The scrum, the questions that come up
Three players at U10, five at U12, nobody pushing at either.
U10 and up
Free to read with no account. They work at a pitch with no signal too.
The answers
What happens if the ball comes out the wrong side of the scrum?
Play carries on. The ball is out of the scrum the moment it leaves it, whichever side that is, so whoever gets to it first can play it. If the referee thinks it was never put in straight or that somebody pulled it out with a hand, they'll set it again. Nobody pushes at any minis grade, so a scrum that goes wrong gets reset rather than turned into a penalty.
How many players are in a scrum?
Three a side at U10 and U11, a prop either side of the hooker. It goes to five at U12, set up in a 3-2. They're whoever happens to be nearest the stoppage rather than specialists. The next nearest becomes the scrum half.
Should I pick my strongest children for the front row?
No. The RFU is deliberate about it. Their phrase is all players trained, late specialisation, so the front row is simply the nearest three to the stoppage. Over a season everybody ends up in there. Anyone who goes in, replacements included, should have been trained for it first.
Is anybody allowed to push in a minis scrum?
Nobody, at any grade up to U12. Pushing arrives at U13 and even then it's 1.5 metres. So the whole thing is about shape and binding rather than about shoving, which is duller than your squad wants it to be and is what keeps their necks safe.
What does the referee call before a scrum?
Crouch, then bind, then set. Each prop binds onto the back or side of their opposite number with the outside arm. No charging in, heads and shoulders never below the hips, no downward pressure.
Can the scrum half pick the ball up and run?
Not from a scrum. They pass it away from the base, with no running and no kicking, at every grade through U12. From a ruck it's different: a U12 scrum half may pass or pick and go, though still not box kick.
Who may strike for the ball?
At U10 only the team throwing in. From U11 both hookers may contest it, which turns the scrum from a pure restart into a small contest. A hooker who has never struck for a ball won't work it out in a match, so give more than one of them a go in training.
What happens if a scrum collapses?
The whistle goes immediately. A player who keeps collapsing it or binding illegally takes no further part in the scrum. One whose technique or strength makes them a danger gets replaced. None of that is a punishment, it's the one place in minis where a referee will stop something dead.
Where does a scrum go if it is awarded next to the try line?
It gets moved out, so the middle of it sits 5 metres from the goal line. Both back lines then stay 5 metres behind the scrum until the ball is out, which is more room than most pitches look like they have.
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 your grade is allowed to do
The answers above say what the rule is. The rules guides say what a whole grade may do, which is the thing to read in August rather than in a car park.
- 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
- What U12 rugby looks like
The other questions
- Tag rugby. Tags, the three second count plus the six tag turnover. U7 and U8 only.
- The tackle. How high, what counts as held plus what the tackler has to do next.
- Ruck and maul. Who may join, what "Use it" means plus where the offside line sits.
- Restarts and touch. Free passes, free kicks plus why there is no lineout anywhere in minis.
- Kicking. What the boot is allowed to do from U11, plus the U11 rule that looks wrong.
- Match day. The Half Game Rule, rolling subs plus what to do about uneven squads.
- The referee. Who referees, what they can give plus why there is no sin bin.
- Safety and welfare. Head knocks, mouthguards, hard ground plus mixed rugby.
- Running a session. How long, how many helpers plus what to do if you never played.
Every topic in one place is the way in. The app searches the answers themselves, which is what you want when you know what you saw rather than what it is called.