Square and pass
A handling and passing 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
- 8 to 21
- Space
- 30 x 20 m
- Kit
- 8 cones, 1 ball
- Pitch
- Fine on hard ground
Setting it up
A line of four attackers against three defenders standing on a marked line.
How it runs
Attackers start drifting sideways. On your call they have to square up, run straight and then move the ball. Defenders can only move forward once the ball moves. Six goes then swap over. Drifting across the pitch is the most common thing minis do wrong and this makes it obvious why.
What to watch for
- Straighten up before you pass. Running sideways gives the defence time
- Fix your defender by running at them
- Ball moves quicker than feet. Do not run it to the touchline
Make it easier
- Five attackers against three
- Defenders walk
Make it harder
- Defenders may move as soon as the attack does
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 whole line drifting further towards the touchline every pass
- Turn your hips up the pitch before you pass
- Carrying the ball sideways instead of moving it
- Ball travels faster than you. Move it
More like this
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.