restart the attack. The defenders rush 10 meters back and and once again press up on the first 3 attackers, leaving the 4th attacker free. They keep going until the end of the grid, turn around - and do the same working down the grid. Don't forget to change the defenders.

General

Unfortunately there were no results for your search! Please try again
speed passing ANSWERS
View All

why are they passing it after the skipped man is 'forward' of the ball ? - doesn't that make it obvious at that point that he (skipped man) wouldn't be getting the ball - and hence reduce his effectiveness as a 'decoy' ?

Archived User Coach

what does catching the ball between the legs acheive for the players

Archived User Coach

can anyone recommend a good drill for practising the missed pass, besides just passing along a line?

Ask a question and have it answered by Coaches from around the world and IRB Educators.

Archived User Coach

Top Tips for Girls U12 Tag Rugby

About to start a Girls U12 Tag Rugby team (hopefully) to run over the Summer months. Has anyone any particular top tips?

Gary D Coach, Northern Ireland

Every scrum coach in the Uk will have kids passing?

Every scrum coach in the Uk will have kids passing the ball straight off the floor with no pull back, then when you watch the Lions play - the two scrum halves of Phillips and Ellis both lift the ball up and take a step before passing, as do most scrum halves in top flight rugby...(in Phillips case a double step shuffle!......why is this, there must be a reason? should we all be coaching kids to do the same ?

Archived User Coach

Teaching a player cues for a halfback pass,(passing?

What could you teach a player cues for the halfback pass,(passing from the ground)?

Archived User Coach

RFU - proposed Mini's rule changes

RFU - proposed Mini's rule changes%3A All - just a quick straw poll%3A Have any CLUBS that you are aware of officially come out in SUPPORT of these changes? If not, have they come out officially rejecting the proposed changes, or are they adopting a "wait and see" attitude? Regards Stephe

Archived User Coach

Law 12 - the forward pass or throw forward

The law says that a forward pass is one "thrown forward" "in the direction of the opponents' goal line" Does that mean that, if the ball is passed and the receiver catches it NEARER to the opponents goal line than from where the ball was passed that the pass was forward? (Leaving to one side any other touches of the ball that might have taken place.) Maybe an example is better. Player 1 passes the ball sideways - releasing it on the 22 metre line. Player 2 (with no other player having touched the ball), running from well behind the 22 metre line, catches the ball when it has travelled sideways but the ball is now 20 metres from the opponents goal line (2 metres further forward from the place that the ball was passed). Is that a forward pass or throw forward? And if not, why not?

Archived User Coach

Developing a 1:1 coaching plan for a junior

Hi I’m a proud dad who wants to help his 12 year old son develop as an aspiring number 12/13. No experience at all coaching but willing to give it a go. He already trains with his team of course but only once a week. I’d like to supplement that with a plan that he and I can follow 2 to 3 times a week but limited realisticallly to he and I. Passing and tackling and speed and agility I’m guessing are key? Anything on decision making would also be good. Any advice gratefully received!

Carl Mooney Coach, England

KICKI

MAY YOU PLEASE SHOW ME AN EXAMPLE OF A KICKING AND PASSING DRILL

lindiwe Coach, South Africa

Developing a 1:1 coaching plan...

Hi I’m a proud dad who wants to help his 12 year old son develop as an aspiring number 12/13. No experience at all coaching but willing to give it a go. He already trains with his team of course but only once a week. I’d like to supplement that with a plan that he and I can follow 2 to 3 times a week but limited realisticallly to he and I. Passing and tackling and speed and agility I’m guessing are key? Anything on decision making would also be good. Any advice gratefully received!

Carl Mooney Coach, England

Tackling nerves - I coach 10 y...

Tackling nerves - I coach 10 year old boys. Some are very nervous about being hurt when tackling opponents although the same guys are like lions with the ball in hand. As a result our defence suffers. We have tried hammering home the correct technique to give confidence but to no avail. Can anyone suggest any psychology or drills I might try?

Archived User Coach

JOIN SPORTPLAN FOR FREE

  • search our library of 1100+ rugby drills
  • create your own professional coaching plans
  • or access our tried and tested plans
STAY CONNECTED

in more ways than one

sportplan_rugby
LATEST COACHING TRENDS
The Lone Ball Carrier: A Halloween Coaching Nightmare

The Lone Ball Carrier: A Halloween Coaching Nightmare

The isolated ball carrier is rugby's spookiest turnover. Here is the five-step fix, plus drills that rebuild support lines fast.

