To help schools play rugby we have developed playing offers to suit the needs of your students and your type of school.
If you are a primary school currently offering or wanting to offer rugby we recommend T1 Rugby.
In secondary schools we have several playing offers to meet the needs of all students, staff and schools, including T1 Rugby, XRugby and full contact. Full details of all our offers, along with additional supporting resources can be found in the drop down sections below.
If you are delivering T1 Rugby in a club, host city, or as part of a partnership with us please visit the Delivering T1 Rugby page.
T1 Rugby is our non-contact format of rugby.
It can be played anywhere (you only need a ball to get started), can be mixed gender and is easy to introduce and deliver.
It’s:
- easy to adapt and is suitable for any group of players.
- It looks and feels more like the game of rugby union, with the same tactical problems and rugby specific skills.
- suitable for all shapes and sizes – a key selling point of rugby union.
- a great way to introduce people to the contact game if they want or is a game in its own right.
T1 Rugby gets players active and is a great way to make friends, develop social skills and give opportunities to become a leader, or even referee. England Rugby has a suite of physical and online resources as well as access to playing opportunities such as our T1 Rugby series, to help you get started.
Yasmin, Year 9 student: ‘’I didn’t realise rugby was not just running into other people! I loved running with the ball and scoring a lot. "Can't wait to start Rugby in lessons if lessons are like this"
Jal, Year 11 student: “It’s a great way to get involved in rugby and allows you to be creative without the fear of injury.”
Jacob, Year 10: “I play contact as well, but touch helps me to develop other skills, such as evasion and passing which help me in my game.”
Isabella, Year 9:“You don’t need to be big and strong to play, anyone can do it, and it’s a great game to play with your friends”.
Education Resources
We have a comprehensive package of resources, designed by teachers for teachers, to help anyone—regardless of prior knowledge or experience—to deliver T1 Rugby with confidence. Our resources include:
6-week lesson plans:
- Stage 1 plans (suitable for primary, or non-specialist PE staff)
- Stage 2 plans
- How to introduce and progress T1 Rugby support video
- T1 Rugby eLearning - coming soon
- Referee tips
School specific support (linked to stage 1 plans):
For more games and activities, check out our @EngRugT1Rugby
Playing T1 Rugby
There are lots of ways to play T1 Rugby,: as a “pitch up and play” style event, internal festivals or games against other institutions.
Check with our network of school, college or university partners such as AoC Sport and BUCS to see what’s available.
We have created T1 Rugby MegaFest for Primary Schools. It is a series of small sided, fun and inclusive activities which also includes T1 Rugby.
For Y9 and Y12/13 pupils, we have the T1 Rugby Series: a series of local events where teams can win the opportunity to play at the Allianz Stadium.
T1 Rugby Series
T1 Rugby Series is a fun, inclusive national programme, open to every school and college in England, to provide opportunity for teams to play at Allianz Stadium.
T1 Rugby Series is the evolution from Touch to Twickenham which introduced 400 schools to non-contact rugby, with 60% of those taking part new to rugby and 50% female participants.
It is player centered, inclusive, and drives participation. It’s the same activity as before; just a slightly different game with slightly different rules.
This season we continue to evolve so every school, regardless of playing experience, can take part.
What do I need to know?
- Open to teams at Year 9 and Year 12/13
- Parallel events for brand new and for those with previous rugby experience
- Eight-a-side teams with a minimum of four girls on the pitch at a time
- Local and regional events, leading to the finals day in Worcester, with successful teams progressing to play at Allianz Stadium
- Playing to T1 Rugby rules, which will be adapted for brand new teams.
For more information, and to sign up, please register your school’s interest.
Training for teachers and leaders
As it is non-contact, T1 Rugby has fewer rules than the contact format of the game and therefore is easier to deliver. T1 Rugby is also a great way to get Young Leaders involved as coaches, referees or to support events.
For staff
- eLearning
- CPD for those wanting to coach/teacher or referee. There is more information, including how to book in our course training booklet.
For advice, get in contact with your local club, School Rugby Manager, or college/university partner who will be delighted to help.
For young leaders
The England Rugby Young Leaders Award is designed to be delivered by PE staff to students. It can be taught as a series of 1-hour lessons or as a full day. It is suitable for all students to participate in and is designed to enable all PE teachers, including non-rugby specialists, to deliver.
Schools Membership
The England Rugby Football Schools Union (ERFSU) is the schools arm of the RFU with around 2,000 member schools, ranging from traditional rugby playing secondary schools to those new to rugby. Members become part of their local County Schools Union who provide many playing, competition and teacher development opportunities.
Joining the Schools Union brings benefits like entrance into national competitions and the chance to purchase tickets for Twickenham international matches.
Visit www.englandrugby-schools.com for information on how to join.
School and Rugby club links
A club link is an agreement between a school and a local club to work together to develop the very best sport opportunities for young people. Our club link guide provides practical advice on developing a link and working together in the best interests of the player.
Cross Curricular Resources
In collaboration with Twinkl, the RFU have developed a range of teaching resources for primary school aged pupils. From reading comprehensions, to design your schools’ rugby shirt.
All the resources can be found and are free to download here.
Rugby Safe
Player safety and welfare is vitally important for everyone involved with rugby union. Rugby Safe is the RFU’s overarching player safety and welfare programme, putting player welfare at the heart of the game.
Find out more about Rugby Safe.
Game Management System (GMS)
To help us keep you up to date and to best help support you we ask that schools and teachers register on our Game Management System.
You can find more information on the https://help.rfu.com page.
