Aviva Mini Rugby

00:00:07 Eimear Considine, Irish International & Munster Rugby Player

Hello everybody and welcome to the fifth and final day of the Aviva mini rugby virtual skills hub. All week long I've been showing you skills that you can practice with the safety of your home or in your garden. Thank you so much to everybody who has participated and everybody who has uploaded videos we have loved seeing them. Today we've got two new exercises, kick tennis and rats and rabbits.

00:00:31 Eimear Considine

So, our next activity is kick tennis. All you need again is the ball and you can do this on your own or with a partner. I sort of two grids here with lots of cones, but you don't have to use cones you can use whatever that you have at home. This grid here and the other grid over here. I've divided this grid into different time zones. You can give them marks if you want to. For example, the blue cone can be 20 marks, the yellow can be 50 and the outside one can be 10 marks, but you can mark  it whatever way you want. The aim is to get the ball into that five by kicking it over it so it's really working on the accuracy of your kicking here. So, start in close and as you get better you can take a few steps backwards.

00:01:21 Eimear Considine

Once you get a bit better, you can start taking a few steps backwards just to challenge yourself a little bit more.

00:01:34 Eimear Considine

If you feel like you've already got that how about challenging yourself and using your other leg.

I'm going to leave it up to the Bagnall family to show me how it's done with a partner.

00:01:54 Eimear Considine

Set up two grids and put one player in and one on the other. The aim of the game is to kick the ball into the other players grid without them intercepting it. To score a point, the ball must hit the ground of your partner's grid. This game is great for developing both kicking and catching skills. Want to make it harder? Try kicking with your weaker foot.

00:02:16 Eimear Considine

That was so much fun. Kick tennis is such a great game. Next up is our final skill and it's a tag and evasion game called rats and rabbits. Here's the Hicks family to show us how it's done.

00:02:28 Eimear Considine

For this game, you'll need to call in a referee and make a grid as shown. Here you start lined up shoulder to shoulder or in a line in the middle of the grid. One side of the grid is called rabbits, the opposite side rats. The ref calls the side, and the pair must race to the line. The nearest player leading the following player trying to tag them.

00:02:58 Eimear Considine

Or everyone lines up in a line. When the ref calls aside everyone runs as quick as they can to that side. To make it harder, you can add in different animal names and moves. This games are great for improving your movement and your quick-thinking skills.

00:03:24 Eimear Considine

We'd love to see videos of you trying out these skills so tag @AvivaIreland and @IrishRugby or use the hashtag #safetodreamteam on your posts. I will make sure to keep an eye on how you're all progressing this week. We’ll pick out some of our favourites and share them online. We'll send Aviva mini rugby goodies to as many of you as possible if you send in your video.

00:03:48 Eimear Considine

That's it for our Aviva mini rugby virtual skills hub. We hope that you enjoyed yourself. Thank you so much for taking part and for staying at home. Remember by staying at home you’re keeping us all safe and we're all in this together. Keep up the skill keep practising and maybe someday you can play for Ireland too.

00:04:12 Video ends

00:00:07 Eimear Considine, Irish International & Munster Rugby Player

Welcome to day four of your Aviva mini rugby virtual skills hub. All week long I've been showing you skills developed by IRFU coaches for you to practice in the safety of your own home. Thank you so much for taking part you've all been doing such a super job.  Grab a partner because today we'll be doing running relays and pair reflexes so let's get going. I'll leave it up to the Bagnall family to show you the first one.

00:00:32 Eimear Considine

In a straight line, line up rows of three or four cones, jumpers or shoes. Carrying the ball players race each other by weaving through a series of cones. If you have more people at home, you can add more people to each team and remember to be quick. To make this a bit harder, you can add kicks, catching and place the ball on the ground and collect it on your way back. Be as creative with this one as you want. Key points here to carry the ball in two hands.

00:01:10 Eimear Considine

That’s such a fun game to play. And maybe you can even time yourself to see if you can beat your previous score. Up next is a really fun game called pairs reflexes. And the Hicks family are going to show us how it’s done.

