|
The game of Rugby, as we know it today, owes its name to the Rugby School of England. Legend has it that, in 1823, a student named William Webb Ellis broke the rules of a football (soccer) game by picking up the ball and running. This variation of the game caught on, and soon, it spread to the other schools in England. Today, Rugby has clearly defined set of rules, known as laws, and its own lawmaking and governing body, the International Rugby Board. Rugby has grown into a international sport played by men and women, boys and girls all across the globe. Rugby Basics Rugby matches are played on a field or "pitch" that is slightly longer and wider than a football field. There are 15 players on the field for each team and the match starts with a kick off. The receiving team generally tries to move the ball towards the other teams goal line to score, similar to gridiron football. There are 4 ways to score. - A Try, worth 5 points, is similar to a touchdown, but must be grounded in the try zone.
- A Conversion Kick, worth 2 points, is a placed or drop kick through the goal post from a perpindicular angle to the tryline.
- A Penalty, worth 3 points. When a penalty is awarded, the captian can choose to take the points and give his kicker a chance to kick through the goal post from the mark designated by the referee. There are many ways to get get a penalty - high tackling, playing the ball on the ground, or some other form of dangerous play.
- A Drop Goal, worth 3 points, can happen anytime, from any player, anywhere on the pitch attempts a drop kick through the goal. This is the gridiron football equivilent of the "hail mary."
Unlike gridiron, the offensive team may not pass the ball forward in attempting to score, only backwards or lateral. Unintentional forward movement of the ball is known as a knock-on. It is also a violation of the laws to make a forward pass, so one of the only defenses the opposing team has is to tackle the ball carrier. Since the tackle does not stop play in rugby, there is a scramble for the ball when a tackle is made. The competition on the ground for the ball is known as a ruck. The tackled ball carrier must release the ball immediately, and advantageously towards his team so that play can continue.
If the ball is held above ground in the tackle, the ensuing struggle is known as a maul. Once a maul has formed other players may join in but, as in a ruck, they must do so by staying on-side. The players not directly involved in the ruck or the maul must stay behind the back foot of all teamates who are involved. Anyone who is not behind the back foot is considered offside. When the ball emerges from the maul or the ruck, the match resumes. However, often times, the ball becomes buried in the tackle, or a player could break the laws and the referee must decide if the offensive team deserves an advantage. If advantage is not called, the referee will stop play and call a scrum. A scrum, formed by the eight forwards from each team binding together in three rows, restarts the match. The non-offending team has the advantage of putting the ball into the scrum and, therefore, will most often win possession. During a scrum the ball must be worked backwards by the player's feet, hands cannot touch the ball in the scrum. When the ball emerges, open play resumes. When the ball goes out of bounds, the referee calls a line-out, at the point where the ball crossed the touchline. A line-out consists of seven forwards from each side, with the remaining forward, normally the "hooker" throwing the ball in. The line-out players from each team line up in two separate rows, 1 meter separating them, and between five and fifteen meters in field from where the ball went out of bounds. The hooker must then throw the ball straight, directly in the middle of the teams as high and as far as he likes. Members of the line-out are allowed to jump up and catch the ball or support and lift their teammates who have jumped to do so. Since this is just a brief overview of Rugby, be sure to check out International Rugby Board's Official Laws for more information. Rugby Resources
|
