Two on one, no stopping

A handling and passing drill for U11 and up, with where the cones go, how it runs and what to say when it is not working.

Open this drill in the app

Free to read with no account. It works at a pitch with no signal too.

Age grades
U11, U12
Time
12 minutes
Players
9 to 21
Space
40 x 20 m
Kit
8 cones, 1 ball
Pitch
Fine on hard ground

Setting it up

Two attackers set off from one end. One defender comes out to meet them. Fresh defenders wait at each of four stations up the pitch.

How it runs

Beat the first defender, keep going, the next one comes out. Four in a row without stopping. Then jog to the back and the next pair go. Two goes each. Their decision making holds up fine when fresh and falls apart by the fourth defender, which is when a match actually gets decided.

What to watch for

Make it easier

Make it harder

What it looks like when it is going wrong

What you can see from the touchline, then the one thing to say about it.

Passing before the defender has been made to choose
Take it another two steps. Make them come to you
Support drifting level with the carrier so the pass goes forward
Stay behind the ball. A bit deeper than you think

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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.