What changes at U12

The last year of minis. Twelve a side, a five player scrum, plus the caps coming off the ruck and the maul for the first time. The hand off arrives too. Here is the lot in plain English before your first Tuesday.

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

The short version

Nothing brand new turns up at U12. What happens is that the limits come off things your squad already does, which makes it feel like a bigger jump than it reads on paper.

• Twelve a side rather than nine, on the same pitch.
• The scrum goes to five in a 3-2 shape. Still nobody pushing.
• No cap on the ruck or the maul. Normal laws apply for the first time.
• The hand off arrives , below the armpit.
• Ripped ball can be run with rather than having to be passed immediately.

U11 against U12, side by side

The scrum

Five players a side now, set up in a 3-2. They are the nearest five to the stoppage rather than five specialists, which is the RFU keeping late specialisation going right to the end of minis.

• Crouch, bind, set, as before
• Both hookers may strike for the ball
• Nobody pushes. Pushing does not arrive until U13, where 1.5 metres is all of it
• The scrum half puts it in straight, from the middle of the gap
• The scrum half must pass it away. No picking it up and running, no kicking
• Both back lines stay 5 metres back
• The defending scrum half cannot follow round. They stay in the middle

Two in the second row is the genuinely new bit. It is a session on its own, because the binding is different and there is nobody in your squad who has done it.

The breakdown, uncapped

This is the change that alters how the game looks. Normal ruck and maul laws apply, with no restriction on numbers at all.

• A ruck is at least one player from each side, on their feet, over the ball
• A maul is three players: the carrier plus one from each team
• No limit on who else joins either
• The referee still calls "Use it" once the ball is won. Still five seconds. Miss it and it is a scrum to the other team
• The scrum half can pass or pick and go, though not box kick
• Ripped ball can now be run with rather than having to be passed straight away

Four seasons of capped contests end here. A squad that has only ever seen one or two bodies over the ball will find its first uncapped ruck a shock, so it is worth building up to rather than switching on in a match.

The hand off

Permitted for the first time, below the armpit. Nothing above that: a hand off to the head or the neck is foul play and always was.

Every one of your players has spent four seasons being told a fend is a free pass against them, so expect it to take a while to arrive. Expect it to arrive too high at first, as well, which is worth heading off in training rather than on a Sunday.

Kicking

• Tactical kicking from hand, as at U11
• Restarts are drop kicks and have to travel 7 metres. The 22 metre restarts follow adult law
• No conversions, no penalty kicks at goal, no box kicks, no drop goals
• Anyone in front of the kicker is offside. They stay still, or retire if they are within 7 metres of where it lands
• Fly hacking a loose ball along the ground is still out

What has not changed

• No lineout. Touch restarts with a free pass 5 metres in, or a quick throw if the same ball has not been touched by anyone off the pitch
• Nobody pushes in the scrum
• The high tackle line is where it was, at the base of the sternum. No shoulders below the hips, no dipping late and low, no head into an opponent's head space
• Free kicks for foul play, offside, squeeze ball, diving off your feet, pushing in the scrum, a high tackle. Opponents go back 7 metres
• No sin bin. The referee has a word with you on the touchline and the sides stay even
• Rolling subs, unlimited, whenever the ball is dead
• The Half Game Rule applies, so every player gets at least half of the playing time. Across a festival that means half of the morning rather than half of each game

That last one is the one clubs get wrong most often. Match day works the rotations out for you on the touchline, so nobody has to count it on the back of a team sheet.

Where the girls in your squad go

U11 was the last grade where boys and girls play together. From U12 they move into separate bands, so girls who were in your squad last season are in girls' rugby this one. It is the only change at this grade that is about who is in front of you rather than about what they may do, which is why it catches clubs out in September rather than in June.

Training is a different matter. Non-contact, non-competitive sessions can still be mixed at any age, as long as you have judged the session safe. The Age Grade Codes of Practice set out what that judgement should cover.

What to get in before the season starts

• The five player scrum, slowly. Two in the second row is new to everybody. Shape and binding, with nobody pushing
• Arriving at an uncapped ruck. Feet, from your own side, over the ball. The cap used to do this job for you
• The jackal, legally. On your feet, supporting your own weight. It changes more U12 games than any move you can draw
• The hand off, low. They will put it too high on the first go and every go after that until somebody says so
• Moving the ball early. U13 punishes a squad that carries into contact every single time
• Defence that holds its shape. Twelve a side on the same pitch means less room and more drift

Common questions

What changes from U11 to U12?

Twelve a side rather than nine. The scrum goes to five players in a 3-2 shape, the caps come off the ruck and maul numbers, the hand off arrives below the armpits. The pitch, the ball and the length of a half all stay as they were.

How many players are in a U12 scrum?

Five a side in a 3-2 shape. They are the nearest five to the stoppage rather than five specialists. Both hookers may strike. Nobody pushes, so it is shape and binding rather than shoving. Pushing does not arrive until U13.

Can U12s hand off?

Yes, below the armpit. U12 is the first grade that allows one at all. Anything higher than that is foul play, so expect to spend a few sessions bringing it down.

How many players can be in a U12 ruck?

There is no limit. Normal ruck and maul laws apply for the first time, so a ruck is at least one player from each side on their feet over the ball. A maul is three players: the carrier plus one from each team.

Do U12s have a lineout?

No. Regulation 15 keeps touch restarting with a free pass all the way through U13. The uncontested lineout arrives at U14 and lifting waits until U15, so an U12 night spent on throwing is a night spent on something the referee will never ask for.

The other age grades

• What U7 rugby looks like
• What U8 rugby looks like
• What U9 rugby looks like
• What U10 rugby looks like
• What U11 rugby looks like

Every grade side by side is the whole progression on one page. U12 rugby drills are the ones written for an U12 grade.