Contact Help center
Rugby Rugby
HOME Rugby Coaching Trends SEARCH

Rugby: heads up passing

heads up passing DRILLS
View All

Heads up Passing

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. Once the teams have master that - lets get all four units running at one. The firt two groups go, when they each the mid-way point - the second two groups go. This will mean that all four gourps will be working at one. The groups keep moving unit you tell them to stop. Devlop this by alowing players to attack and be creative in their attack e.g. loop, M1, etc. There will be lots of traffic, they need to stay on their toes and work hard to keep the attack and the ball alive.

Passing

Heads up Passing Passing - Rug...

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. Once the teams have master that - lets get all four units running at one. The firt two groups go, when they each the mid-way point - the second two groups go. This will mean that all four gourps will be working at one. The groups keep moving unit you tell them to stop. Devlop this by alowing players to attack and be creative in their attack e.g. loop, M1, etc. There will be lots of traffic, they need to stay on their toes and work hard to keep the attack and the ball alive.

General

Hands up / Hands Down Passing ...

Lets just get the ball moving clockwise for a while, just to get the ball moving through the hands. After a minute or two, lets switch the direction of the ball. After another minute, tell them the ball can go in any direction, but...... The receiver must have their hands in the air. The passer cannot pass to a player directly beside them. The passer can dummy, if a player takes their hand down they are out. The reciever can take their hands down to catch a ball if it is coming their way. You can also play this game using a word like RUGBY. Each time a play makes a mistake they get a letter. The loser is the first player to get all the letters that spell RUGBY. Some teams and coaches have more interesting and colorful words to spell - I'll leave this to you. You can make this game a little harder by reducing the size of the circle or by asking the players to touch their toes before catching the ball. You can also increase the number of balls in the circle. Have fun with this!

General

Lateral Pass Passing - Rugby D...

General

Scrum Pass Passing - Rugby Dri...

General

Passing Box Passing - Rugby Dr...

Tell your players the following....... There should be one group of 4 players between each cone on the four sides of the grid. The ball carrying group will advance - passing the ball down the line. When the ball gets to the last receiver in the attacking line, they will pass the ball to the first receiver in the next attacking line. Simple as that - they should keep going. All four groups must go, in any one cycle of attacks - a cycle is 4 attacks. Progression: Add in one or two defenders, have them work from side to side - rather than closing down space and - don't forget to change the defenders into attack after some time in defence.

General

Drop Off Passing - Rugby Drill...

4 cones with 2 balls.Players start running at the same time and when the meet in the middle, the blue players give a drop off pass to the red player before both continuing their run to the opposite end to which they started.

General

Jog - Lock and Load Passing - ...

Tell your players the following: Using just one hand they should pass the ball to each other, spinning the ball. They will continue down the grid until reaching the end before turning back and doing the same with the opposite passing hand. They can use two hands to catch. They should be jogging. That's it, get working. Refer to the coaching points in order to help your players improve. This drill is about helping players understand and develop their spin pass, while improving the quality of their pass. It should be using in conjunction with other training exercises to develop the spin pass.

General

Continuous passing onto cones ...

Players line up at least 2 or 3 behind a cone. The ball starts at one end with the player running up to the cone in front of him and passing to the next player waiting on the cone. As a player has passed he must quickly run around the grid and fall back into position. The Ball is constantly within the grid moving from right to left.

General

Passing Race Passing - Rugby D...

Using just one hand they should pass the ball to each other. The pass should come from on, or behind the hip. They should make 10 passes on one hand, and then 10 passes on the opposite hand. That's it, lets get going - it's a race.  Any dropped balls - and your group has to start again. That's it, get working.

General

Rugby: Round the circle Passin...

Each group forms a circle with players about 1m apart. First practise passing and catch around the circle. Next, the first player to pass runs around the outside of the circle. The player races against the ball to return to his/her start position.

General

Kamikaze Passing Passing - Rug...

Passing drill under pressure.Set up a grid roughly 20m x 15m, with lines of 4 players facing each other across the grid. Each line of 4 needs a ball.The first line on each side of the grid starts running to the other side of the grid while passing the ball along the line.When those teams reach the half way point (white cones) the other two teams begin.When teams approach eachother they need to avoid running into eachother/dropping the ball but will need to continue to pass the ball along the line.

General

Dizzy Passing - Rugby Drills, ...

There will be one ball carrier at any one time. They will run around the circle, passing the ball. The ball must be handled by all players, so players work to identify themselves as needing the ball. The ball cannot be passed to the person beside the carrier, but backwards passes are allowed. The coach can change the direction of the players running and ask them to do things e.g. touch the ground with your right hand, touch the ground with your left hand, jump up and clap etc.

General

More Loop Passing - Rugby Dril...

Tell your players the following...... The ball carrier (A) runs straight in a line and makes a normal lateral pass to the supporting player (B) After passing the ball A runs towards and behind B After B catches the pass they angle their run towards the direction the pass has come from and so create space A runs around B and straightens as they receive the pass In effect you want the players to loop around the new ball carrier after they make their pass.

General

Tackle Tackling - Rugby Drills...

General

Ladder Pass Warm Up - Rugby Dr...

Have four players stand at the four cones, the other players, in their own running groups of four should, be behind them - ready to go when their turn comes. Give the first player, the player with the ladder furthest away, a ball. The other players should lay down on the ground. When the first player runs and reaches the ladder, the second player can get up and attack, the third player can attack when the second player reaches their ladder, and the forth player can get up and attack when the third player reaches their ladder. The pass should be passed down the line, but you can only pass when you're inside your own ladder and you can only receive when you are inside you own ladder. Players aim to get the ball down the line, and should, score at the end before passing the ball to the first receiver in the next group. Players cannot stop inside a ladder or at any time during the attack.

General

React, run and defend Decision...

Defenders and attackers line up outside the coned area in lines of five. The coach will call out two numbers, the first refers to how many attackers should enter the area and the second refers to the defenders. So 2-1 would see two attackers reacting and running around the cones and lining up against one defender. The coach can call any variation from 1-1 to 5-5.

General

Decision Making Sevens - Rugby...

Tell the players the following..... The players at the bottom of the triangle will pass the ball back and forward. The passer in the middle must not only complete the pass, but should keep their head up and call out the colour of the cone that is being held up for their attention. Don't forget to change the players around to allow everyone a chance to do everything.

General

Tackle Progression 1v1 Tacklin...

1. Tracking Create a V shaoped conned area. Defender at one end, attacker at the other end. Attacker attempts to score using footwork, defender has to track them and try stop them by gettign a shoulder on contact to there hips. (50% intensity)2. 1v1 Track and TackleIn a grid an attacker is positioned on one end and a defender at the other end. Defender passes to the attacker who attempts to score against the defender within the grid. 3. 1v1 Tackle Channel Players line up in two lines adjacent to the coned area.<br>Coach shouts go and the front two players run round their end to end up facing each other.<br>The coach passes the ball to the attacker who runs at the defender, and the defender tries to take them down.4. 2v2 Track and Tackle 10m wide channel, 2 attackers start with the ball while 2 defenders atart at the other end.when instructed the attackers attempt to score agaisnt them.Do continuous reps.

General

Rugby: Pass Left and Right Fro...

Great for scrum halves to practice placement of foot and following through with hands. 2 balls, 3 support players, 1 passer Ted on the ground as if one is feeding from the backhe support players set up a triangle on your given dimensions. The person at the top of the triangle is the feeder for the passer, who will stand one metre from the feeder on the inside of the triangle. The feeder starts with a ball as well as the passer who will start with his ball in the position of a scrum or maul. Once the first pass is made the feeder must immediately place the next ball on the ground for the second pass to go to the next support player. Support players should return the ball immediately to the feeder. Work for a minute and rotate.

General

TACKLE HEAD SAFETY TECHNIQUE -...

Groups of 2 Tackle Bags Cones1. Warm up light contactPlayers line up opposite eachother and run to meet each other in the middle. When the coach says so, the coach will leave it late to hold an arm out for the attackers to step too. The Defenders will make a late decision to tackle on either left or right shoulder. 2. Progress to adding bags &amp; defenders turning.This minimalises the time for defenders to make decision and increaces the intensity. 3. Progress on to full live tackle. Increace the intensity and make sure the players back track back to starting point before starting next set.

General

Keep The Ball Game Sevens - Ru...

Tell your players the following: One group of two players will be defenders, you might want to give them bibs. The attackers just need to keep the ball moving without getting touched while holding the ball. The passes can be forward. Attackers can move around the training area. If a player gets touched while holding the ball they and their partner become the defenders - the old defenders become attackers. If the ball is dropped, the pass is bad, or goes outside the training area - the player that made the mistake and their partner become the new defenders, replacing the old defence. This should be fun, but players should strive to control the ball, moving it into space and away from the defence.

