Back to Week 6

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

RUGGER PUPSPlaybook

Week 6: The Big Game Day

Programme
Years 3–4 — Six-Week Programme
Age group
Years 3–4 · ages 7–9
Duration
60 min
Coaching
1 coach · Up to 20 children
Mission
Show what your pack has learned and enjoy playing together.
PAWS
Play with Purpose · Always Be Kind · Work Together · Stay Safe & Strong

Learning objectives

  • Celebrate everything the pack has learned.
  • Play with confidence, kindness and teamwork.
  • Enjoy the longest game of the programme.

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

  • One main rectangular coaching area of roughly 20m × 25m, with clear boundaries, runoff space and try lines at both ends.
  • Golden try zones around the edges for Pickle's Golden Try Hunt.
  • Keep the main boundaries in place all session — only a handful of cones move between activities.
  • Every active area must be visible and manageable by the single coach.
  • Before starting, check the surface, boundaries, equipment and the school's safeguarding, first-aid, emergency and collection arrangements.

Before the Pups Arrive

  • Mark the main playing area (roughly 20m × 25m) with try lines at both ends.
  • Set out the golden try zones around the edges of the area.
  • Pre-size the tag belts and check every belt has two tags.
  • Place 10–12 rugby balls at pitch-side.
  • Have two colours of bibs ready for the Big Game Day.
  • Be ready to re-mark the children's chosen replay game (Crocodile Crossing, Fox & Hounds or Tails Reloaded).

Session — 8 activities

1. Welcome · 0–4 min (4 min)

Setup

Gather the children in a designated coaching area.

How to play

  1. Celebrate reaching Week 6 — the Big Game Day.
  2. Very short recap of the journey through the programme.
  3. Introduce today's mission: show what your pack has learned and enjoy playing together.

Commands: “PAWS… READY!” — Go · “Freeze Paws!” — Stop, freeze and listen

Coaching cues: “Eyes on the coach when stopped” · “Look after your teammates” · “Have fun”

Safety: Keep the welcome short — this week is about playing.

2. Adventure Journey Finale · 4–11 min (7 min)

NO BALLS OR TAG BELTS

Final child-led adventure — the group chooses the destination, transport and animals.
  • Coach
  • Child / attacker
  • Cone
  • Arrow = movement

Setup

Use the main playing area. No rugby balls or tag belts are required.

How to play

  1. Child-led — let the group choose the destination, transport and animals.
  2. High energy and playful.
  3. Let pairs choose between two safe routes through the imagined landscape. Look up, adapt when another pair fills a gap and explain the choice in one quick sentence — then play again.
  4. Use “Freeze Paws!” to stop and “PAWS… READY!” to restart.

Coaching cues: “Show me how we travel!” · “What animal are we now?” · “Find your own space!” · “Freeze Paws!”

Safety: Keep children inside the marked area. Maintain safe spacing and avoid high-risk movements.

3. Pups' Choice Replay · 11–18 min (7 min)

If chosen: Crocodile Crossing

Crocodile Crossing — as in Week 2.
  • Safe bank
  • Child / attacker
  • Crocodile
  • Tag belt
  • Rugby ball
  • Coach

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

If chosen: Fox & Hounds

Fox & Hounds — as in Week 2.
  • Safe den
  • Child / attacker
  • Tag belt
  • Hound
  • Coach
  • Arrow = movement

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

If chosen: Tails Reloaded

Tails Reloaded — nobody is out.
  • Child / attacker
  • Tag belt
  • Tagger (4)
  • Coach
  • Arrow = movement

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

Setup

Children vote between three favourite games from previous weeks.

How to play

  1. Offer Crocodile Crossing, Fox & Hounds or Tails Reloaded.
  2. Replay the winner using the earlier activity rules — do not create new versions.
  3. Keep the energy high and the explanations short.

Coaching cues: “Play your favourite” · “Find space” · “Tag safely”

Safety: Reuse the safety rules from the chosen earlier activity.

4. Tails Team Challenge · 18–25 min (7 min)

Teams collect opposition tags — tags are immediately returned and replaced. Nobody is out.
  • Team 1
  • Team 2 (bibs)
  • Tag belt
  • Coach
  • Arrow = movement

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

Setup

Split the group into teams. Everyone wears a tag belt.

