Great Britain Tag Rugby
Great Britain Tag Rugby is the national programme for the sport of Tag in the United Kingdom.
The programme selects the best Tag Rugby players from around the country to play in seven sides across different age and gender categories, united by a shared vision and set of core values.
Try Tag Rugby is the official Great Britain delegate to the International Tag Federation. Try Tag Rugby operates and manages Great Britain Tag Rugby as its national representative programme for the sport of Tag Rugby in the UK.
Over 200 players, coaches and managers are currently engaged by the programme with annual trials taking place to bring new and emerging talent into the national sides. See the Tag Rugby pathway into Great Britain (pictured).
Great Britain competes annually in the British & Irish Cup, the oldest international Tag tournament in the northern hemisphere; sends sides to the ITF Tag World Cup which takes place every three years; enters the International Tag Series; and plays South Africa biennially since 2022.
Vision
• To develop The Tag Rugby Performance Pyramid to drive participation at the base and achieve excellence at the peak
• To develop a lifelong player pathway from childhood to adolescence to adulthood thereby ensuring a future for the game
• To ensure equality of provision across all age and gender categories within the Great Britain Programme
• To power the performance of the Great Britain Tag Rugby sides to World Cup success and beyond
• To engage, to inspire, and to develop players of all ages, backgrounds, and experience levels
Great Britain on social media
You’ll need to be a registered Try Tag Rugby player or registered with another full ITF member. You need to have been born in the United Kingdom; or have a British passport; or have lived in the United Kingdom for at least the last three consecutive years. You cannot have played Tag Rugby for a different national team in the preceding year.
Following the Tag Rugby Performance Pyramid from top to bottom is the best way into the national setup. Playing weekly in leagues in your region will develop the fundamental skills and consistency all players require. Entering tournaments will provide you with the experience of playing a wider range of competitive opposition. Joining a Super League team will expose you to regular high level Tag Rugby. Having done this trialling for and representing your UK Tag Nationals region is then the best way to show your talents to the Great Britain coaches before registering for GB trials.
Great Britain trials are run annually at the start of spring to bring new and emerging talent into the national sides. The UKTN Regional Tournaments are the main trials for GB with players selected for their side having been seen in a competitive, high level environment while representing their region. An open trial is then run alongside the London Regional to provide opportunities for players not involved in the UK Tag Nationals. Additional trials are sometimes held for the youngest and oldest age categories
Players of all experience levels are welcome to register for the open London trials as historically there have been players with representative experience from other sports that have made rapid progress into the Great Britain sides as a result of their transferable skills. However the majority of players benefit from taking the time to learn and develop the fundamental skills of the sport through leagues, tournaments, and finally Tag Nationals.
There are currently 11 Great Britain sides. We have Women’s, Men’s and Mixed sides in the Open’s and Seniors categories; Women’s & Men’s sides in the Masters category; Women’s & Men’s sides in the Under 22 category and a Men’s side in the Over 50 category. Part of Great Britain Tag Rugby’s long term vision is to create a Mixed side in both the Unders and Masters category and a Women’s side in the Over 50 category.
International Tag Rugby is played in the 8-a-side format. Mixed categories have a maximum of four male players on the pitch at any one time.
All age category restrictions are based on the date of the next ITF Tag World Cup. The dates below are the current ones for the 2026 tournament:
- Open categories have no age restrictions.
- Women’s Seniors – born on or before 31st December 1999
- Men’s Seniors – born on or before 31st December 1996
- Mixed Seniors – Women born on or before 31st December 1996 & Men born on or before 31st December 1993
- Women’s Masters – born on or before 31st December 1989
- Men’s Masters – born on or before 31st December 1986
- Women’s & Men’s Under 22s – born on or after 1st January 2003
- Men’s Over 50s – born on or before 31st December 1976
GB Tag Rugby News
British and Irish Cup Review 2024
29th August 2024
Great Britain claimed their first ever Cup win on Irish soil. The victory was the third time that Great Britain had prevailed in the competition overall and marked the first time that they had retained the Cup.
Great Britain v South Africa 2024 Test Series Review
10th July 2024
The 2024 international season got underway for Great Britain Tag Rugby on Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th July as the GB sides played host to South Africa at Reading RFC.
28th March 2024
We are excited to announce the formation of the Great Britain Future Teams Programme (GBFT), which kicks off with the establishment of the GBFT Men’s 50s.
