Webinars in Coaching Week

England Rugby Online Coaching Week | 23rd–26th February

Dear Coach,

We’re excited to invite you to England Rugby’s Online Coaching Week, running from Monday 23rd to Thursday 26th February— a four-day learning opportunity created by coaches, for coaches, focused on developing your impact and accelerating learning in your coaching environment.
Across the week, you’ll take part in four interactive online sessions, each designed to challenge thinking, share practical insight, and support your ongoing growth. You’ll hear from an outstanding group of presenters, gain ideas you can apply immediately, and connect with coaches from across the game.
This programme brings together world leading thinkers and experienced practitionersfrom rugby and beyond, all united by one goal: supporting better learning, better environments, and better experiences for players.

Schedule

Spaces are limited on each live session, with recordings available to view post event.
·      23rd February, 2.00-3.30pm - LJ Lewis & Jonathan Pendlebury - 'Coaching the Breakdown'
·      24th February, 2.30-3.30pm - Doug Lemov - 'Is the game the best teacher?'
·      25th February, 7.00-8.00pm - Joe Ford - 'Coaching core skills and decision making to improve attack'
·      26th, TBC - Darren Pearcy - 'Working with skaters whilst creating a coaching culture'

Meet the presenters

Doug Lemov
Doug Lemov is a renowned American educator, author, and thought leader in the science of learning. He is best known for his influential books Teach Like a Champion(now in its 3.0 edition) and The Coach’s Guide to Teaching, which translate highly effective classroom teaching strategies into practical tools for coaches in sport.
Doug has worked with a wide range of elite sporting organisations, including several NBA franchises, Premier League clubs, and national rugby, ice hockey, and football federations, helping them use cognitive science to accelerate learning and performance. His other books include Practice Perfectand The Teach Like a Champion Guide to the Science of Reading, all focused on improving practice quality and development outcomes.

Jonathan Pendlebury
Jonathan Pendlebury is the England U18 Men’s Head Coach and an experienced RFU pathway coach with a long‑standing commitment to youth rugby development. A father and husband, Jonathan has combined professional pathway roles with continued volunteering at grassroots level, including with Hinckley U11s.
His career includes academy coaching and leadership roles with Leeds (Yorkshire) Academyand Wasps, before moving into his current role within the RFU pathway. Passionate about learning and self‑development, Jonathan holds an undergraduate degree and a Master’s in Sport Coaching from Leeds Beckett University, and is RFU Performance Award qualified.

LJ Lewis
LJ Lewis is an experienced rugby coach currently working within England Rugbyand is the England Women’s U20s Head Coach. With over a decade of coaching experience, LJ has worked across grassroots, academy, and national age‑grade environments within the women’s and girls’ pathway.
She has previously held senior coaching roles within Premiership Women’s Rugby, including with Wasps Women, and is highly regarded for her ability to create learning‑focused, inclusive, and high‑performance environments. LJ holds a BSc (Hons) in Sports Development with Coaching from Sheffield Hallam Universityand is passionate about supporting both player and coach development.

Joe Ford
Joe Ford is a professional rugby coach currently working as an Attack Coach with Sale Sharks. A former Premiership fly‑half, he enjoyed a successful playing career with clubs including Leeds Carnegie, Northampton Saints, Sale Sharks, and Leicester Tigers, before transitioning into full‑time coaching.
After retiring from playing, Joe progressed through coaching roles at Doncaster Knights, initially as Backs Coach before stepping into the Head Coach role. During his time there, he led an attacking‑focused programme with a strong emphasis on player ownership, clarity in learning, and empowering players to make decisions under pressure.
Joe brings contemporary insight from the professional game, combining lived playing experience with reflective coaching practice, offering valuable learning for coaches working across both development and performance environments.

Darren Pearcy
Darren Pearcy is the Performance Manager and coach at Skateboard GB and brings a strong cross-sport perspective to coaching and athlete development. Drawing on experience from action sports, he offers clear insight into learning, creativity, motivation, and athlete-led development.

His contribution challenges traditional thinking and explores how coaches can design environments that support adaptability, ownership, and long-term engagement, with direct and practical links back to rugby coaching practice.

Why attend Coaching Week?

• Learn practical, evidence‑informed coaching strategies

• Hear from global experts and England pathway coaches

• Reflect on and improve your coaching practice

• Connect with coaches across the rugby community

• Take ideas straight back to your players and sessions

👉Register now and be part of England Rugby’s Online Coaching Week (23–27 February).

We look forward to learning together.

England Rugby Coaching Development Team

Yorkshire Rugby Acadmey Evening's & CPDs

Hope everyone is well! Please see attached our CPD offer for 2026. I have also included some further information and direct booking links below:

There are a variety of different courses available to book and we have looked to support the RFU's work with 14-18 programme (but courses open for all). All courses are FREE of charge!

Defensive Principles - We will look at our defensive principles and bring these to life through skill and game zones.

Attack Principles - We will look further into our attacking principles, catch/pass and bring these to life through skill and game zones.

Lineout / Scrum - An opportunity to spend the evening in the Academy setting with our forward specialist coaches looking at the principles and further extending your knowledge of scrum and lineout.

STAR Evening - An opportunity aimed at U14-U16 coaches who wish to nominate players for the boys PDG foundation pathway. These evenings will look at the STAR assessment model and what players are appropriate for the RFU pathway.

Coaching Conversations: IDP Support - A morning of learning about IDP and goal setting with two special guests. Jonathan Pendlebury (England U18s Head Coach) and Ben Lazenby (England RFL Pathway Manager) will look at some lived experiences on how we can support players in and out of sessions with their rugby development. We will spend the morning learning with FREE tea/coffee and a bacon butty! You will then be able to stay for the Academy League game at 1pm to watch Yorkshire Academy Vs Newcastle Red Bulls Academy U18s.

Hopefully this gives you a little further information and I would appreciate you circulating this to all of your club contacts. 

Let me know if there are any issues.

Many thanks and hope to see you at an event or two.

Luke & the team

Introduced following Covid the England Rugby Training windows, this is when you can expect a course to be bookable.

How to book.  You can claim the cost of a course back from the rugby club if you're a coach here at Malton.

The RFU (Rugby Football Union) "Creating Early Years Activities" initiative is designed to introduce young children to rugby in a fun and engaging way.

The program provides a set of activities and games tailored for early years perfect for under 6s, focusing on developing fundamental movement skills such as running, jumping, and catching.

These activities are designed to be inclusive and accessible, encouraging physical activity, teamwork, and the enjoyment of sport from a young age.

The initiative aims to lay a foundation for lifelong participation in rugby and other sports by fostering a positive, playful, and educational environment.