October 2026
|
Sportplan Coaching
Ball Carrying Without Dipping: Footwork, Height and Leg Drive

Ball Carrying Without Dipping: Footwork, Height and Leg Drive

Tacklers are aiming lower, so carriers who dip late put heads at risk. Teach footwork, a strong early body height and leg drive to win the collision safely.

October 2026
|
Sportplan Coaching
The Scrum Brake Foot Is Now Law: Coaching Safer, Steadier Scrums

The Scrum Brake Foot Is Now Law: Coaching Safer, Steadier Scrums

The hooker's brake foot moved from trial into full law in July 2026. Here is how to coach it so your front row stays stable, legal and safe.

October 2026
|
Sportplan Coaching
VIEW ALL COACHING TRENDS
Rugby POPULAR SEARCH TERMS
sevenswarm uprucktacklingtag rugbytouch rugbypassingfitnessunder 8defencescrumlines of runningmauljunior backline drillsruckingtag7tackletouchlineout

What our users have been saying...

Coaches from around the world look to Sportplan for coaching confidence.

Sportplan rugby has played a large role in my team's love for the game!

Heather Weston Rugby Coach, United States

I am so pleased with all of the drills and advice on rugby. I am a player for my local club and we don't have a coach at the moment so I, as a senior player, am filling that gap. With your help, the team has been able to improve our skills.

Mokie Tau Rugby Coach, Papua New Guinea

Your tips and session ideas have really brought some interest back to our rugby training. The players and I now really enjoy our training sessions.

Eifion Highes Rugby Coach, United Kingdom

Wow what a great website, I have found sportplan an important tool for me when planning my netball sessions with my netball team. There are alot of very helpful tips/ideas/skills that I can learn and teach to my team. Thank you sportplan I hope to continue to use your helpful tips and to learn more about improving my teams netball skills. Thanks again....keep it up....

Monique New Zealand

I have been using Sportplan now for 3 years and can honestly say that I have never repeated the same session twice. My girls are always focused and are improving every year. Thanks Sportplan.

Debbie Cross Australia

What a fantastic tool. The Chalkboard and session tools make an unbelievable difference in making training plans in both time and organization. I will be instructing all of my assistant coaches that this tool must be used for all sessions during the season, so that we may build a club coaching resource library.

Wes Campbell Rugby Coach Canada

I can't get enough of the Sportplan, It has given me back the enthusiasm i was starting to lose. My girls are so keen and are ready at 14 to take the next up in their game. Sportplan will help no end.

Cornel Basketball Coach, South Africa

SIGN UP NOW FOR FREE

  • search our library of 1100+ rugby drills
  • create professional rugby coaching plans
  • or access our tried and tested rugby plans

Sportplan App

Give it a try - it's better in the app

SPORTPLAN USES COOKIES

Sportspeople like cookies too! By continuing to browse, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. More info

Privacy Policy
We are committed to privacy and support current industry initiatives to preserve individual privacy rights on the Internet. Protecting your privacy on-line is an evolving area and this website will constantly evolve to meet these demands.


Cookies
Some of our web pages utilise "cookies". A "cookie" is a small text file that may be used, forexample, to collect information about web site activity. Some cookies and other technologies may serve to recallPersonal Information previously indicated by a web user. Most browsers allow you to control cookies, includingwhether or not to accept them and how to remove them.

Some cookies are necessary for the operation of our website, if you choose to block them some aspects of the site may not work for you. Non necessary cookies are only set when you have given your explicit consent to their use. Such cookies included those set by our statistics package Google Analytics.

We use cookies to personalise content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you've provided to them or that they've collected from your use of their services.

More info
Rugby POPULAR SEARCH TERMS
3 v 2 7 counter rucking defence defense fitness football forward drills junior  backline drills lesson plans line out lineout lineout drills lines of running maul passing ruck rucking rugby scrum scrum machine search sevens tackle tackling tag tag rugby touch under 8 warm up
YOUR SESSION IS STARTING SOON... Join the growing community of rugby coaches plus 1100+ drills and pro tools to make coaching easy.
LET'S DO IT