2024 Great Britain Training Squads Announced!
14th March 2024
Great Britain Tag Rugby training squads announced as national sides embark on a brand new World Cup cycle
2024 great Britain Trials – Registration Open
20th February 2024
The Great Britain Tag Rugby teams are set for a new era after achieving their greatest set of World Cup results so far last summer! The road to the next World Cup starts now with registration open for trials ahead of two international engagements this summer.
Applications Open for Great Britain Tag Rugby Coaches and Team Managers
20th October 2023
Great Britain Tag Rugby is looking for aspiring, innovative and passionate coaches and team managers to join the programme for the new World Cup cycle.
Great Britain Tag Rugby X Oaklin
10th October 2023
Great Britain Tag Rugby and Oaklin’s year-long partnership has now concluded following the Tag World Cup.
Great Britain crowned World Champions in the Women’s 30s amongst their best ever medal haul at the ITF’s flagship event.
Great Britain goes for Gold at Tag World Cup 2023
28th July 2023
After five years and two postponements, the fourth iteration of the ITF Tag World Cup is finally here.
Great Britain World Cup Squads Named
28th June 2023
The national coaches have selected their final squads to play in this summer’s 2023 Tag World Cup.
British and Irish Cup Review 2023
27th June 2023
Great Britain claimed one of the most comprehensive victories in the history of British & Irish Cup.
British & Irish Cup 2023 Preview
23rd June 2023
King’s House Sports Ground in Chiswick will host the 2023 British & Irish Cup this Saturday 24th June.
Great Britain Tag Rugby launch World Cup kit
1st June 2023
Great Britain Tag Rugby are excited to unveil a brand new kit designed specifically for the 2023 Tag World Cup.
UK Tag Nationals Review – 2023
26th May 2023
The fifth annual UK Tag Nationals took place on Saturday 20th May as a record number of Try Tag Rugby regions sent teams to battle it out to be crowned national champions.
Great Britain squads named for British & Irish Cup 2023
11th May 2023
Following the initial months of 2023 Great Britain training the coaches have picked their teams to play in the British & Irish Cup on Saturday 24th June in Chiswick.
Northern & Scottish UKTN Regional Tournament 2023 Review
22nd March 2023
Saturday 4th March saw the best of the North descend on Heaton Moor RUFC (Manchester) to compete in the first Northern & Scottish UKTN Regional Tournament.
2023 Great Britain Training Squads Announced
16th March 2023
Great Britain Tag Rugby training squads announced for ITF Tag World Cup year.
Great Britain Women’s 35s team launched
20th February 2023
Great Britain Tag Rugby are delighted to announce the addition of Women’s 35s team to the national programme.
6th February 2023
After a review into our tournament offerings, we are excited to launch our full events calendar for 2023 which has something for every section of our community nationwide.
2nd February 2023
Try Tag Rugby is pleased to announce that we will be adopting the 2022 International Rulebook for all their leagues and tournaments commencing from the 2023 Spring season*.
British & Irish Cup Review 2022
12th September 2022
The 2022 British & Irish Cup took place over the weekend of 3rd and 4th of September at West Park Leeds RUFC with Ireland ultimately emerging winners in the closest contest in the tournament’s history.
1st September 2022
The 2022 British & Irish Cup takes place this coming weekend (3rd/4th September) at West Park Leeds RUFC as Great Britain and Ireland once again go head to head in the annual tournament.
15th August 2022
Great Britain Tag Rugby is proud to announce a new partnership with Oaklin that will see the organisation join the programme as an associate partner through to the Tag World Cup 2023.
Five referees have been selected to represent Try Tag Rugby at the upcoming International Tag Series in Limerick.
International Tag Series Selections 2022
28th June 2022
After showcasing their talents for their regions at the UK Tag Nationals the focus for the best Tag players in the country now shifts to the International Tag Series, taking place on the 5-6th August in Limerick, Ireland.
Great Britain launch Men’s 40s
10th June 2022
Following the success of the Men’s 40s category at the recent UK Tag Nationals, Great Britain Tag Rugby are excited to announce the formation of a Great Britain Men’s 40s side.
Great Britain Elite Player Squads 2022
17th March 2022
With two international Tag Rugby tournaments on the horizon in 2022 we are pleased to announce the six Great Britain Elite Player Squads training this year.
Ireland regain British & Irish Cup 2021
25th October 2021
Ireland have regained the British & Irish Cup defeating Great Britain in Limerick, Ireland.
Great Britain Partners
