The purpose of this book is to provide the player, family, coach and player's support network with the information needed for positional excellence in the position of Fullback (No. 15) in rugby union. The objectives of this book are: 1. To provide the reader with an understanding of the natural physical and mental development of young players in the sport of rugby union. 2. To explain the demands of rugby union and use that information to help guide the player's development. 3. To provide a blueprint for the core conditioning needed to achieve results in the game of rugby union. 4. To provide an insight into what selectors and coaches are looking for at a representative level. 5. To provide FREE access to a professional player development portal www.developaplayer.com whereby the player can record and share their rugby development with friends, family, coaches, sponsors and selectors.

Written and endorsed by the RFU coach development team based at Twickenham, this book takes every position in the 15-a-side rugby union team and gives a series of specific drills, practice sessions and tips for coaching players to perform their unique duties. From high-ball drills for full-backs to mauling sessions for the front row, this is the first book that isolates and teaches the skills required of each position on the field. The RFU coach development team, comprised of eight positional coaches, is at the forefront of the worldwide development of coaching best practice. Each drill and session is fully supported by line drawings, photographs and guidance on coaching.

The Holcroft saga is a rugby story the like of which may never have been equaled in the history of the game. It begins over a century ago, when Mr. George Holcroft took charge of Leigh St. Peters RLFC in 1889. He married; and when his family grew, Jack, Harry, William, and Tom all played for local teams. They married, and George’s grandsons Bert and Bill also played. Bert Holcroft has been a distinguished servant for the game of rugby all his life. He holds coaching certificates from both the Australian and British governing bodies—one of only a handful of men to achieve such an honor in the game’s history. For twenty odd years, Bert Holcroft has had one of the unlikeliest jobs in sport—teaching Australian rugby coaches how to coach! Considering the Australian dominance in the World Rugby in recent years, that might seem par with taking coal to Newcastle. But make no mistake, Bert Holcroft has done as much as anyone to ensure Australia’s reemergence as a major rugby power. On the face of it, Australia wouldn’t seem to need any outside help, let alone from a Pom. Their record of only one test defeat since 1978 speaks for itself. But Bert’s reputation is nationwide “down under”—quite simply, he’s one of the best in the business. Bert, who played for Leigh between 1950–60, has spent much of his latter years Down Under, lecturing to top-grade coaches in New South Wales. Born and bred in Cameron Street, Leigh, Bert has few peers when it comes to teaching the basics of the 13, a side game. Since migrating in the late ’60s, Bert has dedicated his life to coaching and fitness techniques. Teams in Queensland, New South Wales, and Sydney have all come under his influence—often with spectacular results. Bert’s credentials are impeccable. Last summer, he achieved the highest accolade in Australia—his grade 3 certificate personally signed by the then Australian league chairman Kevin Humphreys and the director of coaching, Peter Corcoran. Three years earlier, Bert has sailed through his grade 1 and 2 with flying colors. In 1953, he was awarded his senior coaching certificate in England. Bert, who held a number of posts at Hilton Park before immigrating to Australia, has spent a lot of his time heavily involved with rugby in the universities there. He became director of coaching for the University of New South Wales and later coach of the Combined Universities side. He was awarded coaching accreditation by the Australian Institute of Sport, Department of Sport and Recreation, New South Wales, and the NSW Rugby League for administration, as well as national coaching certificates in both Britain and Australia—being one of only a handful of people to do so. Eventually, the offer of a job in Sydney came—to coach Premiership glamorous club, Eastern Suburbs.

The Holcroft saga, a rugby story the like of which, may never have been equalled in the history of the game. It begins over a century ago, when Mr. George Holcroft, was given charge of Leigh St. Peters R.L.F.C. in 1889. He married and when his family grew up, Jack, Harry, William and Tom all played for local teams. They married and George’s grandsons Bert and Bill also played. Bert Holcroft has been a distinguished servant for the game of Rugby all his life. He holds coaching certificates from BOTH the Australian and British governing bodies - one of only a handful of men to achieve such an honour in the game’s history. For 20-odd years Bert Holcroft has had one of the unlikeliest jobs in sport - teaching Australian Rugby Coaches how to coach! Considering the Australian dominance of World Rugby in recent years, that might seem a par with taking coal to Newcastle. But make no mistake, Bert Holcroft has done as much as anyone to ensure Australia’s re-emergence as a major Rugby power. On the face of it, Australia wouldn’t seem to need any outside help, let alone from a Pom. Their record of only one Test defeat since 1978 speaks for itself. But Bert’s reputation is nation-wide “down under” - quite simply he’s one of the best in the business. Bert, who played for Leigh between 1950-60, has spent much of his latter years Down Under lecturing to top-grade coaches in New South Wales. Born and bred in Cameron Street, Leigh, Bert has few peers when it comes to teaching the basics of the 13 a side game. Since emigrating in the late 60’s, Bert has dedicated his life to coaching and fitness techniques. Teams in Queensland, New South Wales and Sydney have all come under his influence - often with spectacular results. Bert’s credentials are impeccable. Last summer, he achieved the highest accolade in Australia - his Grade Three certificate personally signed by the then Australian league chairman Kevin Humphreys and the Director of Coaching, Peter Corcoran. Three years earlier, Bert has sailed through his Grade One and Two with flying colours. In 1953, he was awarded his senior coaching certificate in England. Bert, who held a number of posts at Hilton Park before emigrating to Australia, has spent a lot of his time heavily involved with Rugby in the universities there. He became director of coaching for the University of New South Wales and later coach of the Combined Universities side. Coaching Accreditation awarded by the Australian Institute of Sport, Department of Sport and Recreation NSW and the NSW Rugby League for administration, as well as being awarded National Coaching Certificates in both Britain and Australia - one of only a handful of people to do so. Eventually the offer of a job in Sydney came - to coach Premiership glamorous club, Eastern Suburbs.

The purpose of this book is to provide the player, family, coach, and player’s support network with the information needed for positional excellence in the position of Hooker (No. 2) in Rugby Union. The objectives of this book are as follows: 1. To provide the reader with an understanding of the natural physical and mental development of young players in the sport of Rugby Union. 2. To explain the demands of Rugby Union and use that information to help guide the player’s development. 3. To provide a blueprint for the core conditioning needed to achieve results in the game of Rugby Union. 4. To provide an insight into what selectors and coaches are looking for at a representative level. 5. To provide free access to a professional player development portal, www.developaplayer.com, whereby the player can record and share their Rugby development with friends, family, coaches, sponsors, and selectors.

If you get a big kick out of rugby but still feel you could sharpen up your knowledge of the game, this friendly guide is for you. Inside you'll find easy-to-understand advice on the basic rules and pitch positions, plus in-depth lessons on ball skills, fitness training, and techniques to outwit your opponents - all illustrated with entertaining stories from British and International rugby's back pages, and coverage of England's historic 2003 World Cup victory.

The purpose of this book is to provide the player, family, coach and player's support network with the information needed for positional excellence in the position of Tight-head Prop (No. 3) in rugby union. The objectives of this book are to: 1. To provide the reader with an understanding of the natural physical and mental development of young players.2. To provide an appreciation of the statistics of modern rugby union and use that information to guide the player's development.3. To provide a blueprint for the elite conditioning needed to help young players achieve results in the modern game of rugby union.4. To provide an insight into what selectors and coaches are looking for at the representative level.5. To provide FREE access to a professional player development portal where the player can record and grow their own player profile.6. To achieve excellence in the key aspects of a competitive team sport.