You need a master plan in order to set up your training sessions, to pick your players for the first team and to monitor your progress. (Look under Teambuilding / Performing for more on the "why"). I think it is essential that you involve your top players in this too. Take care: a game plan is not a set of plays for the players to choose from. It is a generic (strategic?) approach to the game that should result in the players making the right (tactical?) decisions in all situations. I believe that the first priority for every player to learn the philosophy of the game. With this general understanding in place you can fill in the technical and positional bits.

This is the philosophy of french coach Pierre Villepreux and I believe he is right.

French rugby has a different approach where from a couple fixed ideas a whole game developed:

• Attack the gain line using: use backs to attack the space out wide, use forwards when defenses are spread out to penetrate.
• Open only quick ball wide.
• Open slow ball from 9 and search for loosies in the middle by cutting back inside
• Try to move players in a three to two situation and draw defenders
• Fix defenders by bringing the ball back inside: by passing or running, run the diagonals

The French focus more on generic skills rather than drill specific moves. It is no mystery why French team score so much from counterattacks. More on moves or set plays here.

Develop and implement a plan

My approach is described by these steps:

1. Learn players the general rules of play: the Adaptive Game vs. the Planned Game
2. Based on the players age: fill in technical skills and fill in positional / unit skills. Use the Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD) model for this.
3. Use video to show the players what you want to achieve and to monitor their progress.

Follow these steps, use my website as a guide!