About Junior Rugby

At Hornsby Junior Rugby Club, we play the modified games based on the ARU Junior Pathway Program.

The Junior Player Pathway program is designed to introduce children to the skills and tactical concepts of rugby in a safe and fun manner. With an emphasis on sportsmanship, fair play and safety, girls and boys are given the opportunity to develop their sporting skills and confidence. 

The Junior Player Pathway includes EdRugby, TryRugby and the modified games created for safety and pathway development: Walla Rugby, Mini Rugby, Midi Rugby and U19's

The Junior Player Pathway Modified Games (Walla, Mini & Midi) resemble the adult form of rugby from which they derive. They have been specially adapted to be more suitable for the players' stage of life, physical capability, health status, skill level and previous experience. For example, the younger players play two-handed tag and have uncontested scrums. These games are safe to play yet still challenging. They have altered aspects of adult Rugby Laws to achieve suitability, such as the size of the ball, the playing area, the length of games, and the playing numbers on the field.

Features of the Australian Rugby Union Junior Player Pathway:

• Provides children with a safe and enjoyable introduction to the skills and tactical principles of the game of Rugby union.
• Allow young players to be introduced to skills at a pace appropriate to their age and physical development.
• Creates opportunities for all young players to be actively involved in a healthy sporting environment. The focus is on maximising activity and participation levels.
• The desirable qualities of rugby - sportsmanship and fair play - are positively rewarded, with minimal emphasis on competition.
• At all times safety is a paramount consideration. All programs / components of the Junior Player Pathway have been specifically designed to provide a safe environment for both male and female players, while learning relevant skills.
• The Modified Junior Player Pathway games provide the basic skills and understanding of set plays through the modified scrum, maul and lineout situations.
• The essential feature of Rugby within the Junior Player Pathway is one of enjoyment. Irrespective of size, body shape or ability, players are given the opportunity to reach their potential in a caring, fun and safe environment.

The Sydney Junior Rugby Union (SJRU) and Metropolitan Northern Zone (MNZ) slightly modify the ARU program. Essentially, the age at which children move from one form to another is reduced by one year, U11 is always 15 a side, not 12 and there is a scrum law difference for U12. Full U19 Laws are played from U13. A summary of the modified Laws and Competition Rules are shown in the following tables (updated for 2007 season).

Walla and Mini Modified Laws

Mini & Junior Modified Laws

Top of Table 

Top of page