Under 14's Junior Development Pathway

Consolidate & Develop Individual skills / Intro to new skills / cont. Develop tackling (Key element / safety)
Evasion

• HAND OFF (below armpits)
• Swerve and dodge / avoid contact
• Side step off both feet
• Always go forward at space
• Change of pace.

• Decision making – Creating & Preserving space, switch pass, spin pass.
• Lateral Pass – both hands 10+ meters
• Catching (two hands) off the chest
• Capable of passing 10m
• Lineout throw.

• Fine tune tackling skills (Front, side & behind) looking at body position and timing.
• Falling and placing the ball – long and jack knife presentations
• Introduce 360 presentation.
• Pop up pass from ground.
• Offload out of the tackle. (push ball beyond the defender)
• Getting back to your feet – re-join game – Bounce
• Build overall confidence in contact.

• Full Maul.
• Ball carrier – Stability & Ball presentation low and in two hands.
• Link Player – Body position (Tower of power), set height equal to a scrum. secure and deliver ball.
• Additional players – join correctly (gate), understand ball transfer
• Defender – join correctly (gate), secure ball & player by wrapping ball carrier’s arms and ball. Leg drive.

• Full ruck.
• Ball carrier – leg drive then to ground, secure with good presentation or pass ball.
• Support players – join correctly (gate), scrum body position, secure ball or ruck over.
• Tackler – release, regain feet & contest. join correctly (gate),

• Full 8 man scrum.
• All should participate, subject to safety
• All must be confident & competent
• Fully contested
• Scrum half can now pick and go.
• No.8 pickup

• Uncontested / no-lifting / Game strategy from Lineout.

• Identify/create and attack space.
• hold defenders – timing of pass or direction of running.
• Use patterns like switch pass, loop pass and miss pass
• Re-alignment (attack and defence)
• Recognise and be able to realign on turnover or loss of possession
• Develop further 2nd phase of attack, especially from set plays (Scrum, free pass, KOs) have players create a plan.

• Grubber (1v1) / Punt (& regain possession) to gain ground. Attack, Defence & KO strategies.

Laws / Ethics

• Understand the rules of 15s
• Personal responsibility for behaviours and actions

• Full 15s / Basic tactical awareness / Identify with positional role
• Introduce the idea of pitch zones for game planning
• Develop the idea of territory vs possession.
• Pre-competition, competition & post comp routines

• Go Forward – including basic kicking strategies
• Continuity – maintain possession / Support / Communication (encourage verbal skills)
• Decision making – allow them to explore various scenarios / let them get it wrong / review
• Team Play – collective action in both attack and defence.

Agility / Speed, Power & Endurance (Intro – Triple extension)

Co-ordination and manipulation

Warm-up and cool down

Flexibility – Special emphasis, due to sudden growth of bones, tendons, ligaments & muscles.

Enthusiasm & Commitment

Self control / Concentration

Goal Setting

AWARENESS & ACCEPTANCE OF PUBESCENT DEVELOPMENTS

Commitment to improve / personal responsibility / Interpersonal skills / GOOD HEALTH PRACTICE