Top 7 Rugby Drills for Your Next Tryout

You are three weeks away from conducting rugby tryouts. The venue has been secured, the date has been selected, and your evaluators have been chosen.

One of the final tasks on your to-do list is to select rugby drills. Rugby drills that will assess players on a variety of skills from catching to passing to throwing. Though your tryouts will only last a few hours, it’s essential to choose the right drills to ensure a comprehensive evaluation.

We have rounded up the top 7 drills to evaluate rugby players, providing you with a thorough overview of your players’ abilities to make well-informed drafting decisions.

1. High Kick Catching

Set up:

• Set up a grid on the field with pylons, 50 feet long and 30 feet wide.
• Line up your players in a single file line slightly outside the pylons.
• Have an evaluator on the other side of the pylon grid directly across from the first players in line. The coach will act as the kicker.

High kick catching drill

Drill:

• On your whistle, the evaluator will high kick the ball into the air, aiming for the middle of the grid.
• The first player in line will swiftly run into the grid and try and catch the kick.
• If the player catches the ball, they will throw it back to the coach and go to the back of the line. If the player doesn’t make a successful catch, they will have to attempt the drill again right away.
• Run through this drill until each player has had one successful catch.

Note: This drill teaches players about timing and speed to make a successful catch. Players will not only have to gauge when to start running toward the ball once it is kicked into the air, but at what pace they should be approaching the ball.

2. 1 vs. 1 Tackling

Set up:

• Pair up players. One will act as the attacker and the other will act as the defender.
• The attacker will start with the ball in their hands.

Drill:

• On your whistle, the defender will tackle the attacker to try and gain possession of the ball.
• For an effective tackle, the defender will tackle their opponent to the ground and force them to release the ball.
• Once the defender successfully gains possession of the ball, they will hold it in their hands and run with it.

Note: In order for the tackle to be deemed successful, the attacker must be lying, sitting, or at least have one knee on the ground. *The defender must make contact with the attacker below their shoulders.

3. Sprint Circuit Training

Set up:

• Set up two pylons to mark the start and finish of a 50-meter sprint.
• Set up as many lanes as you can, enabling more players to perform this drill at once.
• Line up as many players at the starting pylons for the first sprint. This will be the 60/70 sprint: 60 seconds sprinting at 70% max effort.

Drill:

• Line up as many players at the starting pylons for the first sprint. This will be the 60/70 sprint: 60 seconds sprinting at 70% max effort.
• Players will sprint to the opposite pylon at 70% effort, once they reach the pylon, they will quickly pivot and sprint back to the pylon they started from.
  • Players will repeat this process until the 60 seconds have elapsed. Run through the 60/70 sprint until all players have had one turn.
• Repeat this process twice more, changing the time and effort variables. A 45/80 sprint (45 seconds at 80% max effort) and a 30/90 sprint (30 seconds at 90% max effort).

Note: Incorporating high-intensity cardiovascular drills into your rugby tryouts enhances a player’s ability to effectively perform on both offense and defense.

4. 1 vs. 1 Scrum

Set up:

• Two players will start on the ground facing each other with shoulders hip-width apart, backs straight, and knees on the ground.
• Player 1 will properly bind with Player B.
• Note: A proper starting position reduces the risk of collapses while ensuring powerful forward drives.

Drill:

• Once players are in the proper starting position, the drill will begin. On your whistle, players will push against each other in the scrum position, lifting off their knees onto their toes.
• After a few seconds in this position, you will blow your whistle again. Players will have to push against each other and go back into a kneeling position.
• Repeat this drill for 1-2 minutes, as players alternate between kneeling and the toes-up position.

5. Run & Throw

Set up:

• Pair up players and give each pair one rugby ball.
• Have all pairs start on one side of the field. *Each pair will stand about 10 feet apart from each other.
• Each pair will label themselves Player 1 and Player 2.

Drill:

• On the coach’s whistle, both players will start running side-by-side at the same pace.
• Player 1 will throw the ball to Player 2. Once Player 2 has received the ball, they will throw it back to Player 1 (all while running).
• Players will repeat this drill until they reach the end of the field and back to the starting position.

Note: To make this drill more challenging, spread pairs out farther away from each other on the field. Then, each pair will perform this drill running beside each other at a further distance apart. 

6. Speed Pass Challenge

Set up:

• Set up a row of pylons on one side of the field, 2 feet from each other.
• Across the field, set up a row of pylons in the exact same formation.
• Pair up your players, with each player on opposite sides of the field standing behind their respective pylons.
• Players on the left side of the field will be the ones starting with the rugby ball in their hand.

Speed pass challenge

Drill:

• On your whistle, both players will run towards the middle of the field.
• Once the players have met in the middle, the player with the ball in their hand will pass the ball to their partner (Note: The rugby ball should not be thrown in this drill).
• Both players will then continue running back until they reach their respective pylons.
• As soon as all players have reached their cone, the whistle will be blown again and players will repeat this drill.

7. Rip the Ball

Set up:

• Pair up players and give each a ball.
• One player will have possession of the ball (they will be the carrier) and the other player will be the mauler.

Drill:

• The player with possession of the ball will have the ball placed on their chest, with both arms wrapped around the ball lightly in a hugging possession.
• To rip the ball, the mauler will place one hand on the top of the ball and the other hand on the bottom of the ball.
• The mauler will then forcefully pull downwards away from the carrier’s grasp and quickly bring the ball into their chest.

Wrapping Up

Keep these 7 rugby drills on hand when it comes to any evaluation, from tryouts to mid-season evaluations to clinics. Measuring players on these 7 drills throughout the season will provide you with better insight into how your athletes are progressing on these skills. And, the more you know the more you can share with athletes directly!

Interested in digitizing the evaluation process? Ditch the pen-and-paper forms you typically rely on for rugby evaluations and make the switch to SkillShark:

• Download the app.
• Create your evaluation template with any rugby skill you want to evaluate.
• Score players on your phone.