Caption	South African Victor Matfield takes a lineout against New Zealand in 2006.
Union	International Rugby Board
Nickname	Rugger
First	Early 19th century (early forms)1845 (first written rules)
Contact	Full Contact
Team	15
Mgender	Separate competitions
Category	Team sport, Outdoor
Equipment	Rugby ball
Olympic	1900, 1908, 1920 & 1924

Rugby union is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. It is played with an oval-shaped ball on a field up to long and wide with H-shaped goal posts on each goal line.

Introduction

William Webb Ellis is often credited with the invention of running with the ball in hand in 1823 at Rugby School when he allegedly caught the ball while playing football and ran towards the opposition goal. Although the evidence to support the Ellis story is doubtful, it was immortalised at the school with a plaque unveiled in 1895. In 1848, the first rules were written by pupils; other significant events in the early development of rugby include the Blackheath Club's decision to leave the Football Association in 1863 and the split between rugby union and rugby league in 1895.

The International Rugby Board (IRB) has been the governing body for rugby union since its formation in 1886. Currently, 115 national unions are members of the IRB. In 1995, the IRB removed restrictions on payments to players, making the game openly professional at the highest level for the first time.

The Rugby World Cup, first held in 1987, takes place every four years, with the winner of the tournament receiving the Webb Ellis Cup. The Six Nations in Europe and the Tri Nations in the southern hemisphere are major international competitions held annually. Major domestic competitions include the Top 14 in France, the Aviva Premiership in England, the Currie Cup in South Africa, and the ITM Cup in New Zealand. Other transnational competitions include the Magners League, originally involving Irish, Scottish and Welsh teams and now Italian teams as well; Super Rugby (previously Super 12 and Super 14), involving South African, Australian and New Zealand teams; and the Heineken Cup, involving the top European teams from their respective domestic competitions.

History

in Rugby, Warwickshire, with a rugby football pitch in the foreground]] The origin of rugby football is reputed to be an incident during a game of English school football at Rugby School in 1823 when William Webb-Ellis is said to have picked up the ball and run with it. Although this tale is apocryphal, the Rugby World Cup trophy is named after him. Rugby football stems from the form of game played at Rugby School, which old pupils initially took to university; Old Rugbeian Albert Pell, a student at Cambridge, is credited with having formed the first 'football' team. During this early period different schools used different rules, with former pupils from Rugby and Eton attempting to carry their preferred rules through to their universities.

Significant events in the early development of rugby football were the production of the first set of written laws at Rugby School in 1845, the Blackheath Club's decision to leave the Football Association in 1863 and the formation of the Rugby Football Union in 1871. By 1881 both Ireland and Wales had representative teams, and in 1883 the first international competition, the Home Nations Championship had begun. 1883 also saw the first rugby sevens tournament at Melrose—the Melrose Sevens, which is still held annually. Five years later two important overseas tours took place; a British Isles team visited Australia and New Zealand—although a private venture, it laid the foundations for future British and Irish Lions tours; and the 1888 New Zealand Native team brought the first overseas team to British spectators.

Between 1905 and 1908, all three major Southern Hemisphere rugby countries sent their first touring teams to the Northern Hemisphere: Dave Gallaher's New Zealand in 1905, followed by Paul Roos's South Africa in 1906 and then Herbert Moran's Australia in 1908. All three teams brought new styles of play, fitness levels and tactics, and were far more successful than critics had expected. 1905 also saw the first French internationals.

The years during the First World War saw an end of international rugby union games and union-sponsored club matches, but competitions continued with service teams such as the New Zealand Army team. The Second World War saw an end of international matches from most countries, though Italy, Germany and Romania played a limited number of games, and Cambridge and Oxford continued their annual University Match.

In 1973 the first officially sanctioned international sevens tournament took place at Murrayfield, as part of the Scottish Rugby Union centenary celebrations. In 1987 the first Rugby World Cup was held in New Zealand and Australia, and the inaugural winners were New Zealand. The first World Cup Sevens tournament was held at Murrayfield in 1993.

Rugby union was an amateur sport until the IRB declared the game 'open' in 1995, removing restrictions on payments to players. However, the pre-1995 period of rugby union was marked by frequent accusations of "shamateurism", including an investigation in Britain by a House of Commons Select committee.

