Under-13 rugby: What are the issues? A panel discussion

Abstract

There are many questions about youth rugby for whichthere are no immediate answers. At what age shouldthe young players specialise? How often should theypractise? How many matches should they play inseason? Science has lagged behind in providing clearanswers, and in many cases decisions about the development of thegame at this level have to be made based on logic and intuition. As aresult, opinions may differ and controversy may prevail.Recently a panel of experts representing different aspects of youthrugby was asked a series of questions about this sport, the aim beingto examine the answers given from different perspectives. The overallgoal was to identify where agreement does or does not exist.