Rugby 101
Rugby rules, training and fitness guides
Learn how the laws work, run a beginner training session, and see what a fitness test measures. Written for players, parents and the people who coach them.
43 guides
Performance
26- 1RM Testing Protocols for RugbyHow max strength testing runs, and what professionals lift3 min
- Attacking Shape and Width AnalysisHow spread, depth, and alignment create opportunities, or close them down8 min
- Beep Test Training: Reaching Level 13+How the test works, what the levels mean, and an 8-week plan4 min
- Breakdown & Ruck Performance AnalysisUnderstanding ruck speed, turnover rates, and what professional analysts track3 min
- Change-of-Direction DeficitThe time you lose turning, measured separately from straight-line speed3 min
- Defensive System ComparisonHow the three systems actually differ, and how to pick between them on the day8 min
- Grip Strength & Ball CarryingHow to test your grip, what measured players squeeze, and how to train it4 min
- Hand-Eye Coordination & CatchingWhat steady catchers do differently, and the practice that builds safe hands5 min
- How to Improve Your Bronco TimeThe 20-40-60 shuttle protocol, real professional times, and a six-week plan4 min
- How to throw a rugby lineoutA repeatable throwing action, a simple accuracy progression, and the current legal target3 min
- Improving Your 40m SprintAcceleration technique, resisted sprints, and an eight-week speed block5 min
- Isometric Mid-Thigh Pull TestingPeak force on a force plate, and how squads actually run it3 min
- Metabolic Profiling and Energy SystemsWhich energy system pays for each rugby action, and how to train it6 min
- Offside Line Management and AnalysisGetting off the line fast without handing the referee an easy penalty14 min
- Passing Accuracy and Decision SpeedHow good passers combine precision with rapid decision-making7 min
- Passing Velocity and Spin MetricsMeasuring how fast the ball gets there and how cleanly it flies3 min
- Reactive Strength Index (RSI)Jump height divided by ground contact time, the field test of fast stretch-shortening capacity3 min
- Restart Strategy EffectivenessAnalysing which restart options generate the most territory, possession, and scoring pressure8 min
- Running Economy for Rugby PerformanceWhat the oxygen cost of pace means, and what measurably lowers it3 min
- Standing Broad Jump for RugbyHow to run the horizontal power test and what measured rugby squads actually jump3 min
- Stride Length × Frequency in Sprint PerformanceThe two levers of maximum sprint velocity3 min
- The Physics of Tackling: Force, Technique and DominanceWhy technique beats size, and how to train tackle dominance4 min
- Upper Body Power Testing for RugbyThe bench throw, the medicine ball pass, and the plyometric push up, and how to make the numbers mean something4 min
- Vertical Jump & Power TestingCMJ protocol, measured academy heights, and fatigue monitoring3 min
- Work Rate and Metres Per MinuteThe running metric that lets you compare players who play different minutes6 min
- Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test for rugbyThe IR1 and IR2: protocol, scoring, and measured rugby distances3 min
The game
11- How scoring works in rugby unionPoints for a try, conversion, penalty try, penalty goal and drop goal, and what counts as grounding the ball7 min
- Rugby advantage rule: when play continues or comes backHow advantage works in rugby union: the referee’s signal, why there is no fixed time limit, and when play returns for a scrum or penalty.5 min
- Rugby knock-on rule: scrum, penalty or play on?What counts as a knock-on in rugby union, when regathering the ball is allowed, and how deliberate knock-ons, charge-downs and rips are judged.6 min
- Rugby lineout rules: throws, lifting and penaltiesWho throws into a rugby lineout, where players stand, when lifting is allowed, and why an uncontested crooked throw can now be played on.8 min
- Rugby maul rules: formation, joining and stoppagesWhat forms a maul in rugby union, how players join, why collapsing it is illegal, and who gets the scrum when the ball cannot be played.7 min
- Rugby pitch lines and zonesWhat the 22, the 10-metre lines, and the 5m/15m lineout channel actually change about play.6 min
- Rugby ruck rules: hands, offside and “use it”When a ruck forms, who can use their hands, how players join legally, and what the referee’s five-second “use it” call means in rugby union.6 min
- Scrum rules in rugby unionWhen a scrum is given, how the referee sets it, what players may do, and what gets penalised8 min
- Tackle rules in rugby unionWhat counts as a tackle, what each player must do next, and which tackles are illegal7 min
- The forward pass rule in rugbyWhat makes a pass forward, what the referee gives, and when it becomes a penalty3 min
- Yellow and red cards in rugby unionHow long a player goes off, what it means for the team, and what earns a card5 min
Session plans
4- Beginner rugby evasion sessionTeach players to find space, move a defender, and accelerate away without contact3 min
- Beginner rugby kicking and catching sessionA grounded introduction to the punt and an uncontested catch4 min
- Beginner rugby passing sessionA simple progression from two-hand technique to a small-sided handling game4 min
- Beginner rugby support play sessionHelp players move after the pass and become a useful option again4 min