Rugby skill drills

Matters most for: Scrum-half, Fly-half, Centre

Setup: A wall and a rugby ball, 4–6m back.

1. 1. Pass flat and hard off the left hand for 30 seconds, then the right.
2. 2. Hands finish pointing at the target every time.
3. 3. Catch early with fingers spread, pass without a wind-up.

Volume: 6 × 30 seconds each hand

Coaching point: Push the ball, don't throw it. The follow-through is the accuracy.

Make it harder: Step across as you pass so it's off-balance, like a real game.

Matters most for: Scrum-half, Fly-half

Setup: 15–20m of space, a partner or a target.

1. 1. Sweep the ball from the ground with both hands, no backlift.
2. 2. Rotate hips and shoulders through the pass.
3. 3. Finish with the top hand across your body.

Volume: 5 × 12 each side

Coaching point: Power comes from the hips, not the arms. Feet set before the sweep.

Make it harder: Add distance, then pass off one step, then off the deck under pressure.

Matters most for: Prop, Hooker, Lock, No. 8, Flanker

Setup: A wall and a ball. 3–4m back.

1. 1. Catch the ball early, in front of your chest, with both hands.
2. 2. Pop it straight back against the wall with a short push — no wind-up, no spin.
3. 3. Alternate which shoulder you turn towards on every rep.

Volume: 5 × 45 seconds

Coaching point: Hands out early and pass off the catch. A forward's pass is short and instant; the wind-up is what gets it intercepted.

Make it harder: Move closer, or take a step forward into every pass so you are moving when you release.

Matters most for: Scrum-half

Setup: A ball, a wall or target, and a marked spot on the floor.

1. 1. Ball on the floor. Step past it so your back foot is level with it.
2. 2. Sweep it away in one movement, no lift and no backswing, driving off the back leg.
3. 3. Hit the same target every time, then turn round and do the other side.

Volume: 5 × 10 passes each side

Coaching point: No pick-up. The ball should leave the ground on its way to the target, not on its way to your hands.

Make it harder: Move the target further out, or take one step to the ball first so you are moving when you arrive.

Matters most for: Prop, Hooker, Lock, Flanker, No. 8, Centre

Setup: A tackle bag or shield and a partner to hold it.

1. 1. Approach in a low, balanced stance — chest over toes.
2. 2. Cheek to cheek: head to the side, never across the front.
3. 3. Wrap both arms, drive with the legs, finish on top.

Volume: 5 × 8 each shoulder

Coaching point: Eyes open, head behind. Every safe tackle starts with head position.

Make it harder: Add a moving bag carrier, then a light live carry.

Matters most for: Flanker, No. 8, Prop, Hooker

Setup: A ball on the ground, a shield holder over it.

1. 1. Approach low, take the last step short and wide.
2. 2. Hit through the sternum with a leg drive, not a shoulder barge.
3. 3. Stay on your feet past the ball.

Volume: 6 × 6 arrivals

Coaching point: Lowest man wins. If you're standing tall you're a passenger.

Make it harder: Add a second defender so you have to pick which threat to clear.

Matters most for: Prop, Hooker, Lock

Setup: A scrum machine or a strong partner with a shield.

1. 1. Set with a flat back, hips below shoulders, shins vertical.
2. 2. Bind tight, then drive on the call through the heels.
3. 3. Hold the shape for 5 seconds — the position is the skill.

Volume: 6 × 5-second drives

Coaching point: Spine in line, chin off the chest. A bent back in a scrum is how necks get hurt.

Make it harder: Add a delayed call so you have to hold the set position longer.

Matters most for: Prop, Hooker, Lock, Flanker, No. 8, Centre, Wing

Setup: A ball and a patch of grass.

1. 1. From standing, fall to the ground as if tackled, landing on your side, not your front.
2. 2. Turn to face your own posts and place the ball at full arm stretch back towards them.
3. 3. Roll away and get to your feet in one movement.

Volume: 3 × 8 presentations, alternating the shoulder you land on

Coaching point: Long arms and a clean roll-away. Presenting short is what turns your carry into their turnover.

Make it harder: Do it fatigued at the end of a session, or start from a jog rather than standing.

Matters most for: Fly-half, Full-back, Scrum-half

Setup: A pitch with touchlines, several balls.

1. 1. Kick to find touch from varying positions and angles.
2. 2. Alternate spiral and end-over-end.
3. 3. Call your target before each kick and score yourself.

Volume: 4 × 10 kicks

Coaching point: Ball drop is everything — hold it out and let it fall, don't throw it down.

Make it harder: Kick under fatigue, or with a chaser closing you down.

Matters most for: Fly-half, Wing, Full-back

Setup: Open pitch, a few balls.

1. 1. Put up a contestable kick — height over distance.
2. 2. Chase hard and compete for it at the top of your jump.
3. 3. Land safely, on your feet, ball secured.

Volume: 8 kick-and-chases

Coaching point: Hang time buys your chasers metres. A flat kick is just giving them the ball.

Make it harder: Add a competitor jumping against you.

Matters most for: Fly-half, Full-back, Wing, Centre

Setup: A ball, a tee, and posts — or any target at distance.

1. 1. Build the same routine every time: place, steps back, steps across, breathe, look, strike.
2. 2. Strike through the bottom third with the instep, head down through contact.
3. 3. Kick from one spot until you have three in a row, then move.

Volume: 20 kicks, from five positions across the pitch

Coaching point: The routine is the skill. Under pressure you do not rise to the occasion — you fall back on the routine you have grooved.

Make it harder: Kick tired at the end of a session, or set a target you must hit before you are allowed to stop.

Setup: 20m channel, a ball, a partner.

1. 1. Sprint 20m, then immediately catch and pass 10 times.
2. 2. Hands out early — no chest catches.
3. 3. Repeat without full recovery.

