What is a rugby coaching cue?
A coaching cue is a short, specific instruction that directs a player's attention to exactly the right thing at the right moment. Good cues are precise, actionable, and land quickly, especially during game-realistic drills where there's no time for long explanations.
The difference between "stay on your feet at the breakdown" and "chest to thigh, drive through" is the difference between a player understanding the concept and a player being able to execute it under pressure. CoachCraft's cue database is built around that distinction, every cue is specific, testable, and linked to a skill area and level.
Example cues from the database
Hold the ball until the defender commits their hips. Release the moment they are fixed. Don't pass to space, pass to fix, then create space.
Rush or blitz defence: kick behind or go wide. Drift defence: inside break. Deep defensive line: carry flat and generate quick ball. Read the line before you receive.
Drive your cheek to the ball carrier's thigh as you make contact. This positions your head safely to the side and gives your body the leverage to complete the tackle.
These are three examples from a database of 100+ cues. The full database covers 12 skill areas from Fundamental to Advanced level.
How the cue database connects to your session plans
When CoachCraft generates a session plan, it automatically pulls relevant cues from the database based on your chosen focus skills and squad level. A session focused on decision making at an intermediate level gets intermediate decision-making cues in the relevant activity blocks, without you having to look them up or type them in.
The 12 skill areas covered
Decision Making
Read and react cues, from basic fix-and-fire at junior level to advanced line-speed reads at senior level.
Handling
Ball security, passing technique, receiving under pressure, and offloading cues across all skill levels.
Tackling
Body position, approach angle, contact mechanics, and post-tackle clear-out cues.
Communication
Calling systems, support language, defensive communication, and inter-unit signalling cues.
Set Piece
Scrum engagement, lineout calling, maul build, and set-piece-specific movement cues.
Kicking
Kick selection, placement, chase lines, and kick-receive positioning cues.
Work Rate
Effort indicators, support-running cues, and positional discipline cues between phases.
Physicality
Contact prep, carry technique, and collision body-position cues.
Game Understanding
Field position awareness, phase management, and game-reading cues.
Breakdown
Jackaling technique, cleanout mechanics, and ruck-arrival positioning cues.
Defence
Line speed, blitz trigger, drift mechanics, and individual defensive responsibility cues.
Coachability
Receptiveness indicators and self-correction cues for player-led development environments.
100+ cues, automatically matched to your sessions
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