Our Sports
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has been added.
For boys and girls we have a variety of games providing fun and excitement.
We have a range of games and grades at Northcote. Have a read further down to get an understanding of the games and what to expect. But in every grade and game, there are some things you can expect.
At all levels of plays, we encourage kids not to be afraid of attempting skills they are not confident at because this is how they get better. If a player tries a skill and it goes horribly wrong we congratulate them on trying and encourage them to try again.
Teams are always filled with a range of skills and abilities and we ensure every kid knows their own strengths and what they can bring to each game. We highlight that it is a team effort - the tackle, setting of the ball, the passes, the dummy runner... All of these actions contribute and lead to scoring a try.
One approach we teach our coaches is to structure the skill around small games. We take a skill, turn it into a game and have the kids play it. We then practice the skill itself and then repeat the game aiming to have them improve that skill via play.
Wondering what rugby sport or grade your child should play?
You can look at the 2023 weight chart provided by the Harbour Rugby Union to get a quick idea of what grades your child is eligible for. To find out more about the games and grades, have a look at our summaries.
J8 Rippa Rugby is the first year of rugby for our youngest players. It’s the non-contact version of rugby, designed to introduce new players to the game without contact, so they can learn the fundamental rugby skills of catching, passing, running and scoring tries.
| Age at 1st Jan | Weight Limit |
|---|---|
| 6 years | Open |
| 5 years | Open |
Half field, goal line to the ten-meter line or five-meter line to the halfway line.
20-minute halves
7 players each side
6 rips before handover
Mixed boys and girls
Non-contact - No fending, pushing or tackling allowed.
Substitutions can be made during breaks of play - try, scrum, line out, halftime.
Game times are Saturdays at 8 am at either Northcote, Takapuna, Glenfield or Marist rugby clubs.
With J8 the coach is allowed on the field to help to organise and give the kids direction during the game.
The goal of J8 is to give players time and confidence running with the ball in hand (and in the right direction) to give them confidence about playing.
The objective of the game is to score a try by grounding the ball behind or on the opponent’s try line. To prevent a try from being scored, the defenders must ‘rip’ the flag from the belt of the ball carrier. This forces the ball carrier to pass the ball. Six rips against the attacking team in one set of possessions results in the ball being turned over to the defending team.
J8 rugby is played in “local modules” with games being rotated between the clubs in the module on Saturday mornings. Northcote Rugby plays in a module with Glenfield, Takapuna and Marist (Albany).
J7 starts with a lot of excitement from those that played the previous year at J8. As the season progresses each kid starts to 'click' and work out how to play with their teammates and by the end of the season we start seeing the concept of team play.
| Age at 1st Jan | Weight Limit |
|---|---|
| 6 years | 25 Kgs |
| 7 years | 22 Kgs |
Half field, goal line to the ten-meter line or five-meter line to the halfway line.
20-minute halves
7 players each side
6 rips before handover
Mixed boys and girls
Non-contact - No fending, pushing or tackling allowed.
Substitutions can be made during breaks of play - try, scrum, line out, halftime.
Game times are Saturdays at 8:40 am at either Northcote, Takapuna, Glenfield or Marist rugby clubs.
Like J8, J7 the coach is allowed on the field to help direct the kids.
At J7 we continue ensuring every kid gets their fair time to run with the ball. But we also start to encourage kids to chase the ball carrier in support and making and receiving a pass when ripped.
On defense we look to teach about coming forward to make the rip as well forming a line.
U9 is the first chance for girls to play in an all-girl competition. The girls have their own special Northcote jersey's and we look to ensure they feel their own importance within the club family. For the boys it allows them to continue playing if they prefer the rippa game over moving to tackle.
| Age at 1st Jan | Weight Limit |
|---|---|
| 7 years | Open |
| 8 years | Open |
Half field, goal line to the ten-meter line or five-meter line to the halfway line.
20-minute halves
7 players each side
6 rips before handover
Non-contact - No fending, pushing or tackling allowed
No kicking
Substitutions can be made during breaks of play - try, scrum, line out, halftime.
Game times are generally 9:30 am on Saturday mornings and are played across the different clubs of North Harbour.
At U9 the coaches are no longer on the field and the girls are taught how to organise themselves.
We build upon the same skills from the J8 and J7 years and for those joining the game for the first time, they find that they are able to quickly catch up.
