Not Just a Battle

History

It is virtually impossible today to trace exactly where rugby began. A game similar to rugby was long played inEnglandwhere the first official rules were made in 1871. Today, rugby is played all over the world and is popular in England, France, and Italy. In the United States, it is played in much the same way as American football. However, the best team in the world is probably the New Zealand All Blacks, famous for their pre-game dance, the haka.

Pitches

The distance from one goal line to the other on a rugby pitch is usually 100 metersand the width of the pitch is 70 meters. At the end of each pitch there is an H-shaped goal with a 3 meter high crossbar. In addition, the pitches are marked with lines 10 meters and 22 meters from the center; the 22 meter line marks the penalty area and the 10 meter line marks the start of play.

Players and play

A typical rugby team starts with 15 players and 7-8 sub players. Matches are officiated by a referee and two assistants, and unlike football, video refereeing is allowed in rugby. The game is played twice for 40 minutes, during which the objective is to get the ball over the opponent\’s goal line as much as possible. This can be accomplished by lay-fives, i.e., players running/running the ball over the line, or by the ball crossing the top half of the goal. A lay-in of the ball is worthfivepoints, and in addition the player who successfully lays-in is entitled to a free kick to goal, which is worthtwopoints. If the ball goes over the hook during play, it is worth3 points. The most important rule in this game is to play only sideways or backward and players must never throw the ball to the player in front of them. The ball may be carried or thrown, but kicking is permitted.

Is rugby really cruel? 39]In rugby, as in related American football, players are allowed to turn back, but only if the player being turned back has the ball. 40]Folding a player who does not have the ball is an infraction,
and a player may be tackled for a foul if the tackler is not in possession of the ball. Furthermore, tackling is only allowed from the shoulder down, and kicking, underthrowing, and throwing on the ground are prohibited. Yellow and red cards are issued for violations of the rules, with a yellow for minor infractions and a red card for particularly flagrant or repeated infractions. Rugby has a reputation for being a cruel sport, and this is due to the pushing and shoving that accompanies kickoffs, the so-called mills. Fouls, on the other hand, are not as vicious or dangerous as in soccer or field hockey, quite the opposite.