Rugby questions a minis coach actually asks
71 short answers for the things that happen in front of you on match day. What the referee just gave, what your grade is allowed to do about it plus what to do next. Written for a volunteer rather than for somebody who played.
Free to read with no account. They work at a pitch with no signal too.
Pick what was happening
- Tag rugby Tags, the three second count plus the six tag turnover. U7 and U8 only. 7 questions.
- The tackle How high, what counts as held plus what the tackler has to do next. 8 questions.
- Ruck and maul Who may join, what "Use it" means plus where the offside line sits. 7 questions.
- The scrum Three players at U10, five at U12, nobody pushing at either. 9 questions.
- Restarts and touch Free passes, free kicks plus why there is no lineout anywhere in minis. 7 questions.
- Kicking What the boot is allowed to do from U11, plus the U11 rule that looks wrong. 6 questions.
- Match day The Half Game Rule, rolling subs plus what to do about uneven squads. 7 questions.
- The referee Who referees, what they can give plus why there is no sin bin. 6 questions.
- Safety and welfare Head knocks, mouthguards, hard ground plus mixed rugby. 7 questions.
- Running a session How long, how many helpers plus what to do if you never played. 7 questions.
Why this is written down rather than generated
Every answer here was written once and checked against the RFU's own appendices once, then reviewed like any other change to this site. An answer made up on the spot could not be checked by anybody, would need a signal at a pitch to exist at all and would cheerfully explain a contested scrum to an U9 coach who asked politely. Age grade rugby is the wrong place for a confident guess.
Equal Play is not affiliated with the RFU. Regulation 15 is theirs. These answers put it in our own words, so they are a summary rather than the thing itself. It is reissued every summer as well, so read this season's there rather than trusting a copy on somebody else's website. Ours included. If a referee on match day says something different to this page, they are right.
Read against the RFU's 2026/27 appendices in August 2026.
What each grade plays
Rugby rules by age group is one page per grade from U7 to U12, saying what arrives, what goes plus what to get in before the season starts. Rugby drills by age group is the same split applied to training.