00:01:23 Eimear Considine

Pairs reflexes is a great activity to work on your quick reflexes, and it's loads of fun. To start two players face each other with the ball between them on the ground. A coach calls a body part and players must respond by putting their own hands on that body parts for example knees, feet, ears. When the coach calls go, the first player to pick up the ball off the ground wins. Keep practising this one and you'll be razor sharp in no time.

00:02:00 Eimear Considine

Be sure to get someone to record you doing these skills and tag us in your videos at @AvivaIreland and @IrishRugby. You can also use the hashtag #safetodreamteam on your post. I will make sure to keep an eye on how you're all progressing this week. Every day we will be picking some of the videos and reposting them. We also have a limited number of Aviva mini rugby goodies to give away.

00:02:21 Eimear Considine

So that’s it folks, it's as easy as that. I hope you're enjoying the skills as much as I am. Tune in tomorrow for the final day of the Aviva mini rugby virtual skills hub. I’ll see you then.!

00:02:37 Video ends

00:00:08 Eimear Considine, Irish International & Munster Rugby Player

Welcome to day three of the Aviva mini rugby virtual skills hub. Thank you so much for all your videos there is definitely some stars in the making. We have two amazing skills for you today. Today's exercises are the 10 second challenge and the past and score. First up is the 10 second challenge so have those stop watches at the ready. All we've just challenged is a ball, a partner and a clear space.

00:00:30 Eimear Considine

Two players are stationery and attempt to complete as many passes as possible in a 10 second period. Challenge yourself by moving further apart and moving as quickly as possible. Key points here, reach with both hands to catch and throw the ball.

00:01:00 Eimear Considine

Great stuff guys that was some quick work out of you. Now for a game of 1v1, Hicks family, take it away!

00:01:07 Eimear Considine

For this you'll need a partner and a referee. Partner stand facing each other in the middle of a grid. They start by passing the ball back and forth while standing still. When the ref calls go, the player holding the ball turns and runs to score a try at their own try line. Their partner chases them and tries to tag them before the try is scored.

00:01:37 Eimear Considine

To make it harder, make the grid a bit bigger. This is a great skill to learn to practice breaking away from the opposition. Be sure to carry the ball in two hands.

00:01:55 Eimear Considine

Get someone to record you doing these skills and tag us in your videos @AvivaIreland and @IrishRugby. You can also use the hashtag #safetodreamteam on your posts. We will make sure to keep an eye on how you're all progressing this week. Every day we will be picking some of the videos and reposting them. We also have a limited number of Aviva mini rugby goodies to give away.

00:02:16 Eimear Considine

So that's it for today. Thank you for taking part and for staying at home and keeping everybody safe. Make sure to stay active and keep having as much fun as you can. Join us tomorrow at 10am on a www.aviva.ie/safetodreamteam for our new skill.

00:02:37 Video ends

00:00:07 Eimear Considine, Irish International & Munster Rugby Player

Hi everybody and welcome to day two of the Aviva mini rugby virtual skills hub. This is your chance to work on IRFU approved skills from the safety of your own home. Be sure to be in a safe place so that nothing gets broken, we don't want you get into trouble with the grown up. Today we've got a catch and pass exercise called pass and place and an evasion and tag exercise called compass relay. First up is pass and place so grab a sibling, parent or guardian for this really fun game. I'll leave you with the Bagnall family to show you how it's done.

00:00:38 Eimear Considine

Place four cones, jumpers or any markers in a square or rectangle as big as you want. Working in this grid, one player is the catcher and the other is the passer. The passer must run to the ball and pass to the catcher. The catcher catches the ball places it on the ground and moves somewhere else in the grid. This exercise is great for your passing catching and movement skills to make it harder, keep getting faster and faster. Key tip here is to lower your body height ahead of passing using a wider stance and bending at the knees.

00:01:143 Eimear Considine

That was great work from the Bagnall family over in Kildare wasn’t it. The next activity we're going to do is compass relay. All you're going to need is four cones or four markers. It can be anything that you have at home, and a ball.

