Match Fitness drill
Four v Four Conditioning Game
Reach high running intensity and near-maximum speed inside a game, which full-sided rugby never does.
- Time
- 20 minutes
- Players
- 8 to 12 players
- Intensity
- High
- Equipment
- Ball, cones
- Space
- 30m x 40m grid
- Positions
- All positions
Setup
A 30m x 40m grid marked with cones, giving 150 square metres per player. A ball and bibs.
How to run it
- Play modified touch rugby with the defence required to retreat onside after every touch, turning the ball over on an error or when the touch count is exceeded.
- Play four periods of 3 minutes with 1 to 2 minutes between them, restarting immediately from a tap on the mark rather than walking back.
- Whoever holds the clock does not stop play to coach - all feedback goes into the rest interval.
- Four against four on this grid gives every player more running per minute, and gets them closer to top speed, than a big-sided game on the same pitch.
Coaching cues
- Restart on the mark immediately, never walk back
- Defence must retreat onside every single time
- Coach the clock, not the game
Common mistakes
- Letting the numbers drift up as substitutes join in, which quietly kills the high-speed exposure
- Intensity collapsing because the skill demand is too high - reduce defensive pressure rather than shouting for more effort
Session plans that use this drill
Related drills
- Two-Touch Transition GameDrive top-speed and high-speed running exposure by forcing constant turnovers and transitions.
- Seven v Four Overload GameMaximise acceleration and deceleration load, which is the demand that outnumbers sprinting in every position.
- Worst-Case Passage BlockPrepare for the longest, hardest passages of a match rather than the comfortable average.
- Ball-in-Play Passage RunsTrain the exact work and rest shape of a real ball-in-play passage, on your own with a ball.
- RHIE Bout CircuitReplicate the repeated high-intensity effort bouts that decide matches, solo and with no contact kit.
- Tackle Bag RHIE ProtocolTrain repeated sprint-and-collide efforts, which is what separates rugby conditioning from running fitness.