The Gentleman’s Guide to Rugby Union Part I
To most Americans, the game of rugby is “just football without pads” or “the one with the sticks, right?” (Wrong). Most people don’t take the time to understand the game because they are almost never exposed to it. With both Men’s and Women’s Rugby being one of the fastest growing sports in America, it is worth, at the very least, to understand it at an elementary level. Rugby is actually a relatively straightforward game, if the time is taken to understand it, and it is incredibly enjoyable if you’re willing to take the time to actually learn how to play.
We’ll start out with a few key terms so that you understand what I’m talking about when reading through this article.
Key Positions:
Scrumhalf - Position similar to the quarterback in American Football retrieves the ball from contested possession and distributes it to the other players.
Back Line – Consists of around 5 players, mostly on the wider side of the field. Their main goal is to run and pass in the open in an attempt to move down the field and eventually score
Forward – The largest players on the team, their main role is to support the players that are moving the ball down the field by forming rucks over them after tackles are made.
Flankers/8 Man – Collectively these three players are called loose forwards. They are moderately sized and are among the best athletes on any rugby team. They are skilled runners, defenders and supporters and are expected to be able to fill whatever role that is needed.
Key Terms:
Pitch – The field on which rugby is played.
Ruck – After a tackle is made, the team with possession forms a protective barrier over and in front of the ball to allow the scrumhalf to retrieve it; the opposing team will usually form a counter-ruck in an attempt to win possession of the ball for themselves.
Lineout- When the ball or enters into touch (leaves the field), it is often contested through a lineout play, which consists of one or more jumpers from both being lifted to catch a ball thrown into play from another player.
Scrum – The opposing teams lock together as a single mass and push against each other in an attempt to secure possession of the ball with their feet. This starts the next play.
Try – Points are scored when the ball makes contact with the ground after crossing the try-line. Worth 5 Points. Allows the scoring team to attempt a conversion goal worth 2 points.
Basic Play Style:
There are 15 players per side, per match filling various positions. Their main goal is to move down the field and attempt to score points, either by downing the ball across the try line or scoring a drop goal. To avoid getting tackled, players are permitted to pass backwards to allow their teammates to continue making progress down the field. Whichever team scores more points within the 80 minute time period is declared the winner of the match.
A Brief History
The game of rugby was first played at a private school known as the “Rugby School” in England, which eventually became the sport’s namesake. Rugby descended from a sport known simply as “Football” – just as Soccer, American Football, and Australian Football did. The origin of rugby is shrouded in legend, it is said that the football at the Rugby School took a dramatic turn when the mythical William Webb-Ellis first picked up the ball and ran with it in late 1823. His classmates at first detested the idea but soon came around to William’s new take on the classic game. They continued to play this game, and soon began playing against other schools with various rules. The game continued to develop into something resembling the modern game in the 1830’s and 40’s. The first officially codified set of rules was laid down in 1845, and the first manifestation of the modern Rugby Football Union was founded in 1871 after Blackheath left a local football league and found the RFU.
The game continued to slowly develop, outlawing practices like hacking (kicking/tripping to make tackles) and massive 20 or more man scrums. In addition to safety for players and excitement for fans, the game began to develop in new, more graceful ways; new play styles began to emerge, utilizing the back line to a greater degree instead of relying almost entirely on the forwards, backwards passing and running eventually overtook rushing directly forward for progress toward the try line.
The Union reached a boiling point in 1895 over the payment of players, a schism occurred which resulted in two separate leagues that still exist today. “Rugby League” players from Northern England and Scotland wished to compensate working class players for time missed from work, while the Union in the South thought it wise to continue a strict amateur status. Time passed, and Rugby Union slowly became the dominant faction in all but a few places. The sport spread around the world along with British sailors, notably to South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand who are incredibly competitive in international play to this day.
Rugby has been played in America since the late 19th century, being played on both the East and West coasts at colleges including Princeton, Harvard, Stanford, and California. The United States was extremely competitive in the early 20th century, winning gold medals in the sport in both 1920 and 1924. After the victory in 1924, Rugby was quickly out muscled by the newly founded National Football league which had much more leverage, and draw, being a professional organization. Rugby rebounded and has been slowly growing across the nation since the 1960’s and 70’s. It is organized at the club level and governed by USA Rugby, which also sponsors the US National team – The Eagles.
The future of rugby is a promising one, it is appealing due to its atmosphere and team spirit that is unique in the sports world – it is not uncommon to drink with your opponent following a hard fought match. The club atmosphere limits the rivalry attitude and instead, we are all players of a game we love. It is not frowned upon to play for a team other than your own, either for the love of the game, or to improve yourself as a player.
This is the game that I have grown to love, and I look forward to telling you more about it in Part II, which will focus more on the on-field aspects of the game.
Sources:
A Game for Hooligans by Huw Richards (2007)
My own experiences as a player
