U11 rugby drills
The consolidation year. Nothing new arrives in the rule book at U11, which for once gives you a season to make the things that turned up at U10 actually work.
Free to browse. Pick U11 and that is the setup done. No account needed.
What the U11 game looks like
U11 plays the U10 game with a year more of it behind them. Tackle, ruck, maul and uncontested scrum are all in, with both hookers now allowed to strike and the ruck up to three a side. There is still no lineout at U11 and none at U12 either, so it stays out of everything on this page.
The same shape as U10 with more of it. Kicking from hand arrives. The RFU sets this out in Regulation 15 rather than leaving it to a coach's judgement. The U11 rules of play are the version that counts to a referee, they are reissued every season, so check yours there rather than trusting a copy on somebody else's website. Ours included.
New to the grade? What changes at U11 walks through what Regulation 15 allows, in plain English.
What to work on at U11
- Ruck speed. They can all ruck by now. Doing it in two seconds rather than six is what changes a game.
- Defending as a pair. Two players who talk to each other beat two players who are quicker and do not.
- Using the whole pitch. An U11 squad will happily play the entire match inside ten metres unless somebody makes them stop.
- Handling under a bit of pressure. Not cones. A defender, moving, close enough to be a nuisance.
Because no new law arrives, U11 is the grade where coaching actually shows. There is no scramble to introduce a skill before Christmas, so a season can be spent on decisions: when to pass, when to carry, when to keep it. Twenty-nine of these drills are game sense for that reason, which is more than any other grade carries.
What is in Equal Play for U11
Pick U11 and the catalogue shows 90 drills: 23 warm-ups plus 67 exercises. Every one of them is written for the grade, so whatever you pick is something your squad is ready for. It is not a filter somebody can switch off by mistake.
| Theme | Drills |
|---|---|
| Handling and passing | 29 |
| Evasion and footwork | 21 |
| Tackle | 16 |
| Ruck and maul | 15 |
| Scrum and restarts | 6 |
| Game sense | 29 |
6 ready-made U11 sessions
Every one runs 60 minutes with the water breaks counted in, so the total on screen is the time you actually booked. Open one, swap out anything you do not fancy, take it to the pitch.
- Quick ball
- Using the width
- Defence night
- Scrums and free kicks
- Sharp hands
- Match week
Common questions
What is new at U11 rugby?
Nothing in the laws, which is the point. U11 is a consolidation year under Regulation 15 and the tackle, ruck and scrum are all carried over from U10. It is the one season where you are not teaching something brand new against the clock.
Can U11s have a lineout?
No. Neither can U12. Regulation 15 has touch restarting with a free pass through U13 and the uncontested lineout arriving at U14. U11 restarts and free kicks are worth practising properly instead, because they are how the ball comes back into play all season.
What should U11 training focus on?
Speed and decisions rather than new skills. Quicker ball at the ruck, defenders who talk, an attack that uses the width of the pitch. The skills are already there by U11 so the work is making them happen faster and in the right place.
Other age groups
What changes at U11 is the rules of the grade in plain English. What every age grade plays, side by side. The grade before this one is U10. The one after is U12.
Equal Play is not affiliated with the RFU. Regulation 15 is theirs. We link to it rather than reproduce it so you always get the current season's version. Read against the RFU's 2026/27 appendices in August 2026.