Written by: Arthur, founder of ISFM, and Lucas W, reporter in ISFM
In this article, we’ll be talking about rugby.
History
The History of rugby all started in the 1820s, in an American Football match, when William Webb broke the rules while picking up the football and ran with it! That’s when rugby became reality! Well, a few others invented it with Mr. Webb, too. In 1828, this awesome sport was professionally played for the first time! (That means in a stadium and everything) There two different styles of play:
Rugby Union, and League Rugby.
This sport wasn’t added to the Olympics until the 1900s.
How to play
First off, rugby games last 80 mins. (1 hour 20 mins) To actually play, there are many rules, but they are quite simple. Rugby players can move forward with or without the ball, and can pass the ball. To pass the ball, you can throw or kick it behind you, but if you want to pass it forwards, you have to kick the ball. The point of this marvelous game is to score more points than your opponent. To score points, there are four different ways that exist:
- By kicking the ball into the goal which is 3 points.
- By getting the ball to the opponent’s dead ball line which is 5 points.
- By scoring a free kick which is 2 points.
- By scoring a penalty kick which is 3 points once again.
In rugby, there are two different modes of play: (Which we briefly talked about earlier)
Union rugby, and League rugby.
The difference between these two different modes is that League rugby teams consist of 13 players, while in Union rugby, teams consist of 15 players.
It’s very important to understand the difference between these two styles because, if you have 26 players on the field, (League rugby) it’s way different than having 30 players on the field (Union rugby). Also, it can crucially affect the playing dynamic on the field when there’s less players on it. There are many different ways to get the ball from your opponent, But the best way remains with the floor pin. All you need to do is bend down on your knees, open your arms, and while moving towards your opponent, make sure you grab his/her legs, and…
BOOM!!! They fall on the floor without getting hurt! (You might be wondering if there are tackling rules, yes there are.) If you tackle under the shoulders, you’re fine, but over the shoulders, well that’s a whole different story. If you ever feel the urge of tackling someone above the shoulders, don’t do it because you’ll most likely get a card. Speaking of cards, there are yellow cards, and red cards. A yellow card will serve as a warning, and you’ll be sent to the “Sin Bin”. If the same player gets another yellow card, that player will get a red card and be sent off the pitch for the rest of the game. But, if you commit a very bad foul, you can get a direct red card.
One last rule is the offsides rule. If a player from your team is in front of the ball, it’s an offside, and the other team gets possession.
Gear & Material
In rugby Union, includes:
A jersey, shorts, rugby socks, and boots along with studs. Well, also a ball obviously!
There are many rugby balls. One is made out of synthetic material, like polyurethane or rubber. Also, in Rugby Union, you use a prolate spheroid ball.
Tournaments & Trophies
In rugby, there are many tournaments, but the biggest one by far is the Rugby World Cup. The rugby world cup is held every four years. This year’s Rugby World Cup was held in Saint-Denis, France. Sadly, New Zealand lost by ONE point against Africa. That makes the fourth World Cup for Africa. There are many other tournaments like: The National First XV Championship (also known as the Top 4) which is the Premier Rugby Union competition for schools and Colleges in New Zealand. Sadly, when it comes to trophies, there aren’t many popular ones to get your hands on. The only important one is the Webb Ellis cup. (Which you get as the Rugby World Cup winner)
Conclusion
After everything you’ve read, we hope you are now inspired to play rugby with your friends, family, or even in a club!
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Thank you for reading! Written by: Arthur founder of ISFM, and Lucas W, reporter in ISFM
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