Five second count
A ruck and maul drill for U10 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
- U10, U11, U12
- Time
- 10 minutes
- Players
- 9 to 21
- Space
- 20 x 15 m
- Kit
- 1 ball, 2 tackle shields
- Pitch
- Wants a forgiving surface
- Indoors
- Fits a small space
Setting it up
A carrier, two support players and a scrum half who will clear the ball.
How it runs
Carrier goes down, everybody does their job and the ball has to be away inside five seconds with you counting it out loud. Fail it and they go again. Six goes. This is the actual rule at U10 and U11, so making them live with the count in training means the referee never surprises them.
What to watch for
- Count it out loud together. The whole team should know the clock
- Nine gets to the ball before it is available, not after
- Only put in as many players as you need
Make it easier
- Seven seconds
- No defender and no shield
Make it harder
- Four seconds
- A defender competing
What it looks like when it is going wrong
What you can see from the touchline, then the one thing to say about it.
- Nobody counting, so nobody knows they are slow
- Everyone counts out loud. You included
- Four or five players arriving for a ball nobody is contesting
- Only go in if somebody is over it. Otherwise get in the line
Safety. Age grade rules exactly. Everybody on their feet, nobody in from the side. Counting creates a rush so watch for heads dropping as they hurry.
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 U10 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.