Youth Rugby Rules
Rugby is an exciting, free-flowing game designed for players of all shapes, sizes and athletic abilities. It involves skills such as running, passing, catching, kicking, decision-making and supporting teammates. It also involves contact elements such as tackling, rucking, mauling, scrummaging and lineout play that are unique to the game. USA Rugby has a Development Path that introduces these skills to boys and girls progressively as their exposure and experience levels increase. The Path starts with an introductory version and steadily adds new elements until players are fully prepared for the adult game. At all stages the emphasis of the players, the coaches and the officials is on safety and fun.
The pathway for children playing rugby prior to high school follows non-contact Rookie Rugby into contact Rookie Rugby 7s.
Rookie Rugby
Rookie Rugby is the non-contact version of the game that is appropriate for children as young as five years old. Rookie Rugby is a program that can easily be adapted and advanced from the initial set of rules once players and coaches are ready. .
It is recommended that individuals check with their local governing body for any variations that may apply to their area. For a list of State-Based Rugby Organizations and contact information please click .
Rookie Rugby 7s
Rookie Rugby 7s is designed to take children from non-contact, Rookie Rugby, into an introductory contact version of the game. The rules of the game have been tailored to safety and fun – allowing kids to safely learn all of the new aspects of the game while still having fun. Similar to Rookie Rugby, Rookie Rugby 7s can easily be adapted and advanced from the initial set of rules once players and coaches are ready.
Click here for the Rookie Rugby 7s Rules
It is recommended that individuals check with their local governing body for any variations that may apply to their area. For a list of State-Based Rugby Organizations and contact information please visit www.usarugby.org.
All rules for youth rugby are developed by the USA Rugby Youth Rules Committee.
High School Rugby
High School is governed by local governing entities such as State-Based Rugby Organizations (SBROs), Local Area Unions (LAUs), and Territorial Unions (TUs). USA Rugby follows the Under 19 Variations to the Laws of the Game as provided by the International Rugby Board (iRB).
The Variations can be found in the IRB Lawbook or on the IRB website at www.irb.com.
USA Rugby Youth Rules Committee
To ensure coordination and consistency, the Committee refers all of its ongoing work to a group that brings expertise from several other areas within USA Rugby, most notably the Game Development Department and Laws Committee.
Questions and Comments
If you have questions or comments about the application of Law or the Rules of the youth and high school game in the USA please click here to submit an inquiry to the USA Rugby Youth Rules Committee.