Five Core Skills in Rugby

Rugby is a great team sport that can be played at all levels. From beginner to professional, there is always room to improve. We’ve put together tips on how to enhance some of the basic skills in rugby to help you better your playing standards.

Passing 

Passing the ball is one of the key components of the game. If you manage to hone in on your passing skills, then you have a strong chance of succeeding during training and matches. 

• Focus and practice on ensuring your passes are accurate, as it is crucial in a rugby match. Try and make sure you pass the ball at a height that is easy to catch. You should always aim in between the waist and chest. 
• Throw the ball slightly in front of the player, so that they can run into the pass. This also allows a better chance to stop defenders getting the ball. 
• Keep an eye on where your teammates are positioned on the field and ensure any opponents won’t be able to obstruct. 
• Control your speed of the ball depending on the circumstances. 
• When practising it’s always a good idea to aim for targets with the ball to improve accuracy skills. This is a great training technique to use if you are on your own and can be done wherever you like! 

Tackling 

Tackling is something you'll be doing plenty of whilst playing rugby, therefore ensuring you have the best techiques is crucial. 

• Focus on the player who you’re tackling. 
• Aim to tackle the stomach area with your shoulder and arms, driving with your legs so your opponent is forced to move backwards. 
• Don’t tackle too high, as this may result in injury and you may face a penalty, such as a yellow or red card. 
• Aim to keep your body positioned correctly with your shoulders and back straight. 

Running 

Learning how to run effectively is a basic yet fundamental skill for rugby players. It may sound simple, but brushing up on your techniques can really benefit your game. 

• Practice running in different directions and suddenly changing to improve your decision making skills and stamina. 
• Try always holding the ball whilst practising running. If you’re trying to free yourself from defenders, carry the ball under one arm whilst using the other to protect yourself from your opponent. This helps keep your running speed the same whilst keeping hold of the ball. 
• Sidestepping is another popular method of running, particularly by backline players. It can be used as an efficient attacking strategy. 

Support Play 

There’s no I in team! Supporting your teammates is a valuable tool that can lead to success on the pitch. All players should understand their role in the game and how to support other players.

• You want to make sure you’re helping to advance the position of the ball. You should come from a deep position behind the person holding the ball and accelerate onto the pass. 
• Communication is also key to ensure you can work out where the ball should be going and when they want the pass. 

Decision Making 

Some players are naturally better at making rapid decisions, however it’s important all team members can make prompt decisions under pressure. In order to practise this skill, this can only be achieved by encountering real life scenarios repeatedly. So, practise, practise, practise! 

The most important thing is enjoying yourself! The more you enjoy rugby, the more you’ll want to train and practise with your team, meaning you’re bound to be improving all the time!