just wondering what you thought of it really? my boy is keen to have a go, but i’m not entirely sure as i have a possibly irrational fear of serious injury potential and my recent experiences of u9 football (way too serious parents and very chav) have further soured me to team sports.

my lads just started playing u7’s. It is tag rugby they play though so non contact (in theory :lol:) My lad loves it. The parents on both sides are really encouraging to ALL players. No mouthing it off. Take him along and let him have a go, the coaches are really supportive to all the players too regardless of ability.

Yes mine has just started U9s club rugby. He’d been enjoying it at school so we took him to the local club. They have 38 kids in the Nines, the game has had a good lift from the RWC.

Don’t worry about him getting hurt, they take the odd elbow in the eye but they dont contest scrums or line-outs at that age.

If you are lucky your local club will have a good mini section, ours is terrific. The coaches are all former senior players now running things for the kids, everyone mucks in to run the clubhouse. They are very strict with the kids, they dont let them step out of line at all or they get a sharp word. It’s good for them, I’m really glad my boy is in that environment. On Sunday they called a halt at 11am and had 2 mins silence, the whole club together.

…..It’s not like football.

My boy plays U9 rugby and football. Whilst he really enjoys football (his team currently have a +41 GD) Rugby is brillant for them. It’s extremely well organised as his (and I’m lead to beleive) most other clubs. The displine is strong even at U9 – no arguing with coaches or ref. Parents are supportive but not abusive. We have a touchline welfare officer and any parent acting “inappropriately” will be asked to leave. There are bumps and bruises at U9. But they can wear scrummage caps and body padding undershirts. Gum sheilds are complusory.

I’d defintitely let your U9 give rugby a go and see if they like it. It’s a more complex game (ruleswise) and it may take more time for them to get into it.

My 5 y-o is keen to start, and i’m keen too. For us it will be in Monmouth and the football and rugby kids are sometimes in the park at the same time.

The difference is a bit of an eye-opener…

Rugby is a game played by gentlemen etc etc

I would be very happy if my son wanted to play, but unfortunately it isn’t a sport here in Denmark so he is left with football or handball.

I wouldn’t hesitate if I were you

Great team sport – much better than football – good luck to him!

Serious injuries even in senior rugby are statistically far from common.

Pretty safe accepting rate and odd things happen sometimes in all sports.

(am a rugby doc)

My boys started at U7’s and have gone through the various ages groups and I have coached all age groups

At each age group the rules are specific to each age group. Tackling is introduced at U9’s, competitive scrums later, lifting in lineouts not to much much later. The size of the pitch is kept small for the younger age groups.

There will be some bumps and bruised, but virtually no serious injuries. I have lost more players due to falling off their bicycles than due to rugby injuries.

Parents must behave. And virtually all do. There are exceptions but the clubs deal with those. There is no comparison to football. All junior rugby takes place on Sunday mornings – and all clubs that I have been too have tea/coffee/bacon rolls and loos (available).

At worst he will hate it – the physicality can take getting used to. At best he will love it.

Thanks for this thread. Have now decided to take my boy after initially thinking he wouldn’t cope!

Since my son can play for half of the six nations teams ( 🙂 ) I think I’d best start him on Rugby too. He’s 3 1/2 but sized more like a 5 year old.

We’ve been looking at Rugby Tots. the people whose kids are playing a bit older, how old were they when they started? I reckon he’d love Rugby Tots but also intersted in the progression though the posts above sound pretty positive.

Yeh my son played for his school and a club at that age, its nothing to worry about. There are a few more injuries now they’re older (14) and more serious about winning – broken nose on Saturday, boy taken away in ambulance the week before with suspected back injury (thankfully he was okay), broken leg about a month ago. Boy got a serious injury a few years ago in a school game and broke his back, ended up in hospital for a long time and paralysed. Walking with crutches now after about 4 years.

Lets not pretend it’s not a risky sport but at under 9 he’ll be fine.

Think my sone was 6 when he started.

I started playing aged 7ish, I think. Mini Rugby as it was called then. I also played football at the same time (caused some confusion in my first footie match when I picked up the ball *ahem*). I played until I was 18 (was a far better hockey player, so focussed on that path).

Parents at rugby matches do behave quite differently from those appalling bores you see at kids’ football games. It isn’t a class thing – more a cultural thing. Screaming at the kids just isn’t done.

A colleague’s son has started playing (league – he lives in Wigan) in preference to football. He loves it.

Get the lad involved..!

