- Rugby
is actually a very simple game to play. It is divided into two, 40 minute
halves. Each half starts with a kickoff, where the ball is placed in
the middle of the field and one team kicks to the other.
- The game
starts after the kickoff. The receiving team catches the ball and attempts
to run toward the opponent?s goal line.
- It's
been said that rugby is a contact, not a collision sport. In rugby the
players are ONLY permitted to tackle the player carrying the ball. Blocking
or tripping of players not carrying the ball is illegal. The opposing
team attempts to stop the ball carrier by "tackling" him,
which in rugby means grabbing him below the shoulders to bring him to
the ground. Ruggers do not wear helmets or shoulder pads and they know
this, so they ordinarily tackle for the sole purpose of taking the ball
carrier down, not to see how hard they can hit him.
- If a
player carrying the ball falls to the ground, he must let go of the
ball. Usually he will place it on his team's side of the field, making
it easier for his team's forwards to get it. There is a race to pick
up the ball again, and run to the opponent?s goal line to score.
- The rugger's
uniform consists of very little protective clothing--the only pads allowed
are shin guards worn inside the socks, and even that is looked down
upon. The only headgear most players wear is tape on their ears, which
many forwards whose heads are locked into the scrum do with black electrical
tape to prevent cauliflower ears.
- Unlike
football, play in rugby is relatively continuous, making for an exciting
and fast-moving game. Stoppages occur only when a player is injured,
when points are scored, if the ball goes out of bounds, or when there
is a restart of play resulting from a rules violation. Time is kept
by the officials on the field. As in soccer, these officials are the
only ones who know for certain how much time remains. Time-outs for
injuries are added to the total time by the officials--also much in
the same way as soccer.
- The ball
may not be passed forward (though it may be kicked forward) and players
may not receive the ball in an offside position, nor may they wait in
such a position. Players may not be tackled without the ball. Play only
stops when a try is scored, or the ball goes out of play, or an infringement
occurs. When the ball goes out it is thrown back in at a line-out where
the opposing "forwards" line up and jump for the ball. Infringements
result in a penalty, or free kick, or scrum. In a scrum the opposing
forwards bind together in a unit and push against the other forwards,
trying to win the ball with their feet.
- When the
ball goes out of bounds on the sideline ("touch line"), a
"line-out" is formed. The players line up parallel to one
another, one meter apart. The ball must then be thrown back into play
by a player from the team which last had possession. It is thrown straight
down the middle, between the two forward packs, which have lined up
opposite each other with one meter between them as noted above. When
the ball is thrown in, both teams jump and try to recover the ball,
and play then continues. A player on each side is frequently lifted
up by his teammates to get higher in the air to try to take the ball
away from the opponents.
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