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 rugby (7-a-side and traditional XV formats). 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”.
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
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 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.
To find out more information on the T1 Rugby Series please view our event manual.
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.
XRugby is our modified format of contact rugby.
It is big on enjoyment, a quick game, with fewer players which can be played almost anywhere. It is contact rugby but not as you know it!
- It can be played with 5, 7, or 10 players on each team.
- It is played across the pitch with rolling substitutions.
- The number of players on the pitch determines the rules of that will be played.
There are lots of ways to play XRugby,: 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.
For staff
- CPD for those wanting to coach/teacher or referee. There is more information, including how to book in our course training booklet.
- Headcase - The RFU’s HEADCASE programme aims to increase understanding and provide information on concussion and other related topics, including how to prevent and manage suspected concussions. It is recognised as one of the UK’s leading concussion awareness and education resources. All Staff delivering XRugby rugby should have completed Headcase concussion module and either England Rugby First contact or equivalent.
- England Rugby Secondary Schools Course – This face to face course includes XRugby content.
This non-assessed course is designed for those teaching pupils starting out in contact and non-contact rugby. It will help teachers to progress from non-contact to contact safely, building confidence and competence to teach and referee the contact areas of the game. It is recommended that everyone teaching, coaching, or refereeing contact rugby in a school setting has completed this course. - XRugby – eLearning
- For further 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.
Contact Rugby has running, passing and scoring tries like all other formats of rugby and also includes tackles rucks and mauls.
Age Grade Rugby ensures that every player is able to enjoy rugby in a safe environment where they can develop their personal and social skills as well as a wide array of transferable multi-sports skills. This results in their personal development as well as their lifelong involvement in rugby and other sports. Age Grade Rugby is the game for all girls and boys aged 18 and younger in clubs, schools, colleges and within the representative pathway and it incorporates the rules of play, regulation, competition formats and the structure of the season.
- Contact rugby is introduced slowly from Under 9s in the age grade game to help young people understand the game while also making sure they learn the proper technique to approaching contact. As players get older, there will be a couple of differences to the game. Most noticeably, the number of people in a team will increase as will the number of laws (rules).
- When players are in the age grade game, they stay in their age group until Under 11s. After this, the game switches to single gender from Under 12s to Under 18s.
- Under 14s onwards can play 15-a-side, full contact rugby.
- There are no mixed gender playing opportunities in contact rugby.
7-a-side contact rugby, also known as rugby sevens, is a fast-paced version of contact rugby where two teams of seven players compete on a standard-sized rugby field.
The game is played with similar rules to 15-a-side rugby, including scrums, lineouts, and penalties.
There are lots of ways to play full contact 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.
For staff
- CPD for those wanting to coach/teacher or referee. There is more information, including how to book in our course training booklet.
- Headcase - The RFU’s HEADCASE programme aims to increase understanding and provide information on concussion and other related topics, including how to prevent and manage suspected concussions. It is recognised as one of the UK’s leading concussion awareness and education resources. All Staff delivering Full contact rugby should have completed Headcase concussion module and ERCA or equivalent.
- England Rugby Coaching Award – This face to face course includes Full contact content.
This is a competency-based course. It's designed to provide coaches with the skills and knowledge to coach players of all ages. It includes face-to-face days, Communities of practice, and In-situ based tasks. Everyone teaching, coaching, or refereeing contact rugby in a school setting should have completed this course. - For further 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.
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.
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 about GMS here.
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.
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 https://www.englandrugby-schools.com for information on how to join.
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.
Related topics
