Play Rugby

Rugby is a complicated, intense game, which consists of 15 players on each team on a field of 100 meters long and 70 meters wide. The basic rules are not so difficult that you need a lifetime to learn them, however you still need a couple of hours game-time to be able to understand the structure and game-play of Rugby.

The concept of a game of Rugby is simple: two teams try and gain the most points in 80 minutes by trying to score points in the other team's half. The ball can never be passed forward only backwards or perpendicular, a team can only advance by passing or kicking the ball. Any team can win the ball at any time, this is usually done by the forward pack which consists of 8 players, You also have a Back-line which consists of 7 Players.

The forward pack is made up by Two Props(1 and 3), one Hooker(2), Two Locks(4-5) and Three Loose forwards(6,7,8).

The Back-line is up made up by the Scrum Half(9), Fly-Half(10), Left-wing(11)Inside-center(12), Outside-Center(13), Right-Wing(14) and the Full-Back(15).

The details of the game, however, may need some explaining.

Note: This article is about playing the most common form of rugby, Rugby Union.

Steps

Understanding the Basics

1. Win by scoring more points than your opponent. Score tries by carrying the ball into Your opponent's try-zone, ( penalty tries can also be awarded from any infringements from the opposing team.) A try is worth 5 points.
   • When a try is scored an opportunity is given to the scoring team to make a conversion kick which is worth 2 points.
   • The other way of gaining extra points for Your team is with penalty kicks, this is awarded when a member of the opposing team breaks a rule or if the play of the game is stopped by more than one member of that team. a Penalty kick is worth 3 Points.
   • The last method of gaining points is with a drop-goal attempt, the ball is played backwards to a back-row player who then attempts to place the ball in between the uprights during ongoing game play, this is also worth 3 points.
2. The field is cut in half, and at each end is a 10-meter zone known as the "try-zone." If you get the ball into your opponent's try zone you get 5 points, as well as a chance to attempt a conversion kick for an extra 2 points. The winner is the one who scores the most points in 80 minutes of play.
   • You have to touch the ball down to score in rugby. That means after you've entered the try zone the ball must be placed on the ground to score.
   • You can also kick the ball through the uprights during free play (with a drop-kick only) or after the referee awards your team a penalty (place kick) for 3 points.
3. Understand the ball can only be thrown backward or sideways. To score tries, offense teams form big horizontal lines, passing sideways and backward until they expose a hole in the defense and push forward. This is the big rule to remember when playing rugby. You cannot pass the ball forward with your hands or it is an automatic penalty. Whenever passing, you usually pass the ball across your body to get power and throw the ball diagonally to your teammate.
   • Dropping or bobbling the ball counts as a forward pass if it hits your hands then hits the ground in front of you.
   • You can, of course, carry the ball forward. However, any passes by the hand cannot be forward.
4. Kick it forward to pass to yourself or your teammates. While you cannot ever throw a ball forward, you can kick it forward at any time. Once you kick the ball, any teammate that was behind you when you kicked it can run forward and get the ball without a penalty. Kicks are a great way to surprise a defense, or boot the ball way down the field to get your team out of trouble.
   • Players can even kick it to themselves, chipping it over an opponent and running around to pick it up.
   • You cannot kick the ball to a teammate who is already further down the field than you unless you run past them at some point. If a player was behind you at any time after your kick they can touch the ball. If not, they are offside.
5. Tackle the ball carrier to stop the opponent's attack. Rugby defense is all about making tackles. You can only hit the player currently holding the ball, and you cannot block or screen the other team or other players. When you tackle an opponent, your goal is to bring them to the ground as quickly as possible, preferably with teammates around to quickly help win the ball. General tackling rules include:
   • You must tackle someone below shoulder height.
   • You must wrap your hands around the player, not just spear them with your shoulder.
   • You cannot pick up and drop players, especially on their head or neck.
   • Once down, you must return to your feet before trying to win the ball from someone you've tackled.
6. Form rucks whenever someone gets tackled to keep possession of the ball. When a player goes down, they must release the ball. From there, either team can fight to win the ball off the ground and take possession. This usually takes place as a "ruck." A ruck is when 1-3 players from each team lock into one another, right above the ball (and tackled player), and push each other back and forth in an attempt to win possession. One player on each team stands behind the ruck and grabs the ball when it appears behind their rucking teammate's back foot. Because the tackled player can put the ball down wherever they want, the team that had the ball first usually controls it. There are a lot of rules and strategy for contesting a ruck, but some basic reminders include:
   • Stay on your feet. A ruck is when at least two players lock shoulders above the ball and try and push the opponent away from the ball. You cannot reach in to grab the ball or push off the ground with your hands.
   • Enter through the center. For safety reasons, you must enter a ruck straight up and lock in with the other team. You must be perpendicular to the end line, and your body must be straight over the ball. You cannot run into a ruck diagonally or from the side.
   • Stay behind the back foot if not in the ruck. Once a ruck is formed, you must stay behind the back foot of your final teammate until the ball comes out, no matter what team gets it. The entire space of the ruck is a "neutral zone" that no players can enter it.
7. Form scrums to contest penalty calls. When a penalty (such as passing it forward) is called for your team, you get several options of restarts, depending on the foul. One of the most common is a scrum, where both teams form into battering rams and connect over the ball. A scrum is essentially a test of strength. In a scrum, 8 players from each team weave themselves together in rows to create a unified mass. The two teams then go head-to-head, each pushing against the other, with a tunnel formed on the ground in between them.
   • In a scrum, one team throws the ball in the center of the two teams and they push and hook each other to try and win the ball.
   • Scrums suck all the biggest players to one area of the field, leaving the other seven players with much more free space. If your team wins it, you're often off for a big gain.
   • Scrums are perhaps the most dangerous aspect of rugby, and you should not try them without a coach and well-trained, athletic players.
8. Use line-outs to restart the ball after it leaves the sidelines. If a ball goes out of bounds the referee will call for a line-out. A line-out is like a throw-in in soccer, except the ball must be thrown straight forward. Each team forms a line on the field around the thrower. The team that did not touch the ball last gets to throw it in. They then toss the ball straight in between the two teams, who lift each other up to try and win the ball. The game then restarts as normal.
   • Teams often use signals and codes to win their own line-outs. Basically, a thrower will signal to their team when they will throw it, and their teammates will hoist a player into the air, out of reach of the other team, to grab the ball quickly.
9. Recognize the difference between forwards and backs on a team. Each team is made up of two smaller sections, each with their own positions and strengths. Forwards take part in the scrum, and this is the only real difference between them an backs as far as rules go. However, forwards and backs have evolved their own specialties on the field, making each vital to success:
   • Forwards/Packies: These are the big guys -- the bruisers and muscle-men who power the scrums and win most of your rucks. Forwards generally take short, powerful runs with the ball, pass less, and do the majority of tackling and defense. Generally thicker and stronger.
   • Backs: The runners and speedsters. Backs form a long diagonal line on offense and pass the ball quickly down the line, to the outside of the field, where they can take on a defender 1v1. On defense they form a wall across the field to prevent enemy backs from breaking through. Generally quicker, backs are good kickers, have solid passing skills, and tons of speed/endurance.
10. Watch professional rugby to discover complex rules, strategies, and nuance. Watch local and professional teams’ matches or practices in order to see how the game is played. You can also watch matches on television or recordings such as DVDs. Watching how a game is played in real life or through recordings allows you to see the intricacies of the sport.
    • There are a lot of small rules, specific situations, and intricacies to rugby that are impossible to learn without playing or watching. Ask questions of fans and/or the referee when confused, and keep learning each game each time you play.

