Scrum shape hold
A scrum and restarts warm-up 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
- 5 minutes
- Players
- 3 or more
- Space
- 10 x 10 m
- Kit
- Nothing
- Pitch
- Fine on hard ground
- Indoors
- Fits a small space
Setting it up
Threes. Hooker in the middle, prop either side. No opposition at all.
How it runs
Crouch, bind, hold for five seconds, stand up. Six of those. Nobody pushes anything, nobody engages anything. You are getting the shape right while everyone is still fresh so the shape is right later when they are tired.
What to watch for
- Flat backs and heads up on crouch. Looking at the floor means reset
- Bind properly onto your own player before anything else
- Feet under you, weight balanced. Do not lean
Make it easier
- Two players instead of three
- Hold for three seconds
Make it harder
- Hold for eight seconds
- Add the scrum half calling the sequence
What it looks like when it is going wrong
What you can see from the touchline, then the one thing to say about it.
- Heads down on crouch
- Eyes up. Look at the player opposite
- Leaning on each other rather than standing on their own feet
- Feet under you. Hold your own weight
Safety. No opposition and no pushing in this one. It exists so the front row learns the shape without a load on it.
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.