Laws

and Georgia contesting a lineout in the 2007 Rugby World Cup]]

Rugby union is played between two teams, each of which starts the match with 15 players on the field. During the match, players may be replaced (for injury) or substituted (for tactical reasons). A player who has been replaced may not rejoin play unless he was temporarily replaced to have bleeding controlled; a player who has been substituted may return temporarily, to replace a player who has a blood injury, or permanently, if he is replacing a front-row forward. In international matches, up to seven replacements are allowed; in domestic or cross-border tournaments, at the discretion of the responsible national union(s), the number may be increased to eight, of whom three must be sufficiently trained and experienced to provide cover for the three front row positions. Players in a team are divided into eight forwards (two more than in rugby league) and seven backs. Forwards are generally bigger and stronger, and take part in the scrum and lineout, while backs are generally smaller but faster, more agile and often the main points scorers for the team.

The field of play on a rugby pitch is as near as possible to a maximum of 100m long, and 70m wide. There are several lines crossing it, notably the half way line, the goal line/try line (on which the goal posts are located), the "twenty two", which is 22m from the goal line, and the dead ball line, which ideally is at least 10m but not more than 22m behind the goal line. The values of each of these scoring methods have been changed over the years. The team which scores more points wins the game.

At the beginning of the game, the captains and the referee toss a coin to decide which team will kick off first. Play then starts with a drop kick, with the players chasing the ball into the opposition's territory, and the other side trying to retrieve the ball and advance it back. If the player with the ball is tackled, frequently a ruck will result.

Forward passing (throwing the ball ahead to another player) is not allowed. The ball can be passed laterally or backwards, but cannot be thrown forward. The ball tends to be moved forward in three ways—by kicking, by a player running with it and passing it to a teammate who continues the run, or within a scrum or maul. Unlike in American football, "blocking" is not allowed, so only the player with the ball may be tackled or rucked. When a ball is knocked forward by a player with his/her arms, a "knock-on" is committed, and play is restarted with a scrum.

When the ball leaves the side of the field, a lineout is awarded against the team which last touched the ball. The lineout is usually awarded at the position where the ball left the field of play but if the ball is kicked directly into touch from outside the "twenty-two", or if a team plays the ball back into its own "twenty-two" and the ball is then kicked directly into touch, the lineout is awarded at a point opposite where the ball was kicked. To form a lineout, players from each team line up in parallel lines, at least 1m apart and at least 5m from the sideline; a player (usually, but not necessarily, the hooker) from the team that was awarded the lineout throws the ball down the gap between the two lines of players, who can jump or be lifted in an attempt to secure possession of the ball. Lineouts are one of the chief differences between the two rugby codes, as they do not occur in rugby league.

Games are divided into 40-minute halves, with a break in the middle. The sides exchange ends of the field after the half-time break. Stoppages for injury or to allow the referee to take disciplinary action, do not count as part of the playing time, so that the elapsed time is usually longer than 80 minutes. Unlike in many other sports, there are no "time outs". The referee is responsible for keeping time, even when—as in many professional tournaments—he is assisted by an official time-keeper. If time expires while the ball is in play, the game continues until the ball is 'dead', and only then will the referee blow the whistle to signal half-time or full-time; but if the referee awards a penalty or free-kick, the game continues.

Tries are scored between the goal line and the dead ball line. The goal line is treated as part of the in-goal area and a try can be scored if the ball is grounded with any part of it touching the goal line. The dead ball line is out of play, and a ball that touches or crosses the dead ball line, or that is held by a player who touches or crosses the dead ball line, is out of play.

Rugby goalposts are H-shaped, and consist of two poles, 5.6m apart, connected by a horizontal crossbar 3m above the ground. Unlike some other sports there are no goalkeepers, and the section underneath the crossbar has no special meaning. The original pitch dimensions were in imperial units, but have since been converted to the metric system.

There are three match officials: a referee, and two assistant referees. The latter, formerly known as touch judges, had the primary function of indicating when the ball had gone "into touch"; their role has been expanded and they are now expected to assist the referee in a number of areas, such as watching for foul play and checking off-side lines. In addition, for matches in high level competitions, there is often a television match official (TMO; popularly called the "video referee"), to assist with certain decisions, linked up to the referee by radio. The referees have a system of hand signals to indicate their decisions.

