Rugby Union
SUMMARY
Rugby union, or simply rugby, is a close-contact team sport that dates back to the first half of the nineteenth century in England. It is one of two rugby football codes that is based on sprinting with the ball in hand. In its most basic form, a game is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular surface called a pitch with an oval-shaped ball. Both ends of the field have H-shaped goalposts.
Rugby union is a popular sport practiced by men and women of all ages all over the world. In 2014, more than 6 million people played around the world, with 2.36 million of them being registered players. Since 1886, World Rugby, formerly known as the International Rugby Football Board (IRFB) and the International Rugby Board (IRB), has served as the regulatory organization of rugby union, with 101 full members and 18 associate members.
The first laws were drafted by pupils at Rugby School in 1845, and other major events in the early evolution of rugby include Blackheath F.C.’s decision to leave the Football Association in 1863 and the split between rugby union and rugby league in 1895. Rugby union was once considered an amateur sport, but in 1995, official limits on player salaries were lifted, allowing the game to become openly professional at the top level for the first time.
Rugby union spread beyond the United Kingdom and Ireland, with Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and France among the first to take up the sport. The sport is predominantly popular in the British Isles, France, Georgia, Oceania, Southern Africa, Argentina, and to a lesser extent, Italy, Uruguay, the United States, Canada, and Japan, with growth spurred by British Empire expansion and French supporters (Rugby Europe). Fiji, Georgia, Madagascar, New Zealand, Samoa, Tonga, and Wales are among the countries that have embraced rugby union as their de facto national sport.
History of RUGBY UNION
Rugby football originated as a variation of the game played at Rugby School, which was then spread to universities by former students.
Albert Pell, a former Rugby School student, is credited with forming the first “football” team while at Cambridge University.
During this time, major elite schools used a variety of rules, with former pupils from Rugby and Eton striving to bring their favored rules to their universities. The establishment of a codified set of rules at Rugby School in 1845, followed by the Cambridge Rules in 1848, was a major event in the early development of rugby football. The Football Association (FA), which was founded in 1863, began codifying a set of global football regulations. These new regulations specifically prohibited players from rushing with the ball in their hands and prohibited hacking (kicking players in the shins), both of which were permissible and prevalent tactics under the Rugby School’s rules. The Blackheath Club, in protest of the new rules, departed the FA, followed by a number of other clubs who supported the “Rugby Rules.”
In 1895, there was a major schism in English rugby, with numerous teams from Northern England resigning from the RFU on the issue of reimbursing players for time away from work. The split exposed the sport’s social and socioeconomic divides in England. Despite the fact that the game’s regulations were not a factor in the separation, the breakaway clubs later approved significant rule revisions, which established the distinct “rugby league” code. The RFU’s code was renamed “rugby union” to distinguish it from rugby league, but in most parts of the world, both variants of the sport are simply referred to as “rugby.”
Rules of RUGBY UNION
- The game is divided into two 40-minute halves, with a 10-minute break between them. There will be no stoppage time in this game, and it will end exactly at 80 minutes.
- Each side can start with up to 7 substitutions and 15 players. Only players who have left the field and have been treated for an injury are permitted to return.
- A minimum of a 10 meter dead ball area is required on a field that is approximately 100 meters long and 70 meters broad. The H-shaped goal must be 6 meters wide with no height limits.
- The half-way line, 5 meter line, 22 meter line, 10 meter line, and dead ball line are all marked on the field. A central area is also included for restarting the game if a try, penalty, or drop goal is scored.
- One referee and two touch judges are required for the game. The referee’s responsibility is to manage time, make decisions during the game, and maintain order on the field. The two touch judges can help the referee make decisions and can also alert him when players are in contact (out of playing boundaries).
- If a player is fouled, the ball falls out of play, or a try or drop goal is scored, the game will come to a halt.
- A player must be tackled by the defending team by grabbing a grasp and bringing them to the ground. A tackle can’t be made higher than shoulder height, or the referee will call a foul.
- A line out is called when the ball comes into contact with the ground. A line out can have up to 7 people, and any of these players can be hoisted to catch the ball being thrown in. The ball can be won by either team.
- When a player kicks the ball over the top section of the goal, it is considered a successful conversion, penalty, or kick at goal. The ball remains in play until it passes one of the playing fields’ limits if a player fails.
- Attacking players must stay behind the ball at all times if they want to avoid being called offside. Players who are not interfering with play may be in front of the ball, but they must return to their original position behind the ball before interfering with play again.