Rugby union

Caption	South African Victor Matfield takes a lineout against New Zealand in 2006.
Union	International Rugby Board
Nickname	Rugger, Rugby
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, and 2016 (planned and approved).

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.

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 (the story did not appear until three years after Ellis's death, and records show rugby's inception precedes that of football), it was immortalised at the school with a plaque unveiled in 1895. In 1848, the first laws 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 anecdotal, 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. 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 – the one which scores more points wins the game. Points can be scored in several ways: a try, scored by grounding the ball in the in-goal area, is worth 5 points and a subsequent conversion kick scores 2 points; a successful penalty kick or a drop goal each score 3 points. The values of each of these scoring methods have been changed over the years.

Each team starts the match with 15 players on the field. During the match, players may be replaced (for injury) or substituted (for tactical reasons). 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.

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. 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. To accommodate Argentina's entry, the IRB changed its Regulation 9, which governs the release of players for international duty, in early 2011. Since Argentina was not in a major hemispheric competition, the country's internationals only had to be released for the June and November Tests. The change introduced a new release period, from late August to early October, for all four major Southern Hemisphere powers. SANZAR chief Greg Peters noted at the time that this change would make Argentine internationals less attractive to Northern Hemisphere clubs.

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

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