General

Traffic Passing Warm Up - Rugb...

This passing exercise will keep large groups of players busy passing, running onto, and moving the ball in traffic without the need to spend large amounts of time standing around and doing very little. It's a little confusing to start with, but when the players get going - it's great fun and very busy. Create a large box, the size is up to you and can be varied depending on your coaching goals. Each side of the box should have 4/5 players, more or less if you wish, standing in an attacking passing line - ready to go. You'll need two balls, give one ball to the first player on one of the lines, and the other to the last player on the line opposite. The lines advance passing the ball down the line as they go - they will pass through one another. When the ball gets to the end of the line, the last ball holder passes the ball to the first receiver of the line closest to them - and that line advances. There should be two lines active at any one time, and two lines getting ready to go. I hope that makes sense!

General

Bull Dog Tag Rugby - Rugby Dri...

Large Grid 30m x 30m. Start with 5 defenders in the middle, everybody else stands at one end of the grid wearing tags. On the coach's call all attackers try to run past the 5 defenders and get to the opposite side of the grid. Attackers that are tagged join the defenders in the middle, the game keeps going until there are no attackers left.

General

SHORT - LONG Sevens - Rugby Dr...

The first group of 4 starts at the top of the grid, moving forward. The ball should be with the outside player, who makes a short pass in to his supporting runner, who then makes a long pass to the next receiver in the other short passing box, they will then make a short pass to the last receiver. The players realign and do the same again in the opposite direction. When they get to the end of the grid, they go around the cones to their starting position, while the next group goes. They should change position in the line, and when ready, they start again.

General

Building The Contact 2 Contact...

<b>Setup:</b> Set up with 4 players with pads, and four players facing them about five metres away. There should be enough space between the players to ensure that they and the players making the hit are safe. The rest of the players fall in behind the leading 4 players who will be making the first hit. Each group of four will go together. The players holding the pads should do so with one hand on each strap, not with one arm through both straps as this exposes them to a lower arm fracture on a big hit. Have more than one group if necessary, as you don't want to have players waiting for more than 20-30 seconds between hits. Start slowly to get the technique right, and build from there. Tell the hitting players to raise their elbows 90 degrees or more. They will notice that their shoulders get bigger. Demo this with another coach if necessary.

General

Unfortunately there were no results for your search! Please try again
heads up passing SESSIONS
View All

Heads up Rugby - Think fast

Attack the space! Develop your players' speed, reaction and decision making to improve their ability to get through holes in defences.
heads up passing ANSWERS
View All

Advice on playing flyhalf | Sp...

Tomorrow i am going for rugby trials and i wanna play flyhalf. What do i have to do to get the position

sima Coach, South Africa

Motion of the first receiver f...

From a tap restart may the player who is to first receive the ball start runnning before the player taps the ball? The player receiving the ball is at all times behind the player tapping the ball.

Archived User Coach

Under 9`s rugby, fear of tackl...

I coach under 9`s rugby and a lot of the kids have a bad fear of tackling, they lack the confidence to get stuck in. What is the best thing to help them overcome this?

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
Six Nations 2026: Tactical Trends Every Coach Can Steal

Six Nations 2026: Tactical Trends Every Coach Can Steal

From France's collision dominance to England's folding defence - what grassroots coaches can learn from the 2026 Six Nations.

February 2026
|
Sportplan Coaching
The 2026 Lineout Law Change: New Opportunities for Your Attack

The 2026 Lineout Law Change: New Opportunities for Your Attack

The removal of "not-straight" on uncontested lineouts transforms your set-piece options. Here's how to exploit the new rule.

February 2026
|
Sportplan Coaching
6 Things Changing Rugby in 2026

6 Things Changing Rugby in 2026

2026 brings revolutionary changes to international rugby: a brand new global tournament, historic tours, and law changes that will reshape the game. Here's everything coaches need to know.

January 2026
|
Sportplan Coaching
VIEW ALL COACHING TRENDS
Rugby POPULAR SEARCH TERMS
passingfitnesstagunder 8defencejunior backline drillswarm upmaultackleruckingtag rugbylineoutscrumrucksevenstouchtacklingtouch rugby7lines of running

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