Coaches Hub
Coaches Hub
Youth Rugby
Training resources, drills, and session plans for VRC coaches — organised by age group from U6 to U18.
Select your age group, objective, duration and sector — get a complete training plan in seconds.
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Each section contains age-appropriate training resources, drills, and coaching guidelines based on the FFR, World Rugby, and RFU frameworks.
Guppen
Born: 2020 or later
The youngest players at VRC. At this age, rugby is pure play — running, catching, and having fun.
Turven
Born: 2018–2019
Children begin to understand the basic concepts of rugby: carrying, passing, and scoring tries.
Benjamins
Born: 2016–2017
Players develop passing, support play, and begin to understand team structure in small-sided games.
Mini's
Born: 2014–2015
Introduction to contact rugby. Players learn safe falling, basic tackling technique, and the breakdown.
Cubs
Born: 2012–2013
Competitive rugby with full contact. Players develop positional play, set pieces, and game understanding.
Junioren
Born: 2010–2011
Advanced tactical development. Players learn structured attack and defence patterns and positional specialisation.
Colts
Born: 2008–2009
Senior-level preparation. Full adult rugby rules, physical conditioning, and leadership development.
11 Federations + 4 Academies & Platforms
Resources are drawn from official coaching frameworks of the Six Nations, Southern Hemisphere nations, and World Rugby — plus publicly available drills from professional academies (Leinster, Saracens, Toulouse) and specialist platforms (Rugby Coach Weekly, BokSmart). All materials are free to use.
Fédération Française de Rugby
The FFR's École de Rugby programme provides comprehensive age-group training plans, the 'Livret du Jeune Joueur', and hundreds of drills organised by skill theme.
Rugby Football Union
England Rugby's Kids First programme and Activate warm-up series offer free session plans, contact introduction guides, and an extensive YouTube library organised by age group.
Irish Rugby Football Union
The IRFU's Mini and Rugby Prime programme focuses on non-contact and progressive skill development for ages 5–12, with downloadable regulations and coaching pathway resources.
Scottish Rugby Union
Scottish Rugby's Blueprint provides downloadable age-group curricula for boys and girls, e-learning modules, and a dedicated coaching YouTube channel with drills and principles of play.
Welsh Rugby Union
The WRU offers free downloadable workbooks for Tag Rugby and Early Contact coaching, plus webinars and a structured coaching pathway covering all age groups.
Federazione Italiana Rugby
The FIR publishes weekly downloadable PDF training sheets covering all aspects of youth rugby, freely available to all volunteer coaches.
South African Rugby Union
SA Rugby's National Tackle Age Framework provides compulsory age-appropriate guidelines, Tag Rugby sample lesson plans, and the SA Rugby Contact Programme for safe progressive introduction to contact.
Rugby Australia
Rugby Australia's Slocoach platform offers hundreds of free coaching videos and 8-week training plans for every age group from U6 to U18, covering non-contact, modified, and competition rugby.
New Zealand Rugby
NZR's Rugby Toolbox is a comprehensive free platform with coaching skills, Rippa Rugby guides, RugbySmart safety resources, online learning modules, and the iconic Small Blacks programme for young players.
Unión Argentina de Rugby
Argentina's Conecta Rugby platform provides free clinics, session plans, and courses for coaches covering all aspects of youth rugby including tackling, rucking, passing, and attack/defence skills.
Professional Academies & Coaching Platforms
Leinster Rugby Academy
Children's Coaching Handbook + FUNdamental Movement Series
Leinster's free coaching handbook and YouTube series cover fundamental movement skills, game-based learning, and the 'Coaching Through the Game' philosophy used at all levels of Irish rugby.
Saracens Academy
Skills Decision Making Drills + Elite Coach Education
Saracens' YouTube coaching library includes their renowned 'Skills Decision Making Drills' playlist and Elite Coach Education series, covering adaptive games, defensive systems, and attack patterns.
Stade Toulousain
The Toulouse Way — French Flair Philosophy
Toulouse's coaching philosophy ('French Flair') is publicly documented and widely discussed. The key principles — offload-first, no-ruck games, chaos drills, player autonomy — are applicable at all youth levels.
Rugby Coach Weekly
Free Drills Library
Rugby Coach Weekly provides a large library of free drills, warm-up games, and session plans for all age groups. Some premium content requires registration, but a substantial free tier is available.
Instagram Coaching Accounts
8 curated accounts — drills, videos, and coaching philosophies from coaches around the world.
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