Player Pathway
The intention of this resource is to support and inform all those with an interest in the England Rugby Player Pathway. Players develop and mature at different stages, have diverse wants and needs, ensuring we have a broad offering is essential to the sport being inclusive and providing opportunities for all.
The vision of the whole Player Development Group is to ‘inspire the players today for tomorrow’s game’.
The England Rugby Development Model above highlights eight different environments that a player may be exposed too. Its intention is to highlight the different motivations for playing and where players may enter, develop, how they may move between environments and engage with rugby union irrespective of age. For the purposes of the Player Pathway, we are going to focus on the red boxes in the model.
So how do I get to play for England?
The RFU (Rugby Football Union) strategy supports the creation of the best possible system to identify and develop talent and a world-class high-performance system to facilitate winning England teams. The Player Pathway, the red boxes in the development model, is the name given to that system, and is in place to provide a coherent, challenging and nurturing journey for the individual regardless of their eventual playing environment. The Player Pathway aspires to provide:
- A caring, inclusive and enjoyable experience for all.
- An environment that encourages and enthuses players to maximise their potential.
- A system that identifies and develops talented players to progress from community rugby in schools, colleges, and clubs to the Men’s and Women’s Premiership.
- A pathway that should add value to every individual.
Playing and training in club, school and college rugby contributes to the development of a player and is actively encouraged where appropriate. The Age Grade Calendar supports this approach through identifying windows which complements core rugby activity in clubs, schools and colleges and the pathway. There will always be weeks when different opportunities are in the same weeks, however open and early dialogue between stakeholders and which puts the player first, can often alleviate issues arising.
Recognising that development is never linear, and that players will enter, exit and re-enter at different stages, the Player Pathway model’s intention is to showcase the different stages that a player may be exposed too on their journey, although it is normal that a player will not be exposed to every phase.
There are four phases identified by England Rugby that support a player’s journey, each contributing to the development of a national curriculum and provide a focus for training and playing objectives.
- Explore Foundation Phase (PDG U15 & U16): This phase occurs early in a player's journey, where the primary goal is to foster a love for the game while providing sessions that develop a broad range of core and athletic skills. Given that maturation varies greatly during these ages and many players may change positions, it’s important to offer exposure to a variety of playing positions.
- Explore Development Phase (PDG U17 & U18, U18 Teams): During this phase, players continue to develop core and athletic skills, but with an increasing emphasis on performing under pressure. The focus shifts towards refining skills that can be executed in challenging game situations.
- Adapt U20: At this stage, there is a stronger emphasis on positional development and enhancing the tactical understanding of the game. Players are expected to develop a deeper knowledge of their role within the team and how to influence the game strategically.
- Win: The ultimate aim at the end of the pathway is clear — to win, reflecting the culmination of skill development, tactical understanding, and competitive experience.