Common offences include tackling above the shoulders, collapsing a scrum, ruck or maul, not releasing the ball when on the ground, or being off-side. The non-offending team has a number of options when awarded a penalty: a "tap" kick, when the ball is kicked a very short distance from hand, allowing the kicker to regather the ball and run with it; a punt, when the ball is kicked a long distance from hand, for field position; a place-kick, when the kicker will attempt to score a goal; or a scrum. Players may be sent off (signalled by a red card) or temporarily suspended ("sin-binned") for ten minutes (yellow card) for foul play or repeated infringements, and may not be replaced.

Equipment

of the Western Australian team, Western Force) wearing a scrum cap]]

The most basic items of equipment for a game of rugby union are the ball itself, a rugby shirt (also known as a "jersey"), rugby shorts, socks, and boots, which have soles with studs to allow grip on the turf of the pitch. The studs may be either metal or plastic but must not have any sharp edges or ridges.

Protective equipment is optional and strictly regulated. The most common items are mouthguards, which are worn by almost all players, and are compulsory in some rugby-playing nations. Other protective items that are permitted include a scrum cap; thin (not more than 10 mm thick), non-rigid shoulder pads, and shin guards; which are worn underneath socks. Bandages or tape can be worn to support or protect injuries; some players wear tape around the head to protect the ears in scrums and rucks. Female players may also wear chest pads.

Fingerless gloves (grip gloves) are sometimes worn to improve players' grip on the ball.

It is the responsibility of the match officials to check players' clothing and equipment before a game to ensure that it conforms to the laws of the game.

Governing bodies

The international governing body of rugby union (and associated games such as sevens) is the International Rugby Board (IRB). The IRB headquarters are located in Dublin, Ireland.

Six continental associations, which are members of the IRB form the next level of administration; these are:

Confederation of African Rugby (CAR)

Asian Rugby Football Union (ARFU)

North American and Caribbean Rugby Association (NACRA)

Fédération Internationale de Rugby Amateur – Association Européenne de Rugby (FIRA-AER)

Federation of Oceania Rugby Unions (FORU)

Confederación Sudamericana de Rugby (South American Rugby Confederation) (CONSUR)

SANZAR (South Africa, New Zealand and Australia Rugby) is a joint venture of the South African Rugby Union, the New Zealand Rugby Union and the Australian Rugby Union, which operates the Super Rugby and Tri Nations competitions.

National unions oversee rugby union within individual countries. These are affiliated both to the IRB and with their respective regional association.

Global reach

Rugby 2007 Finals]] , Wales]]

Rugby union has established itself as a popular sport for both spectators and participants, particularly in Australia, Argentina, Cook Islands, England, Fiji, France, Georgia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Madagascar, New Zealand, Niue, Namibia, Romania, Samoa, Scotland, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Tonga, and Wales.

Other places with lasting traditions in rugby football, as a minority sport in most cases, include Andorra, Barbados, Belgium, Bermuda, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Kenya, Malaysia, Moldova, Morocco, The Netherlands, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Tunisia, Uganda, Ukraine, Uruguay, the United States, Venezuela, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

In April 2010 Lithuania broke the record of consecutive international wins previously held by New Zealand and South Africa,which was 17 consecutive wins against tier 1 nations, with their 18th win in tier 2 in a match against Serbia.

The United States are the most recent Olympic gold medalists; an American team stacked with American football players won the event at the Paris Olympics in 1924, which was the last year rugby union was played at the games. Large numbers of players are active in North America, and the USA regularly qualify for World Cups, while Canada has participated at every World Cup.

Japan, also a country with many registered players, will host the 2019 World Cup. It will be the first country outside of traditional playing areas to host the event, and is viewed by the IRB as an opportunity for rugby union to extend its reach,

The International Rugby Board (IRB), founded in 1886, governs the sport worldwide and also publishes the game's laws and rankings. There are currently 95 full members and eight associate member countries. According to IRB figures, rugby union is played in over 100 countries spanning six continents by men and women of all ages. The IRB controls the Rugby World Cup, the Women's Rugby World Cup, Rugby World Cup Sevens, IRB Sevens World Series, Junior World Championship, Junior World Trophy, Nations Cup and the Pacific Nations Cup. It holds votes to decide where all of these events shall be held, except in the case of the Sevens World Series. For that competition, the IRB contracts with several national unions to hold individual events.