How to play

  1. Players attempt to collect opposition tags.
  2. Tags are immediately returned and replaced so nobody is eliminated.
  3. In short rounds, teammates call out clear spaces and move to help each other escape rather than crowding the same opponent. Change direction when an opponent closes a route.
  4. Do not rank individual children.

Coaching cues: “Work as a team” · “Tag safely” · “Return the tag” · “Find space”

Safety: No pushing, grabbing or rough contact. Hand tags back directly.

5. Pickle's Golden Try Hunt · 25–33 min (8 min)

Carry and pass to score in different golden zones — exploratory, no individual scores.
  • Golden scoring zones
  • Child / attacker
  • Rugby ball
  • Defender / tagger
  • Dashed = backwards pass; shown pairs attack up
  • Arrow = movement
  • Coach

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

Setup

Scatter several scoring gates/zones around the area. Children carry and pass rugby balls.

How to play

  1. Children work in pairs with a ball, carrying and passing sideways/backwards to score in different zones while roaming defenders tag safely. Choose run or pass when a defender closes a route; move into support after passing.
  2. Make it exploratory — encourage trying every zone.
  3. No individual score recording.

Coaching cues: “Hunt a new zone” · “Pass sideways or backwards” · “Find space” · “Work together”

Safety: Spread the zones out to avoid collisions. Defenders tag safely.

6. Coach Paws' Pack Challenge · 33–41 min (8 min)

The whole pack against one target — beat the Pack's own result, not each other.
  • Child / attacker
  • Rugby ball
  • End-to-end cooperative target; no defenders
  • Dashed arrow = pass
  • Arrow = movement
  • Coach

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

Setup

The whole group works together against a simple target.

How to play

  1. Choose a challenge: how many legal sideways/backwards passes can the whole Pack complete in 60 seconds? OR can the Pack move every ball safely from one end to the other using passes and support?
  2. Repeat once and try to beat the Pack's own result.
  3. The children compete against the challenge, not each other.

Coaching cues: “Work together” · “Every pass counts” · “Support each other” · “Beat your own score”

Safety: Keep the group inside the marked area. No throwing balls at teammates.

7. The Big Game Day · 41–56 min (15 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
The longest match of the programme — let the children play.

Setup

Use the main pitch and try lines already in place. Two colours of bibs.

How to play

  1. The longest match period of the six weeks — choose the match format on the day.
  2. Normal Years 3–4 tag rugby rules.
  3. No minimum passes, no bonus scoring, no complicated conditions.
  4. Let them PLAY — intervene mainly for safety, obvious forward passes, tags, boundaries, restarts and keeping the game flowing.

Option A — One 10v10 match (default): Years 3–4 tag rugby on the main pitch. All 20 children play. Default option.

Option B — Two 5v5 matches: Two adjacent mini-pitches played at the same time. Stand where you can see both games. Use two simultaneous games only when both can be supervised safely. Both games stop together on “Freeze Paws!”

Years 3–4 tag rules: Score a try by grounding the ball over the try line. · Passes travel sideways or backwards — never forwards. · A defender removes one tag and calls “TAG!”. · The ball carrier stops as quickly and safely as possible and passes to a teammate. · The defender immediately returns the tag. · The player replaces the tag before fully rejoining play. · No tackling, pushing, grabbing clothing, blocking defenders or ripping the ball.

Coaching cues: “Let them play” · “Find space” · “Support the ball carrier” · “Enjoy it”

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

8. Celebration Huddle · 56–60 min (4 min)

Setup

Gather the children together.

How to play

  1. Celebrate the entire group — do not rank children and do not select one “best player”.
  2. Recognise examples of bravery, teamwork, improvement, kindness, effort and resilience.
  3. Finish the programme with the closing chant.

Closing chant: Coach: “Heads up, tails up…” · Children: “RUGGER PUPS!”

Coaching cues: “Well done, Pack!” · “Heads up, tails up…”

Safety: Follow the school's authorised parent/guardian collection and handover arrangements. Do not allow children to leave unsupervised.

Closing chant

Coach: “Heads up, tails up…” — Children: “RUGGER PUPS!”

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