Volume: 6 rounds, 45s rest

Coaching point: Skills fail before legs do. Practise them tired or you've only practised the easy version.

Make it harder: Add a defender, or make every pass off the weaker hand.

Matters most for: Centre, No. 8, Flanker, Wing

Setup: A tackle shield, a partner running a support line.

1. 1. Carry into the shield, stay square and keep your feet driving.
2. 2. Free one arm and pop the ball up to the support runner.
3. 3. Support runner takes it at pace, not standing still.

Volume: 5 × 8 carries

Coaching point: Win the contact first. An offload from a losing position is just a turnover with extra steps.

Make it harder: Two defenders, so the offload has to be late.

Matters most for: Full-back, Wing, Fly-half, Centre

Setup: A ball and open space. A wall to throw against helps.

1. 1. Throw the ball high above you and track it up with your eyes the whole way.
2. 2. Take it at full stretch above your head, arms out, and pull it into your chest as you land.
3. 3. Land on both feet, balanced, ready to run.

Volume: 3 × 10 catches, half of them taken on the move

Coaching point: Take it at the top of the reach, not on your chest — the extra foot of height is what stops the contest.

Make it harder: Turn away and catch off a late look, or take off one foot with a knee raised into the contest.

Matters most for: Hooker

Setup: A target at jumping height — a post marking or a partner.

1. 1. Same stance and grip every throw; consistency beats power.
2. 2. Throw flat and fast to the target, following through at it.
3. 3. Call the number before each throw so you're practising under a decision.

Volume: 5 × 12 throws to varied targets

Coaching point: Feet and hips set the line. If your throw drifts, look at your feet before your hands.

Make it harder: Throw after a sprint, so you're doing it with a raised heart rate.

Matters most for: Prop, Hooker, Lock, Flanker

Setup: A wall, or a light weight to hold at hip height.

1. 1. Set your grip at hip height, thumbs in, elbows tight to your ribs.
2. 2. Dip by bending the knees only — the back stays vertical and the grip stays put.
3. 3. Drive up fast to full extension and lock out overhead.

Volume: 5 × 6 dips and drives

Coaching point: The dip is short and sharp. A slow dip is what makes a jumper mistime the jump, and it is nearly always the lifter's fault.

Make it harder: Hold a plate or sandbag, then move to lifting a jumper with a spotter behind.

Matters most for: Lock, Flanker, No. 8, Hooker

Setup: Space to jump, and a mark on a wall to reach for.

1. 1. Stand square, hands at chest height, weight on the balls of your feet.
2. 2. On a count of three, dip and drive straight up — no step, no swing.
3. 3. Reach with both hands to the same point every rep.

Volume: 6 × 5 jumps, with a count called differently each set

Coaching point: Vertical, not forward. A jumper who travels is a jumper the lifters cannot follow.

Make it harder: Have someone call the count at random, or jump immediately after a short shuttle so you arrive already moving.

Matters most for: Prop, Hooker, Lock

Setup: A wall. Nothing else.

1. 1. Set your feet, hips below shoulders, spine long — chin off the chest, eyes up.
2. 2. Push into the wall through the balls of your feet and hold the shape.
3. 3. Hold 20 seconds, then step out and reset from scratch rather than sagging.

Volume: 6 × 20 seconds, full reset between

Coaching point: The push comes from the hips and the floor, not the arms. If your back rounds the set is over — stop and rebuild it.

Make it harder: Add a partner or a scrum machine for real resistance, or hold 30 seconds with a band round the knees.

Matters most for: Prop, Hooker, Lock, Flanker, No. 8, Centre

Setup: A ball and four cones in a 10m channel.

1. 1. Carry the ball in two hands and accelerate at the first cone.
2. 2. One hard step off your outside foot to change the angle, then square up again.
3. 3. Finish through the last cone at full pace with the ball tucked and shoulder leading.

Volume: 10 runs, alternating which foot you step off

Coaching point: The step is to move the DEFENDER, not to avoid contact — you should still arrive on your terms, going forward.

Make it harder: Shrink the channel, or have someone call the side late so you react rather than rehearse.

Matters most for: No. 8, Scrum-half, Flanker, Prop, Hooker

Setup: A ball and two cones 2m apart.

1. 1. Ball on the floor between the cones. Approach, pick it up with a flat back and both hands.
2. 2. Drive two hard steps forward, low, ball tucked to the outside arm.
3. 3. Go to ground, present, get up and repeat from the other side.

Volume: 4 × 6 picks, alternating sides

Coaching point: Pick and GO in one movement. The pause between picking up and driving is where the defence gets set.

Make it harder: Add a weighted vest, or make the last two of each set a full carry to the ground with a presentation.

Matters most for: Flanker, No. 8, Hooker, Prop

Setup: A ball on the ground.

1. 1. Step over the ball with a wide, braced stance and grip it low.
2. 2. Drop your hips, straighten your back and take the weight through your legs.
3. 3. Hold, then drive up to standing with the ball still in your hands.

Volume: 8 × 10-second holds

Coaching point: Supporting your own bodyweight over the ball is the whole skill — if your hands or head are taking the load you will be cleared out.

Make it harder: Add a band round your waist pulling you sideways, or a partner applying pressure.

Matters most for: Wing, Full-back, Centre, Scrum-half, Fly-half

Setup: A ball and five cones over 20m.

1. 1. Run at each cone, sink your hips and step hard off the outside foot.
2. 2. Accelerate for three steps out of every step before setting up the next.
3. 3. Alternate the direction at each cone.

Volume: 6 runs of 5 cones

Coaching point: The acceleration out is the point. A pretty step you jog away from beats nobody.

Make it harder: Do it at full pace with a defender shadowing, or add a catch before the first cone.