Three man maul
A ruck and maul drill for U11 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
- U11, U12
- Time
- 10 minutes
- Players
- 6 to 18
- Space
- 15 x 10 m
- Kit
- 1 ball
- Pitch
- Wants a forgiving surface
- Indoors
- Fits a small space
Setting it up
A carrier held up by one opponent. One team mate ready to bind on.
How it runs
The carrier gets held, the team mate binds onto them and that is a maul. Three players, no more. Get the ball to the back and away inside five seconds. Six goes. At this age grade the maul is exactly three bodies, so learn it as three rather than learning it wrong and unlearning it later.
What to watch for
- Bind onto your own player properly before anything else
- Ball goes to the back straight away, do not hold it at the front
- Five seconds. Get it out or you lose it
Make it easier
- Static, no movement at all
- Carrier is held loosely
Make it harder
- Move the maul forward two metres before releasing
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 ball staying at the front where everybody can grab it
- Ball to the back player straight away. Show me the swap
- A fourth and fifth player joining because it looks like fun
- Three only. The rest of you get in the line
Safety. Three players maximum, which is the rule at this grade. Nobody drags anybody to ground. If the carrier goes down it is a ruck and everybody stays on their feet. Nothing above the chest.
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 U11 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.