Just started my 6yo boy three weeks ago. He had a couple of tanties in the first couple of weeks, but this week things started falling into place and he really enjoyed it – and watching your lad score his first try is marvellous!

Also started my 4yo daughter in the minis (reception) this week and she had a ball too.

Brilliant. Do it.

Yay, we’re (sorry: HE is!) starting on Sunday 🙂

My mate is a youch coach. Pretty much as soon as they started contact rugby there was a broken arm 😀

Agree with the above, there is a big difference in parent attitude between Rugby and Football. Accidents can happen and the first big hit you see them take is a bit worrying but with good technique and coaching they soon man up.

Your washing machine may not be so happy though….

Mukes mini/junior rugby photostream

Anyone else actually start up today?
Jr. gave it a good go, certainly didn’t look like the new kid (apart from being the only one not in the team kit!), there were tears when someone stood on his hand,but we’ll be going to the next training session 🙂

my youngest plays U12’s, I’ve found the parents to be just as nauseating as at football. gobbing off as if 1. the kids are listening and 2. they know what they’re on about. but lad enjoys it.

my lad started playing at u7 level, he is still playing now at open age level aged 20.

and that is the man’s version of rugby too………… 😉

well, the kid went to his first session tonight and came away saying that ‘it beat football’. and thats with not being allowed to play as he had no mouthguard.

coaches seem cool, 5 of them, and really good discipline.

must be a good set up though, lady i was chatting to her grandson was one of the star players and his brother had also come up through the same team and is now england u19 and just signed to a premiership team.

@ton, where does he play? Oulton?

I coach at U12 level and have been with my team since u7s. One of the most rewarding things about rugby is that it not only teaches better discipline than other sports but also “toughens” kids up a bit and gives them lots of confidence. I have had really quiet, shy kids develop into confident and skillful players, it really brings them out of their shell.
Its one of the best team sports in that the whole team has a role to play but the best thing about it is that kids of any shape and size can play it. There is always a position, no matter what your physique, so no one can get left out.
Its a cracking game and serious injuries are very few. Get your kids involved, they’ll love it.

I’m a mini coach and my 4 year old daughter and 6 year old son both play and love it. It is what is called tag rugby at this age (tig/chases) and is non contact.
When they move to P4 and above tackling is introduced along with minimal set piece play which is non contested.
The physicality develops with the children’s age and ability to cope with it.
Yes we are fairly strict with the kids but in the main, this is to help reduce instances of injury. Kids who are out of control and lack discipline are a danger to others.
I have only had two kids injured in my time as coach the first caught his foot in the grass and broke his ankle .There was no other player involved and could have happened anywhere. In the second incident the kid got what we call a stinger, where the nerve in the trapezeus muscle takes a hit and leaves the player with pins and needles in their arm which lasts for a few minutes.
There is a competitive element to some of the parents sideline participation but not, in my experience, to the same extent as football which both my kids play as well.
Rugby seems to have a better sense of community than some other team sports even between clubs and my own club seem like an extended family .I have played there for the past 25years and have grown up with most of the parents of the kids that I now coach.
Your own kids will hopefully be lucky enough to experience the same

My son started at under 9’s and is currently playing in an under 12’s team.
For me the parents have a totally different mentality to football parents.
He loves it, now almost to the point where he prefers it to football.
But the best bit is that you don’t get that one greedy little sh*t like you do in football, because they get smashed within the first 10 mins, once the oposition have figured out what he’s about 😀
(Sensible parents may be a Welsh thing, i’ve no experience in England)

I started off playing minis aged 7 and kept playing right through until my late twenties. Only stopped because I was in a road accident and broke my back. Still really miss it – the World Cup was giving me big pangs recently.

Brilliant sport and I’m really happy my Dad took me along when I was wee. Don’t really know why he did, as he was a footballer himself and no-one we know has ever really played rugby. He said he used to look at the 7 year-old kids playing 11-a-side football on full-size pitches with tiny wee goalies in full-size goals, then look at the rugby pitches, where the kids were playing 7-a-side, small pitch, limited rules (no kicking the ball, etc. so it’s more about passing and handling) and it just seemed so much better set-up.

Inevitably there was the odd injury over the years, but I don’t remember anything worse than a broken arm. No-one I played with ever got seriously injured.

You get a lot more bumps and bruises playing rugby obviously, but football can actually be worse for nasty leg injuries – a lot more tangled, outstretched legs going on, seems to be a lot more knee ligament damage and things. That’s just observation though, no idea what the actual stats are.