Rugby, also known as rugby-federation, is an aggressive close contact team sport originating in England in the early half of the nineteenth century. One of the two major codes of rugby; rugby league is played between teams of similar playing ability using a rugby ball which is passed rosulated via the hands. The other code of rugby is known as rugby union and this is played between two teams of different playing ability who are not members of one Federation. The object of rugby is for the team to score more points than the opposition and the resulting points are then added up to form the winning team.
There are eleven men and one woman involved in each game of rugby. They are known as the forwards, backs, scrumhalf’s, locks, hookers, scratchers, halfbacks, wing backs, wide backs, fly backs and props. A try is a point made by a player from the scrumhalf position when the ball is touched by a player from the lineout or from a clear cut from somewhere inside the scrumhalf position. In the game of rugby sevens, another trying is optional.
This sport has become very popular all over the world especially in America where it has even gained the support and esteem of the Americans due to the fact that it can be easily understood and played by even non rugby lovers. The standard of play in rugby consists of fifteen players per side, with five players per tries, with two 40-minute halves. This means that there are four breaks during a game which means that a regular game lasts for three quarters of an hour. This makes rugby a very interesting and fast paced game.
During a rugby union match the referee blows the whistle and a member of either team must then take a jump into the forward area to kick the ball. If the player cannot jump properly they have to be helped by another player who has enough strength to carry out the task. A try is scored when the player kicking the ball advances the full length of the field without passing through any scrum or line out of bounds. The try is made by the forward player who firstly carries the ball forward and then carries it back to his own position from where he started the run. Usually the try is made by the flanker who is usually playing at the center position.
A penalty is scored when the rugby player tries to pull down his opponent’s try, while the rugby ball is in flight, through an opponent’s body or touch an object while the rugby player is carrying the try. If the try is carried by another player, the try is awarded to the side that had the better grounding. If the try would have been made by a team member of the other side, a try is awarded to the team that had the betterment in the try count. For example, if the try was made by the Springboks and the English were leading by one point with two minutes remaining, and the English had kept the lead until the final whistle blew, the English would have won but a penalty was paid for the try by the Springboks, which meant the Springboks had to earn the win by scoring a bonus point.
In summary, rugby can be described as an exciting contact sport which involves both offence and defense. In international play, there are three phases to a game: the attack phase, the defence phase and the restart phase. This is a game which is played at an amateur or professional level. Many teams in both the professional leagues and the amateur league throughout the world are regularly involved in friendly competitions such as the Aviva Cup, the Heineken Cup, the Pro 12 and the Lions Cup. In the recent European tournaments held in Italy and Wales, there have been a record number of teams participating in the competition, many of whom are from the United Kingdom.