Ruck to ruck
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
- 12 minutes
- Players
- 12 to 24
- Space
- 30 x 25 m
- Kit
- 8 cones, 1 ball
- Pitch
- Wants a forgiving surface
Setting it up
Two teams playing live contact. Three defenders only so the attack usually gets through.
How it runs
Four rucks in a row without losing the ball. Reset if you drop it. Then swap over. It is about the bit between rucks rather than the rucks themselves, which is where most minis lose the ball on a Sunday.
What to watch for
- Look for the next ruck while this one is still happening
- Do not carry into the same place twice
- Somebody on their feet and calling before the ball comes out
Make it easier
- Two rucks
- Two defenders
Make it harder
- Six rucks
- Four defenders
What it looks like when it is going wrong
What you can see from the touchline, then the one thing to say about it.
- Everybody watching the ruck instead of getting ready for the next one
- Heads up. Where is the next carry going?
- The same two children carrying every time
- Next carrier calls for it before the ball is out
Safety. Age grade contact rules throughout. Everybody on their feet at the ruck, nobody in from the side. Cap the reps and watch for tiredness rather than running it until somebody gets hurt.
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 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.