When does tackling start, and how is contact introduced?

Question

Accepted Answer

Contact is introduced step by step under the RFU Rules of Play (Regulation 15, Appendices 1 to 6):

Age	What's new
Under 7 & Under 8	Tag rugby only. No tackling, kicking, scrums or lineouts.
Under 9	Tackle introduced. No rucks, mauls, scrums, lineouts or kicking. After the referee calls "Tackle", the ball carrier must pass within 3 seconds and can't score; defenders can't grab the ball.
Under 10	Rucks and mauls introduced, with a 1 v 1 contest for the ball. Uncontested scrum of the nearest 3 players.
Under 11	Contested strike at the scrum (3 players), 2 v 2 contest at the breakdown, and tactical kicking and kick restarts.
Under 12	5-player scrum, no limit on numbers contesting at rucks and mauls, and the hand-off below the armpits.

Lineouts don't appear until Under 14 (uncontested at first), and Under 13 is the first age with a 6-player fully contested scrum.

Under 9 option: if both coaches and the referee agree beforehand, a team can be limited to 6 tackles before scoring; on the 7th tackle the ball goes to the other side.

In every contact age, coaches aren't allowed on the pitch during play; the referee guides the players instead.