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Detailed print — a concise two-page A4 edition (print double-sided). The full digital plan stays on the Week page.

RUGGER PUPSPlaybook

Week 5: Teamwork Makes the Try Work

Programme
Years 1–2 — Six-Week Programme
Age group
Years 1–2 · ages 5–7
Duration
60 min
Coaching
1 coach · Up to 20 children
Mission
Help your pack, work together and have fun as a team.
PAWS
Always Be Kind · Work Together

Learning objectives

  • Helping teammates.
  • Passing and catching.
  • Moving together.
  • Communicating.
  • Taking turns.
  • Rescuing / helping teammates.
  • Sharing the ball.
  • Scoring together.
  • Celebrating team success.
  • The session should feel like: Play together → help each other → succeed together.

Equipment checklist

20 tag belts • 40 tags plus a few spares • 10–12 rugby balls • 35–40 cones or flat markers • 2 colours of bibs • Whistle • First-aid kit • Access to drinking water

Pitch setup

  • Use one main area of roughly 20m × 25m (a flexible guide).
  • Keep the main boundaries and end zones in place; create internal team areas with cones.
  • Make only small internal changes between games.
  • One coach must be able to see the whole active area at all times.

Before the Pups Arrive

  • Keep the main boundary and end zones; mark the internal team areas with cones.
  • Pre-size tag belts — Rescue Pups, All Pups Home and the final game all use them.
  • Put pairs' balls together at pitch-side for Pack Pairs and Rescue Pups.
  • Have four balls ready for Circle Dash, one per circle, with one cone a short distance outside each circle.
  • Split the pitch into two kennels and place roughly half the balls and cones in each for Kennel Clear-Out.
  • Have two colours of bibs ready for the final game and spare cones within reach.

Session — 8 activities

1. PAWS Welcome & Recap · 0–4 min (4 min)

Setup

Gather the children in the normal coaching area.

How to play

  1. Recap: “Last week we learned how to escape defenders. Today our mission is to help our pack and work together.”
  2. Ask: “What does a good teammate do?” Accept simple answers — helps, shares, passes, encourages, takes turns.
  3. Keep this very short.

Commands: Coach: “PAWS!” — Children: “READY!” · “Freeze Paws!” — Stop and listen (use throughout)

Coaching cues: “PAWS!” · “READY!” · “What does a good teammate do?”

Safety: Keep this recap short.

2. Pack Pairs · 4–11 min (7 min)

Leader Pup and Shadow Pup move together — a few pairs share a ball and pass on “SWAP!”.
  • Pair of children
  • Rugby ball
  • Dashed arrow = pass
  • Cone
  • Coach

Setup

Put children into pairs. Spread pairs throughout the main playing area. Begin without rugby balls.

How to play

  1. One child is the Leader Pup; their partner is the Shadow Pup.
  2. The Leader moves around the space — jogging, side-steps, turns, quick feet, changes of direction. The Shadow follows.
  3. After about 30–45 seconds, swap.
  4. Then introduce about one rugby ball per pair. Pairs move together and pass the ball between themselves when the coach calls “SWAP!”

Coaching cues: “Stay with your pal” · “Eyes up” · “Help each other” · “Ready hands”

Progression: Allow partners to pass while moving slowly. Do not add defenders.

Safety: Keep pairs spaced apart and movements controlled.

3. Rescue Pups · 11–19 min (8 min)

Tagged child freezes — their partner rescues them with one short pass. Nobody is out.
  • Pair of children
  • Tag belt
  • Tagger (3)
  • Ringed = frozen child
  • Dashed arrow = pass
  • Rugby ball
  • Coach

Player icons are representative — use the group numbers in the instructions.

Setup

Keep children in pairs. One rugby ball per pair where possible. Choose 3 taggers. Everyone wears tag belts.

How to play

  1. Pairs move around together. Taggers try to remove one tag.
  2. If a child is tagged: they freeze safely where they are and the tagger returns the tag.
  3. Their partner rescues them with one short pass; the frozen child catches the ball and reattaches their tag.
  4. Both immediately rejoin the game. Nobody is eliminated. Rotate taggers regularly.

Coaching cues: “Stay with your pal!” · “Rescue your teammate!” · “Show your hands!” · “Help your pack!”

Safety: No tackling. No pushing. Tags handed directly back. Frozen players remain standing and visible.

No progression needed — keep the game flowing.

4. Circle Dash · 19–28 min (9 min)

Pass round the circle — the last receiver dashes round the team cone and back.
  • Team of 5 in a loose circle
  • Rugby ball
  • Dashed = pass round the circle
  • Solid = Dash Pup round the cone
  • Cone
  • Coach

Setup

Split into four teams of five. Each team forms its own loose circle with one rugby ball. Place a cone a short distance outside each team's circle.

