Build a Catchable Pass, Then Add Movement and Decisions

Use these rugby union passing drills for adult club players to work from an accurate short pass to a pass chosen under defensive pressure. This is a qualified-coach-led, non-contact block: no tackles, holds, collisions or live rucks.

Allow around 25 minutes after your normal warm-up. For nine players, have five balls available for pair work; the three-player drills need three. Use suitable ground and enough cones to mark separate working lanes, with clear space between groups. With larger squads, duplicate the stations rather than lengthening queues. The distances and timings below are suggested starting points, not governing-body requirements. Shorten distances if players cannot deliver a comfortable, catchable pass, and pause for feedback rather than rushing to the next drill. Stop for pain or loss of control.

For a broader session connecting handling to presentation and support, use the six rugby drills guide.

What counts as a good pass?

Judge the receiver’s next action, not just whether the ball stays off the ground. A useful pass reaches the receiver’s hands in front of their body without making them stop, turn backwards or reach overhead.

Keep the cues simple:

• Passer: carry in two hands, look at the target, swing and follow through towards it.
• Receiver: show hands early, spread fingers and watch the ball into the hands.
• Both: keep running towards the opposition’s end rather than drifting sideways with the ball.

These follow Rugby Toolbox’s basic-pass guidance and receiving checkpoints. Those pages teach youth fundamentals; the practice formats below adapt them for adult club players. Start with a simple swing pass; do not demand spin on every short delivery.

Aim the release laterally or backwards. World Rugby defines a throw forward by the passer’s arms moving forward, so do not judge a running pass solely by where the ball lands relative to a cone. See the law definitions.

1. Pair passing: find the target — 4 minutes

Setup: Two players stand about three metres apart, side-on to an agreed attacking direction. Give each pair a ball; an odd player can observe and rotate in regularly.

Action: Pass back and forth at a comfortable pace. Keep the ball in two hands before release and finish towards the receiver’s presented hands. After ten passes each, swap positions so both players practise the other passing direction.

Then make short walking runs in parallel lanes, with the receiver slightly behind the passer. Make one pass per run, stop and reset. Alternate who starts with the ball, placing the new receiver slightly behind each time. Swap lanes to practise the other passing direction.

Checkpoint: Can the receiver catch without moving their feet in the stationary version or breaking stride while walking?

If passes repeatedly arrive behind the receiver, check the target and follow-through before asking for more power. If the receiver fumbles, check whether their hands were ready and their eyes stayed on the ball. Change one thing, then repeat.

Progression: Jog only when walking passes remain catchable on both sides.

2. Three-player passing waves: preserve width — 6 minutes

Setup: Mark a lane approximately 12 metres wide and 15 metres long, with space beyond it to slow down. Three players start across its width, roughly four metres apart, staggered so each receiver is slightly behind the player who will pass to them.

Action: Jog forward and move the ball across all three players. Keep each runner in their own lane. Walk back outside the working area, change starting positions and reverse the passing direction. Release the next group only when the lane is clear.

Checkpoint: Does each receiver catch in front of their body while still running straight? Watch for the first passer drifting across and squeezing the next player’s space.

This adapts Rugby Toolbox’s passing-waves drill, which emphasises alignment, visible hand targets and straight running.

Progression: Increase running speed slightly, not speed and spacing together. If the final player repeatedly checks their run, restore the slower pace and inspect the earlier pass.

3. Ground-ball feed: connect the first two passes — 5 minutes

Setup: In each group of three, place a ball beside a cone. One player feeds from the ground; the first receiver starts about four metres away and slightly behind the ball; the second starts another three metres wider and slightly deeper. This is an isolated feed, not a formed ruck.

Action: The feeder picks up and passes to the first receiver as that player jogs forward. The receiver catches, looks at the next target and passes to the second runner. Reset and rotate roles after three feeds. Mirror the setup to practise both directions.

Checkpoint: Separate the two passes. Did the feed allow the first receiver to keep moving? Did the second pass preserve the outside runner’s stride?

Do not reward a rushed second pass that merely rescues a poor feed. Shorten the first distance and establish a reliable target before adding pace.

Progression: Vary the receiver’s starting depth slightly. Keep the movement agreed and visible to the feeder. For position-specific practice, use the scrum-half training guide.

4. Two-on-one: choose whether to pass — 7 minutes

Setup: Mark an eight-metre-wide, 12-metre-long channel with a clear finish line and slowing space beyond it. Two attackers start at one end; one defender starts centrally about six metres away. The support runner begins wider and slightly behind the carrier.

Action: Begin at walking pace. The defender initially tracks the carrier only. The carrier advances towards the defender’s channel, then passes while there is still clear separation. No player should enter a collision: stop and reset if space closes. Rotate all three roles.

Next, allow the defender to choose either attacker. The carrier may keep running into open space if the defender moves towards the support runner. No-contact pressure means tracking and positioning only—no reaching for players or the ball.

Checkpoint: Ask two questions: “Was the pass catchable?” and “Was passing the right choice?” A completed pass is not automatically a good decision.

Rugby Toolbox’s two-on-one progression similarly starts with the defender marking the carrier, then permits a choice as technique improves. Here, walking pace and stopping short keep that decision practice non-contact.

Finish with a fair check — 3 minutes

Repeat the walking pair drill at the original distance. Record ten passes in each direction, counting those caught without a stride adjustment. Note left and right separately.

Compare under the same conditions next session. If quality falls when movement or defence is added, return to that transition—not automatically to stationary passing. The next practice should address the first observable problem: target, release, running line or decision.