"Give us something we can use": A qualitative study on coaches' experiences of tackle training education in Canadian adolescent girls rugby.

OBJECTIVES

Rugby is one of the fastest-growing sports for adolescent girls in Canada and worldwide. Tackling is a foundational, high-risk skill, accounting for up to 79% of match injuries in Canadian girls' rugby. Despite the emergence of tackle training programmes, little is known about how coaches understand, adopt, and implement tackle training, particularly in girls' rugby. This study aimed to identify the tackle training-related education needs of Canadian rugby coaches.

DESIGN

Qualitative study using a grounded theory analytical approach.

METHODS

Interviews and focus groups were conducted with Alberta-based adolescent girls' rugby coaches (n = 16) and coach educators (n = 10) from across Canada at two time points in 2024 and 2025. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews/focus groups and analysed following grounded theory coding procedures.

RESULTS

Three categories were constructed: (1) delivery preferences, (2) content needs, and (3) implementation recommendations. First, coaches preferred experiential, 'hands-on' workshops delivered in pre- and off-season, facilitated by credible experts, with opportunities for peer learning. Second, content needs included the rationale ("why"), technical clarity ("what"), and practical guidance on implementation of content ("how"). Third, effective implementation relied on prescriptive simplicity, ongoing reinforcement, and role model engagement.

CONCLUSIONS

Coaches' preferences reflect the volunteer-led context of adolescent rugby. Effective tackle training workshops must tailor delivery to contextual constraints, focus on the "why, what, and how," and leverage credible voices to model and reinforce best practices. These findings encourage context-specific strategies for sustainable implementation of tackle training education for coaches in adolescent rugby.