The handling progression, band by band
Handling is built band by band, skipping no rung. Two hands first, the spin next, the decision (draw-and-pass) after that, the offload last — and possession under fatigue at the top.
| Band | What is worked |
|---|---|
| u9 | Two-hand catch-pass, evasion, non-contact games |
| u13 | Spin pass, passing under a passive defender, draw-and-pass |
| u17 | Pass after contact, pass off both hands at pace |
| sen | Offload systems, distribution under fatigue |
Two cues recur across the bank: hands early (present the ball early, catch in two hands, elbows in, eyes up) and the pass is a message — dosed and precise, to the support runner, not at him. The passing channel (hands early, a jogging line moving the ball hand to hand) and the middle-man relay install this from the warm-up.
Draw and pass: the 2v1 and the line break
The draw-and-pass (French fixer-passer) is the heart of overlap attack. Simple to say, hard to time: fix the defender — commit him to the ball-carrier, force him to choose — then pass late to the free man, once the defender can no longer cover two. That is what creates and exploits the overlap.
It is learned as a 2v1 (fix the defender, then serve the support), then densified into 3v2 and wide play. The line break — franchissement in the official French — is the moment the attacker gets through the defensive line: by the draw-and-pass, or by beating a defender one-on-one. For young bands it is all worked at touch: this is a handling and decision skill, not a collision. The 4v2 touch game is what installs it.
The offload — the pass after contact
The pass after contact — the offload — is the pass made in or just after contact, before going to ground, to keep the ball alive. It is a u17 and senior skill: it needs the player to take the contact and keep the arms free. Below that, only its shape is taught (keep the ball in two hands, find support), never the full-contact rep. It is the last rung of handling, not the first.
Vocabulary: official term vs anglicism
Rugby carries two vocabularies at once, and it is a real disagreement worth stating. The Commission d’enrichissement de la langue française (Journal officiel, 14 February 2024), followed editorially by the LNR, sets official French forms; the touchline keeps the anglicisms. Here are the two columns, side by side — it matters when Paak renders French strings for a French-market club.
| Common term | Official French [JO / LNR] | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| offload | passe après contact | Pass kept alive in or after contact |
| line break | franchissement | Getting through the defensive line |
| draw and pass | fixer-passer | Fix the defender, pass late |
| ruck | mêlée spontanée | The breakdown contest (“contre-ruck” is proscribed) |
| jackal / turnover | ballon gratté | Ball won at the breakdown |
| pick and go | ramasse-et-va | Pick from the base and drive |
| turnover | ballon rendu / perdu | Possession won / lost |
What it means for your session
Handling is the backbone from warm-up to main block. Three practical rules:
- Hands early. Install the two-hand pass from the warm-up — passing channel, middle-man relay — before any wide play.
- The draw-and-pass is played at touch for young bands: 2v1 then 4v2 touch, never full contact below the tackle age.
- The pass after contact waits for u17. Do not program the full-contact rep before then; work the catch-pass, the spin and the draw-and-pass first.
On the tool side, Paak plans and saves for free a “handling”-themed session (age band + duration + theme), and the session sheet prints on Paak One.
Frequently asked
Is it “offload” or “passe après contact”?
What is the draw-and-pass?
At what age is the pass after contact taught?
What is a line break?
Sources
FFR, fiches École de Rugby 2025-2026 and coach education (catch-pass, spin pass, draw-and-pass, touch games) · World Rugby Passport — Coaching Children / Main Coaching Activities (passing and keep-ball games; activity names public) · World Rugby — Tackle Ready framework for the pass after contact at the breakdown · FR/EN/DE lexicon: Commission d’enrichissement de la langue française, Journal officiel, 14 February 2024, and LNR editorial usage (official forms: passe après contact, franchissement, ballon gratté, ramasse-et-va). Content verified August 2026; the u9/u13/u17/sen bands are a Paak product derivation, published by no federation.
help.rugby.handling-and-passing