The primary focus at this level is ensuring everyone knows how to catch and pass the ball. We put a lot of emphasis on encouraging them to chase the person with the ball. This is the building block of playing as a team and we want every player to catch, run and pass multiple times in a game.
The first-year of tackle and yet not that many tackles are made. It can be a nervous moment for the parents and kids. There are a few tears but they are mostly from bruised egos and surprises. J6 is the best grade to start tackle. Every kid is new and we encourge parents to not risk mssing this year.
| Age at 1st Jan | Weight Limit |
|---|---|
| 6 years | Open |
| 7 years | 28kgs |
| 8 years | 25kgs |
Quarter-sized fields which are played between the try line and the 10m line (40m). Playing towards the halfway and try line.
25-minute halves with 5 minute half time
7-a-side with 3 forwards and 4 backs.
Mixed boys and girls
Non-contested scrums or line outs
No kickoffs, the game is started with a tap and pass.
No conversions and no fending
Our biggest priority this year is teaching safe tackle techniques. When the tackle is done correctly nobody gets hurt and its a great sense of pride and ability. Though there are only a handful of points it takes a whole season at this age of reminding and re-inforcing.
Along with being the tackler we also put a lot of focus on being tackled and how to fall. Once this is learnt the player's confidence grows and they start involving themselves in the game more and more.
The second year of tackle and kids coming out of their shells as they become confident about themselves from the support of their teammates, coaches and supporters.
| Age at 1st Jan | Weight Limit |
|---|---|
| 7 years | Open |
| 8 years | 33kgs |
| 9 years | 28kgs |
Half field, goal line to the ten-meter line or five-meter line to the halfway line.
25-minute halves
10-a-side, 5 forwards and 5 backs
Mixed boys and girls
Non-contested scrums or line outs
No kickoffs, the game is started with a tap and pass
No conversions
Fending only below the neck
Second-year of tackle for most players but we are still vigilantly watching for and practising the safe tackle and falling techniques.
This year we also give more focus around the ruck and protecting our players. We talk more about the offside line and 'setting' up to allow multiple phases of play and running for the team.
J4 is a year where we look to refine what we have been learning over the previous years. Mastering these core skills which will set our players up for years of rugby if they so choose.
| Age at 1st Jan | Weight Limit |
|---|---|
| 8 years | Open |
| 9 years | 38kgs |
| 10 years | 33kgs |
Half field, goal line to the ten-meter line or five-meter line to the halfway line.
25-minute halves
10-a-side, 5 forwards and 5 backs
Mixed boys and girls
Non-contested scrums or line outs
Dropkick for kickoffs
No conversions
Fending only below the neck
J4 is a lot about the core skills we have been introducing over the last three grades. The ability to carry the ball forward, be tackled and present the ball back for another phase. This really requires multiple players working together to protect the ball through bridging and blowing over with the halfback clearing the ball to the backs.
This is also a time where we watch out for any players that need help with running and passing and of course not letting up on good tackling techniques.
J3 is still 10-a-side rugby and the time to introduce some speciality plays to start combining individual's skills to create a masterful team play.
| Age at 1st Jan | Weight Limit |
|---|---|
| 9 years | Open |
| 10 years | 43kgs |
| 11 years | 38kgs |
J3 is the time to really start forming gameplays involving multiple players. An introduction to multi-phase plays to set up scoring opportunities.
Appreciating every link and cog that ends in delivering one of the players over the try line. Celebrating and congratulating every player for a successfully defending the line.
This is the first year of 15-a-side rugby and full field. It is a big change for the kids and a really new experience. The change also incorporates the merging of J3 10-a-side teams into the larger 15-a-side team.
| Age at 1st Jan | Weight Limit |
|---|---|
| 10 years | Open |
| 11 years | 48kgs |
| 12 years | 43kgs |
With a bigger field and more players comes the need for a lot more teamwork and tactics.
Time is spent on introducing them to more detail about positional roles and though players start to migrate towards a position we look to ensure multiple positions are played throughout the season.
J1 is the premier team of the junior club and often the last year before the players head off to a college.
| Age at 1st Jan | Weight Limit |
|---|---|
| 11 years | Open |
| 12 years | Open |
At J1 we are putting a lot of responsibility on the players to commit and contribute to the team.
The players have some great skills and abilities at this age and we focus on applying all those skills across a full game. We introduce them to different offensive and defensive plans and assessing and choosing from those options during the game.
