Touch Rugby 101: Read this first

Naming Conventions

• there are 3 positions in touch: middle, link, and wing. The wings are on the outside, the two middles are in the middle, and the links are in-between those two.

• we use numbers to name each position because it makes it easier to name plays. The wings are position “1”, links are “2”, middles are “3”.

• The “roll-ball”, or “dump”, is where the touch is made and where the ball is put down.

• The “strike dump” is where the ball is put down before an attacking move is launched. Placement is very important!

• Analysis of the game of touch is all about making the touch: where, how, and what will happen before/after the touch is made. There are 3 core phases to each touch:
1. pre-touch position
2. initiating the touch itself
3. post-touch action

• When a touch is made, there are two sides to the pitch: the “open-side” and the “short-side”. The “short-side” is the side with fewer defenders on it between the touching defender and the sideline. The “open-side” is the side with more defenders on it between the touching defender and the sideline.

Here’s a good video on short-side vs open-side in defence:

General principles of touch

• as an attacker, you can run forwards faster than the defenders can run backwards. So making a good roll-ball and running at defenders while they retreat is an important technical skill.

• As an attacker, you want to minimise the time the ball is on the ground. This means the attacking dummy half should be in place before a touch is made

• As an attacker, typically when making a touch you want to drag your touching defender towards another defender, creating space elsewhere.

Here’s a link to the rules of the game:

Other resources:

Passing drills:

Diving drills: