U8 rugby drills
The second year of tag, which is the one where it starts to look like rugby. They can catch now, mostly, so the work moves on to doing something useful with the ball once they have got it.
Free to browse. Pick U8 and that's the setup done. No account needed.
What the U8 game looks like
U8 is still tag. No tackling, rucking or scrummaging. What changes from U7 is the players themselves: a second season in means you can ask for a decision instead of just effort.
Tag rugby, the second year of it. Tackling still doesn't arrive until U9. Regulation 15 sets this out. It was never left to a coach's judgement. The U8 rules of play are the version that counts to a referee, they're 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 U8 covers what the second year of tag changes.
What to work on at U8
- Passing before the tag rather than after it. The U8 habit is to run until stopped then look up. Getting the pass away a stride earlier is most of the season's work.
- Beating a defender with feet. A sidestep at this age is worth more than a spin pass they can't control yet.
- Support. Two children arriving at the same place is a rugby team. It doesn't happen by itself.
- Playing what is in front of them. Small-sided games teach this. Cones do not.
U8 is where a coach can start asking questions instead of giving instructions. Where's the space? Who's free? A drill that has one right answer stops working around now, which is why the game sense drills outnumber almost everything else at this grade.
What is in Equal Play for U8
Pick U8 and the catalogue shows 37 drills: 11 warm-ups plus 26 exercises. Every one of them is written for the grade, so whatever you pick is something your squad is ready for. It's not a filter somebody can switch off by mistake.
| Theme | Drills |
|---|---|
| Handling and passing | 18 |
| Evasion and footwork | 15 |
| Game sense | 13 |
5 ready-made U8 sessions
Every one runs 45 to 60 minutes with the water breaks counted in, so the total on screen is the time you actually booked. Open one, then swap out anything that doesn't suit your lot.
- Beating a defender
- Catch it and pass it
- Week before the first game
- Heads up rugby
- Three ways past
Common questions
Can U8s tackle?
No. U8 is the second year of tag rugby under RFU Regulation 15 and contact isn't part of the grade. Tackling starts at U9, so an U8 session should be building the running and handling that make the tackle year easier rather than rehearsing it early.
What is the difference between U7 and U8 rugby?
The rules barely move. The players do. An U8 squad has a season behind it, so they can catch a pass reliably enough that you can start asking them to make a decision with the ball rather than simply run with it.
How do you make U8 training less chaotic?
Smaller games with more balls in them. Four games of three against three beats one game of twelve against twelve, because every child touches the ball every few seconds and nobody has time to get cold or bored.
Other age groups
What changes at U8 is the rules side of the same grade. What every age grade plays, side by side. The grade before this one is U7. The one after is U9.
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.