Women's rugby union

Records of women's rugby football go back to the late 19th century, with the first documented source being Emily Valentine's writings, stating that she set up a rugby team in Portora Royal School in Enniskillen, Ireland in 1887. Although there are reports of early women's matches in New Zealand and France, one of the first notable games to prove primary evidence was the 1917 war-time encounter between Cardiff Ladies and Newport Ladies; a photo of which shows the Cardiff team before the match at the Cardiff Arms Park. In the past 30 years the game has grown in popularity among female athletes, and, according to England's RFU, is now played in over 80 countries.

The English Rugby Football Union for Women (RFUW) was founded in 1983, and is the oldest formally organised national governing body for women's rugby.

The Tri Nations is an annual international series held between the southern hemisphere teams of , and . These teams have dominated world rankings in recent years and some consider the Tri Nations to be the toughest competition in international rugby. The Tri Nations was initially played on a home and away basis with the three nations playing each other twice. In 2006 a new system was introduced where each nation plays the others three times, though in 2007 the teams played each other only twice, as it was a World Cup year.

Especially since 's strong performances in the 2007 World Cup, a number of commentators believed they should join the Tri-Nations. This was first seriously proposed for the 2008 tournament, then for 2010, but came much closer to reality after the 2009 Tri Nations tournament, when SANZAR (South Africa, New Zealand and Australian Rugby) extended an official invitation to the Unión Argentina de Rugby (UAR) to join an expanded Four Nations tournament in 2012. This move has generally been met with great approval from all parties involved. The invitation is subject to certain conditions, like the guaranteed availability of Argentina's top players, most of whom play professional club rugby in Europe at present.

Amidst all the international competitions there are also various Test matches and series, often as part of tours by national teams, which generally take place from September to December and from June to August.

Olympic rugby union

Rugby union was played at the Olympic Games in 1900, 1908, 1920 and 1924. As per Olympic rules, the nations of Scotland, Wales and England were not allowed to play separately as they are not sovereign states. In 1900, France won the gold, beating Great Britain 27 points to 8 and defeating Germany 27 points to 17. In 1908, Australasia defeated Great Britain, claiming the gold medal, the score being 32 points to three. In 1920, the U.S. upset France, featuring many players new to the sport of rugby, caused a shock by winning the only match eight points to zero, all points being scored in the second half. In 1924, the U.S. defeated France 17 to 3, becoming the only team to win gold twice in the sport.

Rugby in the 1924 Olympic Games was the first Olympic Games that featured film highlights of the rugby matches. Some consider the US victory over France as one of the biggest upsets in sports history. Vintage footage from the gold medal match can be found in the documentary A Giant Awakens: the Rise of American Rugby">A Giant Awakens: the Rise of American Rugby.

Rugby sevens has been played at the Commonwealth Games since 1998 and on 9 October 2009, the International Olympic Committee voted with a majority of 81 to 8 that rugby union be reinstated as an Olympic sport in at least the 2016 and 2020 games, but in the sevens, 4-day tournament format. This is something the rugby world has aspired to for a long time and Bernard Lapasset, president of the International Rugby Board, said the Olympic gold medal would be considered to be "the pinnacle of our sport" (Rugby Sevens).

Women's international rugby

Women's international rugby union began in 1982, with a match between France and Netherlands played in Utrecht. Over six hundred women's internationals have been played by over forty different nations.

The first Women's Rugby World Cup was held in Wales in 1991, and was won by the United States. The second tournament took place in 1994, and since that date the competition has been held every four years. The New Zealand Women's team have won the last four World Cups (1998, 2002, 2006, 2010).

As well as the Women's Rugby World Cup there are also other regular tournaments, including a Six Nations, run in parallel to the men's competition.

