The benefits of playing Rugby Fives left-handed
Rugby Fives rewards players who can pass, catch, kick and support the next runner before pressure arrives. For a left-handed player, those demands can reveal an extra tactical angle rather than a weakness. Playing left-handed in Rugby Fives is most useful when coaches recognise natural ability and build practice around it, helping the individual and the team become less predictable.
With five players per side, space and communication matter. Quick passes, rolling substitutions and repeated phases create chances to solve small problems at speed. A left-hander who can release the ball confidently across the field may give teammates an option that a right-handed passer takes for granted.
Handedness should not be confused with footedness. A left-handed player may kick right-footed, and a left-footed player may pass right-handed. The useful principle is to start with the player’s natural technique, then add deliberate work with the other hand. Variety, awareness and confidence can grow without asking anyone to pretend their first preference does not exist.
In Australia, rugby is part of many club and school communities, although Rugby Fives is a less familiar cousin of union and league. Melbourne and Sydney offer dense networks of suburban clubs and school competitions, while Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide have metropolitan and regional networks that rely heavily on volunteers. The Rugby Fives Association’s rankings, coaching resources and historical records can offer useful reference points for local groups developing their own pathways.
A fresh angle for passing and support
A left-handed passer can develop a line that differs from the dominant right-handed pattern. On a crowded Fives pitch, that difference may make a pass across the field or into support space more natural for the passer. It does not guarantee greater accuracy, but it gives the attack another angle to use and another problem for defenders to solve.
That value grows when coaches ask players to use both hands. Left-handers can practise catching from the outside shoulder, making a reverse pass and scooping a loose ball, while right-handed players work on the same skills. Repeated changes of direction encourage players to scan, communicate and notice the runner behind the ball, making the whole side quicker rather than simply more left-handed.
More ways to attack the kicking game
Left-footed players add a different layer. They may offer a kicking angle or line that is not usual for the right-footed players around them, helping the team change territory or make the next phase harder to read. The choice still depends on wind, defensive pressure, bounce and the support runners behind the kick.
Coaches can connect the skills: a left-handed passer can set up a left-footed kick, while a right-handed passer can move the ball towards that option. In Rugby Fives, a well-timed kick can relieve pressure and create time for the next pass. Practising under pressure also builds the confidence to select a less familiar option instead of defaulting to the safest one.
Deliberate skill and lasting confidence
A left-handed player who is repeatedly told to use the right hand may receive less quality coaching and less encouragement. If sessions begin with an accurate assessment of natural ability and then add purposeful work on both sides, the player can develop balance, coordination and decision-making. Deliberate learning may take more repetition, but it creates skills that remain useful when the game becomes chaotic.
Rugby Fives also offers a relatively low-contact setting for building confidence. Players can work on passing, catching and running lines without the collisions that make a first experience intimidating, although normal preparation and safety rules still apply. The experience can support school students, older beginners and players returning to team sport, then transfer to rugby union, sevens or league when a suitable pathway opens.
A welcoming route into the game
Inclusion is practical. A child who is left-handed should have the same access to coaching, fixtures and encouragement as a right-handed child, while a player returning after a difficult period should not need to disclose a diagnosis to feel welcome. For clubs and schools working with students who have experienced trauma, guidance on welcoming trauma-informed spaces can help them plan participation, language and support around the individual.
This approach fits Australian sport, where volunteers often run teams, arrange fixtures and welcome beginners at local venues. Saying “have a go” is part of the local language, and a quick “good on you” can acknowledge a first pass. Yet a nervous player needs more than encouragement: clear demonstrations, patient feedback and the chance to practise without judgement. Rugby Fives can reach players who have not followed the usual union or league pathway, including school groups and community sessions in Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.
Turning handedness into team value
Coaches get the most from a left-handed player by treating handedness as one input, not a label. Drills can ask players to pass left and right, receive with an unfamiliar hand and attack a target from several directions. The aim is to develop scanning, communication and choice, allowing every player to become more adaptable rather than defining one role by natural preference.
Across a season, that adaptability can strengthen team culture. Players who solve problems in more than one way become better at explaining space and supporting teammates, while a squad with different natural hands makes the defence work harder. This fits the Rugby Fives Association’s wider work across competitions, coaching, school programs and community outreach: more people can enter the game and keep playing as their confidence grows.
A simple comparison can help coaches plan that work without treating either group as a fixed type:
| Area | Right-handed player | Left-handed player | Team benefit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passing | Build a dependable right-handed pass | Use the left as a strong starting point, then add the right | More passing angles and support options |
| Receiving | Practise catching and running with either hand | Add reliable off-side and reverse-hand catches | Quicker decisions under pressure |
| Kicking | Coordinate with right-footed kickers | Pair left-hand passing with left-footed kicking when useful | Different kicking lines and field position |
| Development | Start with the player’s evidence-based technique | Start with natural ability and train both sides | Confidence, adaptability and inclusion |
Whether you are in Melbourne, Brisbane or a smaller Australian town, the next step can be simple: ask a local club, school or community organiser about Rugby Fives sessions, and look for a fixture where you can rotate through positions and practise with both hands. If you coach, make the first drill welcoming to a left-hander rather than treating the player as an exception. If you are a player, bring a friend and give it a go.
The value of a left-handed presence in Rugby Fives is practical rather than magical: another passing angle, a different kicking option and a player who has learned to read the game in more than one way. Explore the Rugby Fives Association’s fixtures, results, rankings, coaching resources and community pathways, then join a session or competition near you. Bring your natural ability, add the skills that challenge you, and give the team a fresh way forward.
