Scrum with the clock on
A scrum and restarts 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
- 9 minutes
- Players
- 6 to 16
- Space
- 15 x 15 m
- Kit
- 1 ball
- Pitch
- Wants a forgiving surface
- Indoors
- Fits a small space
Setting it up
Two threes. A referee calling the sequence at a proper pace.
How it runs
Now the strike is contested, so both hookers are going for it, still with no push from anybody. Referee calls crouch, bind, set at match tempo and penalises anything early. Ten goes. Getting used to a referee's rhythm is half of not conceding free kicks on a Sunday.
What to watch for
- Listen for set. Moving on bind is a free kick
- Both hookers may strike now. Be ready for it
- Still no push. Hold the shape and contest the ball only
Make it easier
- Uncontested strike
- Slower calls
Make it harder
- Referee varies the timing of the calls
What it looks like when it is going wrong
What you can see from the touchline, then the one thing to say about it.
- Front rows going on bind because they are anticipating
- Wait for set. Every time. Early is a free kick
- A push creeping in once the strike is contested
- Feet still. You are contesting the ball, not the ground
Safety. No push at U11. Contested strike means both hookers moving, so watch the bind stays intact. Match by size. Any collapse means everybody up and reset from crouch.
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.