Variants

Besides the full-contact, 15-a-side code, other variants exist:

Rugby sevens (7's, or VIIs), is a fast-paced variant which originated in Melrose, Scotland in 1883. In rugby sevens, there are only 7 players per side, and each half is normally 7 minutes. Major tournaments include the Hong Kong Sevens and Dubai Sevens, both held in areas not normally associated with the highest levels of the 15-a-side game.

Touch rugby, in which "tackles" are made by simply touching the ball carrier with two hands.

Tag Rugby, in which the participants wear a belt with two Velcro tags, the removal of either counting as a 'tackle'.

Mini rugby, also known as "New Image Rugby", which originated in England, is a variety mainly used to coach children. Rugby tens (10's or Xs), a Malaysian variant with ten players per side. American Flag Rugby, (AFR), like mini rugby, is a mixed gender, non-contact imitation of Rugby Union designed for American children entering grades K-9.

Other less formal variants include beach rugby, snow rugby, and street rugby.

Influence on other sports

between the University of Michigan and the University of Minnesota (1902). Earlier forms of the game had a more obvious kinship with their rugby equivalents.]]

Rugby union football, and its immediate ancestor rugby football, has had a strong influence on several other sports.

The Gridiron codes, American football and Canadian football, are derived from early forms of rugby. Confusingly, in Canada, Canadian football has also frequently been referred to as "rugby football", Tom Wills, the founding father of Australian Rules, also attended Rugby School.

Swedish football was a code whose rules were a mix of the association football rules and the rugby football rules. Some played the game with a round ball, while others played with an oval ball. It is no longer played.

Rugby lends its name to wheelchair rugby (also known as "quad rugby" or "murderball"), but the sport is more strongly influenced by wheelchair basketball, ice hockey and handball than rugby union. Likewise, the sport of underwater rugby, is related to rugby in little more than name.

See also

International Rugby Hall of Fame

IRB Hall of Fame

List of international rugby union teams

List of oldest rugby union competitions

List of rugby union terms

Experimental law variations

Rugby union positions

Rugby union equipment

Comparison of rugby league and rugby union

References

Printed sources

Griffiths, John (1987). The Phoenix Book of International Rugby Records. London: Phoenix House. p. 5:3. ISBN 0460070037.

Electronic sources

"Rugby Football," in Microsoft(R) Encarta(R) 97 Encyclopedia (CD-ROM) 1993–1996 Microsoft Corporation. (Reviewed by USA Rugby)

Rugby15.co.uk RFU Laws

Scrum.com Rugby guide

External links

International Rugby Board - official site of the sport's governing body

Rugby Data - rugby union statistics

Planet Rugby - news, fixtures, match reports, etc

Scrum.com - news, match reports, comprehensive statistics database

* Category:Ball games Category:Former Olympic sports Category:Sports originating in England Category:Team sports Category:Football codes

Lewis Walton Moody MBE (born 12 June 1978 in Ascot) is an English international rugby union rugby player who currently plays for Bath Rugby and was part of the 2003 World Cup winning side. He is renowned for his commitment to the physical aspects of the game.

Background

When he was five he took up mini rugby at Bracknell, when a school friend suggested he join him. He played at bracknell until 12 years old. He was educated at Eagle House Prep School, then Oakham School in Rutland, where he initially played rugby union at centre before moving to full back. He later studied Business Administration at De Montfort University.

Moody is known for the enthusiasm with which he plays the game, his willingness to chase down opponents and his ability to compete for possession at restarts. However, he has been criticised for a tendency to give away reckless penalties at the breakdown, which has been attributed by his supporters to his being played out of position at openside rather than blindside flanker. However, historically, the blindside flanker should be of a larger physique than the openside, and invariably the other flanker on the field is larger than Moody.

Club career

In the Leicester Tigers youth team, he played flanker. He became the youngest Leicester Tigers' player to play a league game at 18 years and 94 days, a record now surpassed by Ben Youngs. He soon became established as Neil Back's understudy for the openside flanker shirt. Making the Tigers starting XV was difficult however, as internationals Neil Back and Martin Corry took two of the three starting positions, with Paul Gustard and Will Johnson (younger brother of Martin) fighting for the remaining place.

