HSBC ROOKIE RUGBY
About Rookie Rugby
Rookie Rugby is the nation-wide introductory rugby program for ages 6 to 14 that provides both teachers and coaches with a safe, fun, and inclusive non-contact curriculum to introduce children to rugby.
Rookie Rugby is a game-based curriculum built on national guidelines for Health and Physical Education curriculums.
The program provides open-access, easy-to-follow game modules for leading a variety of activities that build introductory, non-contact rugby skills and provide teachers – including those that are unfamiliar with rugby – with new methods to promote physical literacy and practice Fundamental Movement Skills (FMS).
book your rookie rugby session here!
rookie rugby resources
The Rookie Rugby program provides clubs, schools, and community groups with all of the resources they need to develop a Rookie Rugby program. Click through the different resources below to chart your pathway to delivering Rookie Rugby in your school or community!
Looking to see what the Rookie rugby program is all about? Sask Rugby can visit your school or community and lead your participants through Rookie Rugby sessions. We offer full day and half day booking options to meet your school or community’s needs.
Here’s some information about our services before you book:
- We bring all of our own rugby equipment.
- We do not charge a fee for these services.
- We encourage teachers and program leaders to work together in their schools or programs to schedule multiple classes or age groups into a single full or half day visit.
- We will work with participants of any age or grade (Kindergarten to Grade 12), choosing age-appropriate activities for each group.
- When visiting schools, we prefer and expect to run our sessions within your normal period schedule to cause minimal disruption to your day.
- We appreciate it if you give us a heads up if you will have more than 35 participants in a single class/session. This enables us to bring extra instructors to create a better instructor-to-participant ratio.
- We can run sessions both indoors and outdoors and at any time of year. Please specify whether you want to be indoors or outdoors when booking so that we can plan accordingly for the amount of space and number of participants.
- We encourage you to use the other resources in this section to teach rugby in your classes without our assistance. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t book us into your school as well. If you are also teaching rugby yourself, we will work with you to teach content that supplements what you intend to teach (e.g. leading the intro class, teaching specific skills in your plan, teaching new skills not covered in your classes).
For geographic locations where we have staff on the ground, click HERE to get started. If you don’t see your location listed, please email rdo@saskrugby.com to discuss your specific needs.
You can’t play rugby without rugby balls, right?
A complete Rookie Rugby kit, which includes all the equipment needed to teach Rookie Rugby to a class of 30 students, including rugby balls, flag belts, cones, and a kit bag, can be obtained in the following ways::
- Purchase online at www.RookieRugby.ca
- Apply for the Rookie Rugby Kit Grant program (see full details HERE).
Sask Rugby has developed, with the endorsement of PHE Saskatchewan, curriculum-friendly Rookie Rugby Unit Plans for use in schools and communities to help instructors implement rugby in their classroom. These lesson plans have been developed with the philosophy that any instructor – regardless of rugby experience – should be able to pick up a guidebook and teach the content. Further, with 14 Unit Plans covering a wide age range of participants, a teacher implementing rugby in their classroom may never need to develop their own lesson plan regardless of whether they are teaching Kindergarten or Grade 12!
Access each lesson plan by clicking on its name in the list below:
Active Start – Introduction
Active Start – Intermediate
Fundamentals – Introduction
Fundamentals – Intermediate
Fundamentals – Advanced
Learn to Train – Introduction
Learn to Train – Intermediate
Learn to Train – Advanced
Train to Train – Introduction
Train to Train – Intermediate
Train to Train – Advanced
Train to Compete – Intermediate
Train to Compete – Advanced
Intro to Contact – Supplemental
Unsure of which Unit Plan is appropriate for your group? Check out our quick HOW TO GUIDE!
Looking for these lesson & unit plans in a convenient, easy-to-access format? Download the Athlete Era app and create an account with “Rugby” as your sport. You can find all of these plans on Athlete Era under the “Rookie Rugby Extended” program. Instructors can also use the detailed skills information on the app to assist with how to coach and perform specific skills contained in the lessons and activities.
Instructors wishing to lead Rookie Rugby activities in their school or community can access Rookie Rugby Instructor Training. This free training opportunity will help you develop the following competencies:
- how to coach Rookie Rugby games
- how to interpret, adapt, and implement the lesson plans and game cards
- understand fundamental rugby skills and simplified methods on how to coach them
- principles for adapting games to allow different groups to participate inclusively and to meet the needs of your participants
Individuals who receive Rookie Rugby Instructor Training can also receive NCCP certification for this competency.
Rookie Rugby Instructor Training is held on an as needed basis. Check out our Training & Education page to view current opportunities, fill out an Expression of Interest form to be notified when a session is happening in your area, or contact rdo@saskrugby.com if you’d like to help set up a session for yourself and others!
For more Rookie Rugby resources, visit the Rookie Rugby website at www.rookierugby.ca. Some examples of resources that you will be able to find on the Rookie Rugby website include:
- Curriculum Links Guides
- General Gameplay Guidebooks
- Event Hosting Guides
- Rookie Rugby Activity Log
Rookie Rugby In the Community
Looking for Rookie Rugby activities in your community that your child can participate in? There are many opportunities available across the province, depending on whether you are looking to try rugby for the first time or looking to enroll in a weekly program. Check out the various programs below.
Please be aware that some activities on the lists below may require registration through a school, municipality, or community organization. Please contact us if you are unsure about whether a specific program requires registration.
Try Rugby Events - Led By Sask Rugby
Sask Rugby works with a number of community organizations to provide opportunities for kids to be introduced to the sport of rugby through Rookie Rugby activities. Check out the programs below that Sask Rugby participates in.
Free Children’s Summer Program or PlayEscapes is an inclusive summer program for ages 5 to 12, which offers leader-facilitated play opportunities to help develop and foster life skills, creativity, imagination, and positive self-image while promoting a physically active lifestyle.
Host: City of Regina
Type: Registration Required
Location: Various
Dates: Tuesday-Thursday
More Info: https://www.regina.ca/parks-recreation-culture/classes-programs/free-programs/
Girls in the Game provides young girls with opportunities to build their sport skills, and more importantly, to use sport as a tool build friendships, improve their self-esteem, and to teach important life long lessons.
Host: Girls in the Game
Type: Registration Required
Location: TBD , Regina
Dates: July 12
More Info: https://www.girlsinthegame.ca
The Summer Play program is a free, drop-in activity program operating at spray pads and paddling pools around Saskatoon in July and August. In addition to the water-based programming, Summer Play features community organizations providing drop-in sports, crafts, games, and music opportunities.
Host: City of Saskatoon
Type: Drop-In
Location: Various
Dates: Monday-Friday, July -August
More Info: https://www.saskatoon.ca/parks-recreation-attractions/recreational-facilities-sportsfields/playgrounds
S-CAPE is a summer program based on culture, arts and physically active experiences. S-CAPES provides a safe, positive, energetic program and environment that incorporates sports, culture, arts, recreation, and leadership components for children and youth between the ages of 6 and 12.
Host: City of Yorkton
Type: Registration Required
Location: Gallagher Centre, Yorkton
Dates: July & August
More Info: https://www.yorkton.ca/en/parks-recreation-and-culture/registered-programs.aspx
Sask Rugby Member Organizations
Sask Rugby Member Organizations run community-based Rookie Rugby programming for youth between the ages of 3 and 18. These programs typically run in the spring for 8 to 12 weeks with a goal of developing physical literacy, growing the sport of rugby, and – most importantly – having fun!
See the full list of Sask Rugby Member Organizations, sorted by age and location, HERE!
