Mini Rugby (U5, U6, U7, U8, U9 & U10)

Mini rugby, also known as New Image Rugby, is a form of rugby union designed to introduce the sport to children. It uses a smaller ball and pitch than standard rugby, and has eight to ten players a side.

Invented in England in 1970, mini rugby was soon taken up by both the English Rugby Football Union (RFU) and the Welsh Rugby Union.

The original game had five backs and four forwards. There were no line-outs and no pushing in the scrum, which was made up of a prop, a hooker, a lock and a flanker. Each position behind the scrum in the senior game was represented by a scrum half, an outside half, a centre, a wing and a fullback.

The International Rugby Board does not directly govern very junior levels of rugby but rather leaves local bodies to do things as they see fit. Consequently, different countries have different junior versions of rugby designed to appeal to, and be safe for, younger children.

At Abu Dhabi Harlequins we encourage both boys and girls to take part in fun-filled rugby-based activities from as young as the U5 age group (i.e. from 4 years old). We foster a friendly, fun and most importantly safe environment for kids to play ball games, run, dodge and learn to catch. There is no tackling at these ages with all games being based on the 'tag' system (a piece of material that is attached to each player's hip and which other players have to grab from them if they have the ball).

The kids all love it so why not come down and see for yourself, or join now!