He played in both of Tigers’ European Cup wins in 2001 and 2002 and was a member of the Tigers side in the four seasons between 1998–2002. The arrival of New Zealand international openside Josh Kronfeld at Leicester in 2001, threatened to relegate Moody to third choice openside. However, Kronfeld failed to settle at the club and despite offers from Harlequins and Bath, Moody decided to stay. After the World Cup success in 2003, he suffered a stress fracture of his foot which took a long time to heal and kept him out of the remaining 2003–4 season. Moody made a return in October 2004, in the Heineken European Cup match against Calvisano.

He was injured for much of the 2008–2009 season, which was his Testimonial season for the club, but returned to play in the 73–3 win over Bristol, and featured in both the Heineken Cup final and the Guinness Premiership win. Moody stayed fit for the entire 2009–2010 season, and even captained the side in the home fixture against Sale. The Tigers won the 2009–10 Guinness Premiership, beating Saracens 33–27 at Twickenham.

In the 2010–2011 season, he will join Bath Rugby on a three year deal along with Sam Vesty.

International career

He scored two tries for England Colts against Wales in April 1997, and was also a member of the side that won the Madrid Sevens at the end of that season. Moody made his England debut against Canada on 2 June 2001, when the established internationals Neil Back and Richard Hill were touring Australia with the British and Irish Lions. He won a further two caps on the North American tour and scored a try against the US Eagles in San Francisco. He was then called up to the senior squad for the match against Ireland in Dublin in October 2001 and came on to win cap number four.

Continued impressive form saw him challenge his teammate, Neil Back, for the coveted England No.7 shirt, starting in two Six Nations games the following season. Moody displaced Lawrence Dallaglio from the first choice England XV for the 2002/3 autumn internationals scoring a try in the game against New Zealand, but was injured against South Africa and Dallaglio regained his place. He returned to fitness and again featured in Clive Woodward's plans, but a further injury in the first Six Nations match against France threatened to curtail the rest of his season.

He was not considered for the summer tour due to that injury, but recovered well enough to play in the pre-world cup friendlies against France and Wales in the summer, scoring a try in the game at the Millennium Stadium.

He played a part in all seven World Cup matches and came on as a replacement in the final to replace Hill. He won the final line-out in the phase of play which led to Jonny Wilkinson’s winning drop goal. He missed the remaining 2003–4 season due to a foot injury. With the retirement of Dallaglio and Back, and Hill out injured, he started all three of England's autumn internationals. Moody remained an England mainstay into 2005. That year he became the first English player to be sent off at Twickenham, when he was dismissed for fighting during the autumn international with Leicester team-mate Alex Tuilagi.

Having missed the 2007 Six Nations Championship through injury, Moody was selected as part of the England squad for the 2007 World Cup in France. Having been named to start a warm up match against France Moody suffered a further injury and consequently was left out of the starting line up for England's first three games of the campaign. Following a disappointing start to the tournament Moody was called into the starting line up for the final pool match against Tonga, where he was lauded for England's much improved competition at the breakdown.

Moody kept his place in the starting line up for the quarter final against Australia where he 'outshone his illustrious opposite number' George Smith. Moody again started the semi final against France, and lined up against South Africa in the World Cup final on October 20, which England narrowly lost to the southern hemisphere side.

He was picked for the 2008 Six Nations Championship and started in the first game against Wales but was substituted in the first half because of an Achilles tendon injury. He returned to play against the Barbarians in June 2009, but was subsequently dropped from the squad, and appeared in the England Saxons EPS for the 2009–10 Season. Club form and injuries to other opensides such as Tom Rees saw him regain his England starting position for the Autumn Internationals against Australia, Argentina, and New Zealand. He continued this form into the 2010 Six Nations Championship.

Moody captained England in their final 2010 Six Nations Championship match against France in Paris, replacing regular captain Steve Borthwick, who had to pull out due to injury. He was also named England Captain for the 2010 summer tour to Australia.