This a grade of retiring tackle kids or new kids to rugby and is great for those that love running and the thrill of throwing the rugby ball around.
| Age at 1st Jan | Weight Limit |
|---|---|
| 11 years | Open |
| 12 years | Open |
Half field, goal line to the halfway line.
25-minute halves
7 players each side
Non-contact - No fending, pushing or tackling allowed
Kicking is allowed and punt kicks for kickoff
Four rips before handover
Free pass for a penalty. The passer can not run.
Non contested scrums
Contested line outs with three jumpers each
Substitutions can be made during breaks of play - try, scrum, line out, halftime.
With the limited number of grades, we often get a range of ages but we work on ensuring each boy and each team member knows his strengths and that they bring them to each game.
There is focus on catching, running and passing and playing with the full team. We talk a lot about creating opportunities as opposed to scoring tries. The boys are asked to talk about the game and contribute to how they want to play.
At U11, the girls start forming a lot of bonds and friendships with each other. At this age, the girls start to develop some specific skills for the game and there becomes some real excitement about what they could achieve.
Boys and girls
| Age at 1st Jan | Weight Limit |
|---|---|
| 9 years | Open |
| 10 years | Open |
Half field, goal line to the halfway line.
25-minute halves
7 players each side
Non-contact - No fending, pushing or tackling allowed
Kicking is allowed and punt kicks for kickoff
Four rips before handover
Free pass for a penalty. The passer can not run.
Non contested scrums
Contested line outs with three jumpers each
Substitutions can be made during breaks of play - try, scrum, line out, halftime.
At U11 level we start introducing more focus around passing the ball to the wings. We encourage spacing and the concept of using the whole team to score tries.
We look to have the girls concentrate on executing a good pass rather than worrying about the opposition and being ripped. The other side of this is catching the ball first before worrying about running.
Another awareness we talk about is keeping in contact with teammates. We encourage communication which goes a long way to helping each other out on the field.
We also introduce the art of kicking as a skill though it is not a highlight in the game.
At U13 we have a lot of skills coming through which we continue to improve and refine. But these are the years where we start creating thinking players. We get them to contribute to trainings by talking about what is being trainned and the goal of the things we are doing.
| Age at 1st Jan | Weight Limit |
|---|---|
| 11 years | Open |
| 12 years | Open |
Half field, goal line to the halfway line.
25-minute halves
7 players each side
Non-contact - No fending, pushing or tackling allowed
Kicking is allowed and punt kicks for kickoff
Four rips before handover
Free pass for a penalty. The passer can not run.
Non contested scrums
Contested lineouts with three jumpers each
Substitutions can be made during breaks of play - try, scrum, line out, halftime.
At U13 we encourage the girls to keep the ball alive. Using their running and passing abilities to move the ball and stretch the defence into mistakes. We start introducing some set moves, game tactics and talk about how these are designed to create opportunities rather than creating tries.
There is a lot of talk about creating momentum in the game, what that is and what that does.
We also start asking the girls to contribute to the game plan. We ask them what we could be doing in certain scenarios and talking with them about it. At U13 level we want them to start thinking about the game and how it is played.
When the girls are on the field we want them looking for opportunities rather than just running plays.
Kicking for position and advantage is introduced into the game as well.
The U15 is a grown-up girl's team. In this grade, the girls are more in charge of their own performance. They learn that it requires every player to bring their strengths to the game and trainings. Performance is dependant on the whole team and no longer a few individuals.
| Age at 1st Jan | Weight Limit |
|---|---|
| 13 years | Open |
| 14 years | Open |
| 15 years | Open |
Half field, goal line to the halfway line.
25-minute halves
7 players each side
Non-contact - No fending, pushing or tackling allowed
Kicking is allowed and punt kicks for kickoff
Four rips before handover
Free pass for a penalty. The passer can not run.
Non contested scrums
Contested line outs with three jumpers each
Substitutions can be made during breaks of play - try, scrum, line out, halftime.
These years we work on having the whole team working together and looking ahead of time and thinking about where they should be in the next 15 sec's. There is more talk about the long game'. About putting the odds in our favour.
At training we ensure the girls practice all sorts of skills and game scenarios. A larger kicking game is introduced and set moves are emphasised.
We encourage 'heart' to push themselves on defence, but most of all we talk about playing 'in the moment', playing for teammates, management, and supporters. We encourage voices on and off the field of support and encouragement.
