Fend and go
An evasion and footwork drill for U12 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
- U12
- Time
- 9 minutes
- Players
- 6 to 18
- Space
- 15 x 15 m
- Kit
- 1 ball per pair, 1 tackle shield per pair
- Pitch
- Wants a forgiving surface
- Indoors
- Fits a small space
Setting it up
Pairs. One holds a shield, the carrier walks at them from three metres.
How it runs
Ball in one hand, other hand out to push the shield away below the armpits, then accelerate past. Eight each. The hand off comes in at U12 so this is the first year it is legal and doing it too high is a penalty rather than a clever bit of play.
What to watch for
- Below the armpits. Anything higher is a penalty
- Push and go in one movement, do not stop to do it
- Ball tucked into the far arm before your other hand comes out
Make it easier
- Walk it
- Push the shield with no run afterwards
Make it harder
- Jog into it
- Shield holder moves towards you
What it looks like when it is going wrong
What you can see from the touchline, then the one thing to say about it.
- The hand going up towards the head or the neck
- Below the armpits. Aim at their chest, nowhere higher
- Stopping to push, so all the pace goes
- Push and run in the same movement. Do not plant your feet
Safety. The hand off stays below the armpits, never to the head or the neck. Shield holders absorb only. Walking pace until the height is right every time.
The RFU's Headcase is where to go for what to do after a bang on the head. It is theirs rather than ours.
More like this
The grades that can do it
What U12 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.