How to play

  1. The ball travels around the circle through everyone's hands.
  2. Once every child has received and passed the ball, the final receiver becomes the Dash Pup.
  3. The Dash Pup runs around their team's outside cone and returns to the circle. Then the passing starts again.
  4. Teams try to complete as many successful rounds as they can — a team challenge, not elimination.

Coaching cues: “Ready hands!” · “Help the next pup!” · “Pass it around!” · “Go, Dash Pup!”

Progression: Change the direction the ball travels around the circle. Do not add defenders.

Safety: Team areas must be clearly separated. Dash runners stay within their team's area.

5. Pickle's Kennel Clear-Out · 28–38 min (10 min)

+5+5
Move safe kit out of your kennel into the other one — one item at a time.
  • Team 1 in its kennel
  • Team 2 (bibs) in its kennel
  • Rugby ball
  • Cone
  • Carry one item at a time across
  • Coach

Player icons are representative — use the group numbers in the instructions.

Setup

Split the main pitch into two kennels. Two teams of about 10. Place roughly half the rugby balls / cones in each kennel. Use safe equipment only.

How to play

  1. The challenge: get equipment out of your kennel and into the other team's kennel.
  2. Children may carry one item at a time, pass a rugby ball to a teammate, or work together to move items. No throwing hard equipment.
  3. On “Freeze Paws!” everyone stops. Quickly count which kennel has fewer items, then restart.
  4. Play several short rounds rather than one long game. The aim is fun, movement and teamwork — keep the scoring light.

Coaching cues: “Help your pack!” · “Share the jobs!” · “Move the ball!” · “Work together!”

Progression: In later rounds, rugby balls must be moved using at least one pass before entering the opposite kennel.

Safety: One item per child. No throwing cones. No pushing. Children stay aware of players moving in both directions.

6. Spike's All Pups Home · 38–47 min (9 min)

One Rugger Pups pack attacks one try zone — every try adds to the group total.
  • Try line / end zone
  • One Rugger Pups pack
  • Tag belt
  • Rugby ball
  • Tagger (3)
  • Dashed arrow = pass
  • Coach

Player icons are representative — use the group numbers in the instructions.

Setup

Use the main pitch with a try zone at one end. Choose 3 taggers. Everyone else is one Rugger Pups pack. Give rugby balls to several children.

How to play

  1. Set a whole-group target, e.g. “Can the Rugger Pups score 10 tries together?”
  2. Children with balls try to reach the try zone; taggers try to remove tags.
  3. When tagged: stop, the tag is returned, pass the ball to another Rugger Pup, reattach the tag and keep helping the team.
  4. Every try adds to the whole group's total. There are no opposing teams.

Coaching cues: “Help the pack!” · “Find someone in space!” · “Pass to your pal!” · “Can we reach our team target?”

Progression: If the group reaches the target easily, increase it slightly for the final round. No extra defenders or complex rules.

Safety: Keep the challenge cooperative. No tackling, pushing or grabbing.

7. Big Pup Tag Game · 47–56 min (9 min)

Option A — One game · 10 v 10

+5+5

Option B — Two games · 5 v 5 on each pitch

+2+2+2+2

Use only when both games can be supervised safely.

Player icons are representative — use the team numbers shown above.

  • Attacking team
  • Defending team
  • Try line / end zone
  • Coach
  • Arrow = movement
Help your teammate — pass, call for the ball and move into space.

Setup

Use the main pitch and end zones already in place. Two colours of bibs.

How to play

  1. Same familiar game with the established simplified tag rules. Choose the match format below on the day.
  2. Week 5 focus: passing, helping teammates, calling for the ball, moving into space and celebrating good team play.
  3. No bonus scoring and no required passing sequences.

Option A — One 10v10 match: Use when the group benefits from one closely supervised match.

Option B — Two adjacent 5v5 matches: Use when both games can be supervised safely.

Simplified rules: Ground the ball over the try line to score. · A defender removes one tag. · The tagged player stops. · The defender returns the tag. · The player reattaches it. · The ball is passed to a teammate. · No tackling, pushing, grabbing or blocking.

Coaching cues: “Help your teammate!” · “Who can you pass to?” · “Work together!” · “Great teamwork!”

Safety: No tackling, pushing, grabbing or blocking. Keep every playing area in your view.

8. PAWS Huddle & Collection · 56–60 min (4 min)

Setup

Gather the children. Collect balls, belts, cones and bibs.

How to play

  1. Ask: “What did someone do today that helped their team?”
  2. Praise examples of passing, encouragement, helping, sharing and taking turns.
  3. Finish with the closing chant.

Closing chant: Coach: “Once a Pup…” · Children: “ALWAYS A PUP!”

Coaching cues: “Who helped their team today?” · “Well done, Pack!” · “Once a Pup…”

Safety: Follow the school's authorised collection and handover procedure.

Closing chant

Coach: “Once a Pup…” — Children: “ALWAYS A PUP!”

PAWS / READY — Play with Purpose · Always Be Kind · Work Together · Stay Safe & Strong