The game- rugby was discovered in 1823 when William Webb Ellis, while playing a football game, he held the ball with his hands and ran forward with the ball towards the opposition’s goal. The feat was unprecedented in football and marked the beginning of present-day rugby football with its diversified rugby rules.
The ball’s shape is kind of prelate-spheroid or oval. It can be kicked in any direction or passed from one player to the next only by throwing it backwards to his team-mate who repeats the same. It is exclusively played on the open outdoor grass fields. Depending on the type or the nature of the game, players are comprised of 7, 13, or 15 on each sides of the team. The physical nature of the game requires the players to be strong and mentally fit.
• Basic rugby rules
Rugby has 2 halves, each 40 minutes long. There is a 10 minute halftime break. Each team has 15 starting players and 7 substitutes. The players are split into two different groups, Forwards, and Backs. Rugby is played on a grassy pitch 70 meters wide 100 meters long.
Forwards
There are 2 props at the front of the scrum, one on either side of the hooker whose job it is to hook the ball from the scrum. Behind them are 2 Second rows otherwise known as locks, Locks are usually tall and are used to win the ball from line-outs. Either side of the locks are flankers, they make sure the ball doesn’t come outside of the scrum. The final forward is the No. 8, who can either pick up the ball and run during a scrum or hook it back to the scrum half.
Backs
The scrum half has one of the most important jobs in the team because they pass the ball from rooks, scrums and mauls or they tackle the other scrum half to stop him passing it to the fly half. The fly half is mostly used for the kick offs at the start or for drop goals. They even pass it to the centers. The centers take on people and try scoring opportunities. The winger’s job is to score the tries and use their pace to get past people. The fullback is the last man when the opponents are attacking and have a mixture of pace and strength.
There are 5 different to score points:
1) A try- this is achieved only when a player puts off the ball on the ground in the opponent’s goal area, which is considered to be the toughest task which is awarded with 5 points.
2) A Penalty Try-A player can attempt a penalty only when the opponent players stop him by violating the rules.
3) A Conversion Goal- it is taken immediately after each try is scored and is worth 2 points.
4) Penalty kick- a team gets a penalty when the opposite team seems violate the game rules, which is worth 3 points.
5) Drop Goal- the player performs a drop kick ensuring the ball to pass through posts is referred as drop goal.
Today Rugby has become a world-widely recognized sport and still continues to lure global media’s attention with an ever increasing fan-base.