Whatever the level of previous rugby exposure of the participants, information in this resource has been devised to allow clubs and schools to provide for continued participant involvement in the Junior Player Pathway.

Therefore it is suggested that this manual be used as a guide and each Junior Player Pathway Rugby provider select from it what is applicable.

Click Here for the MG Coordinators Handbook.

Click Here for the MG Coordinators Handbook Appendices.

Mental training is an essential part of my work as a coach. It tells me how I should work together with my players. Over the years I have come to believe that mental training issues are essential to improve the performance of my players.  I found also that I can coach and train players in mental skills just as well as I do with rugby skills.

Mental training is not spoken highly of within the rugby world (the macho image perhaps) but I have seen it work in all the cases I have picked it up.

This page looks at the fitness requirements for rugby. You link to more specific pages from here. This part of the site is based on the:

• Speed, Agility and Quickness, SAQ(r) book & video.
• Brian Mckenzie's Sports Coach website and newsletter.
• John Kenbeek has added a strength training program.
• Plyometrics work based on a video from Human Kinetics.
• Fitness requirements for Rugby from Dave McLean, former Scottish Rugby Union fitness adviser.
• Other material and lots of discussions with other people.

Introduction

Why are people playing rugby? Always a good questions to ask, you will be amazed by the answers. What motivates players? Even better question you have to ask yourself! If you want to get the most out of your players you have to sure that you can give them what they want out of the game. This is where this gets interesting: what do want of your players?  

Teambuilding is an elementary part of your work as a coach it should be ingrained with everything you do. Apart from a lot of stuff that might over complicate things I strongly believe that the team atmosphere improves a lot when everybody can catch a ball and tackle a player.

Therefore by simply improving the ball handling and tackling skills, you can improve the team atmosphere by 50%. Passing is a teambuilding activity. This is a big point I want to make: any rugby training is one big teambuilding exercise!

Introduction

A coach should try to find out what individual needs of players are and then cater for them (where possible). From such a dialog lots of good things can happen:

• you can adjust your plans, perhaps even your ambitions
• players get a better understanding of their role and place in the team,
• and because of it, a sense of purpose