Cheek to cheek
A tackle drill for U9 and up, with where the cones go, how it runs and what to say when it is not working.
Free to read with no account. It works at a pitch with no signal too.
- Age grades
- U9, U10, U11, U12
- Time
- 12 minutes
- Players
- 6 to 20
- Space
- 10 x 10 m
- Kit
- 1 ball per pair
- Pitch
- Wants a forgiving surface
- Indoors
- Fits a small space
Setting it up
Pairs of similar size, both kneeling, facing each other a metre apart. Soft grass only.
How it runs
From the knees, the tackler puts their head to the side of the carrier's hip, wraps both arms round the legs, squeezes and they roll to the floor together. Ten each side from the knees before anybody stands up. Then from a crouch with the carrier walking. Only go to a jog once the head is in the right place every single time.
What to watch for
- Head on the side away from the knees. Never in front, never across
- Both arms wrap and grip. A tackle is a hug, not a shove
- Eyes open, looking at the target all the way in
Make it easier
- Stay on the knees the whole session
- Wrap and hold without taking them down
Make it harder
- Carrier walks, tackler starts from a crouch
- Carrier jogs a straight line, tackler comes from the side
What it looks like when it is going wrong
What you can see from the touchline, then the one thing to say about it.
- Head going in front of the carrier rather than past their hip
- Touch your ear to their back pocket before you wrap
- Arms pushing rather than gripping, so nobody goes anywhere
- Lock your own hands together behind their legs
Safety. Match by size, never by age alone. Head position is the one thing that is not negotiable, so stop the drill instantly for any head in front of the carrier. Contact below the waist only. If anybody is tired enough to be dropping their technique, they stop.
The RFU's Headcase is where to go for what to do after a bang on the head. It is theirs rather than ours.
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The grades that can do it
What U9 rugby allows is the rule this sits under. Regulation 15 is reissued every summer, so the RFU's own rules of play are the ones to read for this season rather than a copy on somebody else's website. Ours included. Read against the RFU's 2026/27 appendices in August 2026.