You're going to start in the middle of the grid and you're going to run around each of the cones make sure that you come back to the middle every single time. So you can start nice and slowly make sure to run with the ball in two hands coming back to the middle every single time.

Great work the most important thing is that the ball stays in two hands. To make this a little harder. Why don't you add an in a throw as you run to each cone? And if you want to challenge yourself even further, how about adding in a kick? How about labelling each cone north south east and west and getting your parents or guardian or siblings to get involved so that you can work on your decision-making skills and even working on your agility too. Let's check out this skill as demonstrated by the Hicks family in County Cork.

00:02:52 Eimear Considine

Get someone to record you doing these skills and tag us in your videos out at @AvivaIreland and @IrishRugby. You can also use the hashtag #safetodreamteam on your post. We will make sure to keep an eye on how you're all progressing this week. Every day we will be picking some of the videos and reposting them. We also have a limited number of Aviva mini rugby goodies to give away.

00:03:15 Eimear Considine

So that's it for today. I hope you enjoyed those skills. I've got more skills coming tomorrow and for the rest of the week. It's really important that you stay practising to stay sharp. To check these out visit www.aviva.ie/safetodreamteam at 10am tomorrow, I'll see you then!

00:03:36 Video ends

00:00:07 Eimear Considine, Irish International & Munster Rugby Player

Hi, I’m Eimear Considine, UL Bohemian, Munster and Irish rugby player.  I'm delighted to join Aviva’s Safe to Dream Team, an online hub where you can access online skills videos, win prizes for your child, kits for your club, and receive discounts on your home and car insurance. So, this year's midterm break looks a little bit different with you all stuck at home, but it's still so important that you have fun and practice your rugby skills. So, because of that we're introducing the Aviva mini rugby virtual skills hub fields. All week I'll be showing you skills developed by IRFU coaches, I’ll have something for you even if you're new to rugby, or if you're a little more advanced. While you're doing this, please make sure that you're in a safe space so that nothing can get broken. Today we're going to be focusing on two throwing exercises, Throw & Clap and Round the Clock.

00:00:49 Eimear Considine

So first up is the throw and clap. This is a really good exercise to work on your throwing and your catching. So first off, you're going to need a ball. Make sure that your feet are placed firmly on the ground. The aim is to throw the ball as high as you can in the air and get as many claps as you can before you catch it again. It's really important that you don't move your feet but also important that you catch the ball as well. The claps won't count if you don't catch the ball. Why don't you challenge your parents or your guardians or your siblings and see how many claps they can do. To make this even harder why don't you add in a spin pass or try and throw the ball really high into the air. My key tip for this skill is to push your hands through the ball when you're throwing the ball up in the air like so. Let's head over to the Bagnall family in County Kildare and see how they get on.

00:02:11 Eimear Considine

Our next activity is a catch and pass game called round the clock. All you need is a partner and some cones. If you don't have some cones you can use shoes, cushions or whatever you have at home, we'll head over to the Hicks family in Bantry to see how it's done.

00:02:26 Eimear Considine

To start, position your cones or markers in a circle, you should have six of them. One player stands in the middle of the circle of cones with the ball in hand and one player at one of the cones outside the circle. The players pass the ball middle to outside, to middle. While the player on the outside of the cones runs to the next cone. Complete the circuit as quickly as possible. You can make this harder by moving the markers out and making the circle wider.

00:03:07 Eimear Considine

Get someone to record you doing these skills and tag us in your videos @AvivaIreland and @IrishRugby. You can also use the hashtag #safetodreamteam on your post. I will make sure to keep an eye on how you're all progressing this week. Every day we will be picking some of the videos and reposting them. We also have a limited number of Aviva mini rugby goodies to give away.

00:03:29 Eimear Considine

So that's it for today, everyday I'll be showing you skills that will help improve your rugby technique at home. Be sure to visit www.aviva.ie/safetodreamteam at 10am tomorrow to check out our next skill. See you then!

00:03:47 Video ends