Personal life

Moody married Annie (an interior designer) in June 2006. The couple live in Leicestershire and have a property development company. He enjoys extreme sports—although he suffers from vertigo—and his current hobbies include wakeboarding, travelling and Golf. Their first child, a boy named Dylan was born in March 2008. Moody is also a Patron of The Social Entrepreneurs Project an initiative of AIDS Orphan charity HOPEHIV. The project, which was the brainchild of Nik Pears, introduces entrepreneurial skills and social awareness to the UK classroom. Given 'seed capital', pupils come up with creative business ideas, then develop commercial skills as they make it happen. All profits are donated to HOPEHIV, so pupils learn what it means to make a real difference. Moody also has a strong affiliation with the Rainbow Trust children’s Charity and Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital.

References

External links

England profile

Tigers profile

Lewis Moody photo 1 by sportingheroes.net

Lewis Moody photo 2 by sportingheroes.net

Category:1978 births Category:Living people Category:English rugby union players Category:Old Oakhamians Category:Rugby union flankers Category:Members of the Order of the British Empire Category:Leicester Tigers players Category:People from Ascot Category:Alumni of De Montfort University Category:England international rugby union players

Name	George Hook
Caption	George Hook on the cover of his autobiography
Birth date	May 19, 1941
Birth place	Cork
Nationality	Irish
Other names	The Alpha Male
Education	Rathmines College of Commerce
Employer	Denis O'Brien
Occupation	Journalist and Radio Broadcaster
Spouse	Ingrid Hook
Children	Alison, George junior and Michelle
Website	www.georgehook.com

George Hook (born 19 May 1941) is an Irish broadcaster, journalist and rugby union pundit. He had a career as a rugby union coach and businessman, before becoming a rugby pundit with Irish television station RTÉ. He hosts The Right Hook on the Irish nationwide radio station Newstalk and appeared as a coach on RTÉ's reality TV show, Celebrity Bainisteoir.

Life

Hook grew up in Cork and attended Presentation Brothers College, a fee-paying school and rugby union stronghold. Subsequently he attended Rathmines College of Commerce.

Hook has had a number of jobs, beginning as a temporary clerk for CIÉ, and later becoming a travelling salesman for the Burroughs Corporation (now Unisys). He also ran a catering business for over twenty years. He coached London Irish, Connacht, and St. Benildus College, as well as the American National Team in the 1987 Rugby World Cup.

Hook's radio show on Newstalk 106 'The Right Hook' is a popular evening drive-time programme. Hook appears as a rugby pundit on RTÉ on a regular basis and appeared as a judge on RTE celebrity dancing show 'Jigs & Reels'. He has also been parodied in The State of Us.

In 2005, he published an autobiography, "Time Added On".

In 2009, he visited the impoverished Caribbean island nation of Haiti where he was moved to tears by the plight of the poor people who lived there so much that he organised a recruitment drive to get volunteers to go there on a house building week. The next day a vicious earthquake struck Haiti. After the earthquake Hook was heard to say: "It is a godforsaken place. God has literally forsaken it." Following the January 2010 earthquake. Hook urged his radio listeners to donate money.

Hook is also the patron of 'Comber - for a future without orphanages' an Irish charity working in Romania since 1990, of which his daughter Michelle McGill, is on the board of directors. The charity provides homes in the community for adults with disabilities who grew up in institutions and orphanages

Bibliography

Hook, George Time Added On, Penguin Ireland, 2005, ISBN 1-84488-076-1

Quotes

George has made some notable quotes as part of his rugby union punditry on RTÉ:

2009 Six Nations:

"My predictions for this match [Ireland vs France] make Gethsemane look like Butlins."

"If this was the Italian Premier league there would be an investigation in the refereeing."

"If they say 'We knew Italy would be hard to beat', I'll vomit on my Jaffa Cakes."

"France haven't been beaten like that since Hitler marched down the Champs-Élysées."

2008 Six Nations:

"Eddie O'Sullivan is the Edith Piaf of Rugby."

"If Eddie O'Sullivan had retreated to the Führerbunker, World War 2 would still be going on."

Notes

See also

Newstalk

The Right Hook

External links

George Hook's official website

Newstalk website

George Hook's Blog

Village (magazine)">Profile in Dublin-based magazine Village (magazine)

George Hook's Twitter page

George Hook's Lions Video Blog

Category:1941 births Category:Living people Category:Irish journalists Category:Irish radio personalities Category:Irish television personalities Category:People from County Cork Category:Irish rugby union coaches Category:Irish sports broadcasters