Unlike youth football, youth rugby is based on age, into two-year age groups: 7-and under, 9-and-under, 11-and-under, 13-and-under, 15-and-under, and 17-and-under.  Youth football often uses weight classes to group like-sized players, essentially to level competition, and secondarily to minimize injuries and the kind of weight/build-uneven physical contact that can discourage players.  For rugby, we go strictly by age.  We do this because for touch and tackle rugby, size is not a major determinant of a player’s value; skill, attention and enthusiasm are what make a great rugby player.  For players of uneven size, the nature of both touch and tackle rugby contact, and its active management by both coaches and referees minimize physical danger and most uneven physical match-ups.

Smaller players usually have the advantage of agility, quickness and speed, but lack large physical presence and strength.  Bigger players have the advantage in size, mass and physical strength and presence, but usually are lacking in agility, quickness and speed.  Larger players usually play with the forwards (props, hooks, lock-forwards) in the scrum, the powerhouse of the team.  Their job is ball control, and to serve as the primary participants in contests for the ball (srcums, lineouts, rucks and mauls).  Usuaally smaller, quicker players most often play with the backs (scrumhalf, flyhalf, center, wing, fullback), and it is their job to move the ball in the open field and score.  An old rugby saying is: "Backs score tries, forwards win games."

Touch Rugby (7-and-under, 9-and-under, 11-and-under)

Each team is made up of seven players:

• Loose-head prop (left side) (1)
• Hook (2)
• Tight-head prop (right side) (3)
• Scrumhalf (4)
• Flyhalf (5)
• Center (6)
• Wing (7)

Play is contact but not full-contact, in that “tackles” are made by a two-hand touch between the waist and knees.  Contact is very tightly regulated by the referee for safety.

The scrum consists of only three players, the two props and the hook.  The props hold up (prop up) the hook, whose job it is to “hook” the ball with his/her foot when it is put into the scrum.

Scrums are uncontested, in that the team that is awarded the put-in (the non-offending team) automatically will win possession of the ball.  There is no pushing in touch rugby scrums.

Mauls and rucks are contested, but only in the context of getting players to the maul or ruck and having them bind.  The team that gets to the ruck or maul first and has players bound-in properly wins that event.  Coaches and referees manage touch rugby mauls and rucks very closely.

Lineouts are contested, in that all players may jump for the ball.  Players may not lift in the lineout.

Tackle Rugby (13-and-under, 15-and-under, 17-and-under)

Each team consists of 11 players:

• Loose-head prop (left side) (3)
• Hooker (2)
• Tight-head prop (right side) (1)
• 2 lock forwards (left and right) (4, 5)
• Scrumhalf (6)
• Flyhalf (7)
• Inside center (8)
• Outside center (9)
• Wings (10, 11)
• Fullback (12)

Play is full-contact, with certain modifications for youth, for the purposes of safety, ease of play, and learning the more intricate aspects of the game.

The scrum consists of five players, and scrums are moderately contested; the team putting in the ball udually wins it.  Pushing is permitted in youth rugby tackle scrums, but only if both teams are able to do so, and it is limited to 1.5m.

Rucks and mauls are contested fully, with active management by the referee.

Lineouts consist of all five scrum players, and are contested fully.  Lifting is allowed.

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