Touch Rugby

In youth rugby, 9-and-under and 11-and-under players play coed touch rugby.  Tackles are made by a two-hand touch between the waist and knees.  This is a contact sport, but not a full-contact sport.  Touch rugby for youth is designed to foster the skills and approaches needed for players to move easily into tackle rugby as they get older.

Touch rugby has seven players per side, and plays on a regular-sized field (usually modified smaller for the younger kids).

All general/tackle Laws of the Game are valid in touch rugby, just modified somewhat to fit the touch game, and to remove full-contact aspects.  There are still scrums, rucks, mauls, lineouts, drop kicks, etc., just modified to fit into the touch context.  Click here to go to a copy of the touch Laws of the Game.

In the Potomac Rugby Union Youth League, touch rugby is coed at all age levels.

Tackle Rugby

Youth tackle rugby is for boy players at the 13-and-under, 15-and-under, and 17-and-under levels, and girls 13-17.  Youth tackle rugby is not coed.  Girls are not permitted to play youth tackle rugby with boys.

Youth tackle rugby plays under the same basic Laws of the Game that adult rugby players use, with modest modifications to account for younger players’ physical differences, for safety purposes, and for ease of game play.

Youth tackle rugby has 11 players on each side, and they play on a regular-sized field.  Scrums consist of five players and are contested, as are lineouts.  Rucks and mauls play just as in all other rugby levels.

The major emphasis in youth tackle rugby is learning safety and common sense in contact, especially the tackle.  Players are constantly trained in the proper rugby tackle, and are instructed about unsafe and prohibited forms of tackle and contact.

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