Rugby Coach Weekly

Send us Fan Mail Refereeing age-grade rugby is rarely straightforward, particularly when you are also the coach. Dan Cottrell is joined by Advantage Over podcast host and laws expert Keith Lewis to explore how coaches with a whistle can create a safer, fairer and more enjoyable game. They discuss managing players, coaches and parents, applying the laws in context, finding the right position at the breakdown and knowing when to communicate or let the game flow. A practical conversation for any...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Rugby Coach Weekly podcast, Dan Cottrell speaks to Martin McTaggart, RFU Playing Pathways Manager, about the EDGE framework, a way of helping coaches, selectors and pathway volunteers think more clearly about potential in young players. Martin explains why current performance can be a poor guide to future potential, especially when players arrive with very different rugby backgrounds, sporting experiences and levels of opportunity. A player who has had ...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Dan Cottrell speaks to Mark Williams, head coach of North Division U18s, lead rugby coach at Birkenhead School, a forward's coach with Lymm in National Two, and Liverpool John Moores University director of rugby, The conversation starts with the value of coaching relationships, especially the importance of having trusted people around you who will challenge lazy planning, sharpen your thinking, and keep you honest. Mark reflects on working with Sarah Jones, a...

Send us Fan Mail Pads, tackle shields and crash mats can be some of the most useful kit in a rugby session, but only when coaches know exactly why they are using them. In this 50:22 episode, Dan Cottrell and Stu James discuss the role of contact equipment in training. They explore how pads can reduce impact, build confidence, develop body shape and allow players to enjoy physicality, while also warning against the false habits they can create if players hit them in ways they would never use i...

Send us Fan Mail One in five players may be neurodivergent, and rugby is often a sport that attracts players who think, learn and experience the world differently. The good news? The coaching adjustments that help neurodivergent players often make coaching better for everyone. In this episode, Dan Cottrell and Stuart James explore practical ways coaches can create more inclusive environments without overcomplicating their sessions. The discussion covers the importance of language, under...