Alan

I have been coaching mini and junior rugby for over 15 years and currently coach under 18 Girls at both club and County level. This is a common problem at all levels and as Simon says is a difficult one to resolve.

With one age group we discovered that one of our flankers was a better thrower so at line-outs he swapped roles with the hooker. Remember they’re all young rugby players and try not to pigeon-hole them too much at that age.

There can be a technical issue with young players throwing in where they tend to finish the throw with their hands down in front of them. They need to practice keeping their chin up, looking over the line-out and finishing the throw with their hands high. As when practising passing their hands should finish pointing at where they are aiming.

During some sessions we include a short period dedicated to individual skills. With the throwers we set a mark on a post (or in the case of U18s who have lifters on the cross bar) and they will just practise hitting that mark, firstly from say 3 metres then moving back a metre at a time when they are consistently hitting the target. Depending on the personalities involved you can make it competitive or use personal progress charts. However, as the time you have with mini/junior players is limited, this is also something they can do outside normal coaching sessions.

Good Luck.

Alan Watson