Learning the Basic Skills

1. Throw with speed and accuracy by spinning the ball. A good rugby throw is powerful and quick, which protects your teammate from a nasty tackle as they watch the ball approaching them. Practice throwing to your side, not in front of you. To get a good throw, use both hands and focus on accuracy first, hitting your teammates right in the chest every time. Once you feel accurate you can start working on a professional-looking spin. To throw from the right hand:
   • Start with the ball horizontally in front of you. Place your right hand on the back third of the ball, so your palm faces down and your thumb towards your target. Place your left hand on the bottom left half of the ball, thumb pointing left.
   • Bring the ball to your right side, keeping the point of the ball still roughly pointing at your target.
   • Using your left hand for aim and right for power, bring the ball across your body and towards your target.
   • As your hands are almost extended, curl your right hand back towards you, spinning the ball.
   • Release the ball with both hands simultaneously, rotating your wrist completely over on the follow-through. Both arms should be fully extended and pointed at your target, and your arms should stay low, around belly height. the whole time.
2. Tackle with your whole body, not just your arms. Tackling is a skill that can be developed over a lifetime, but the basics are simple. You want to let your whole body do the work, not just your arms, to protect yourself and to ensure that you bring the guy down. Practice doing the following steps near simultaneously -- keeping your head up, driving with the shoulder, wrapping your arms, and driving to the ground:
   • Set up on the balls of your feet. Make sure you are in a good athletic position for the hit -- knees bent, muscles relaxed, on your toes.
   • Keep your head up and aim for their thighs/stomach. Keep your head up to see contact coming and line up the hit. This is a crucial step for safety.
   • Aim to make contact with your shoulder right at their upper thigh. Slide your head next to their butt to keep it safe and drive in with your shoulder.
   • Wrap your arms around their thighs and pull back. Pull their thighs into a deep hug -- this causes them to lose balance easily.
   • Drive with your legs to bring them down. Once you've got your head in place and your arms wrapped, you want to push with your legs to bring them down.
3. Ruck. A ruck is your regular chance to keep or steal possession, and a good rucker is an invaluable asset on the team. If you see a teammate go down with the ball and you're nearby, try and be the first one in the ruck. Set one foot over the ball so that it is underneath you, then lean down into a low athletic position. When you've made contact with someone, win rucks using strength and leverage:
   • Get underneath the opponent and push up and out. If you can get your shoulders or head under their chest, you can push them up to throw them off balance, then back to remove them from the ruck.
   • Push teammates from behind to win contested rucks. If it looks like your team needs a boost, push your ruck through like a minor-scrum. Remember, however, that committing more than 2-3 people to a ruck leaves a lot of holes in the defense if you lose.
   • Keep your feet moving through the ruck. To really crush rucks, chop your feet and push forward with every step. Imagine running straight through the player to the other side. This is called "clearing" a ruck, and it opens up a lot of space. If you're on defense and you can clear a ruck, even if you can't win the ball immediately, you'll throw the other team into disarray.
4. Always be in a position of support for teammates. Rugby is not an individually dominated sport. Even the best player will be unable to do anything without the support of teammates, as there are very few times a solo athlete has space or time to make a play themselves. On both defense and offense you should be in the best possible place to support your teammates, no matter what:
   • On defense, you need to be in a horizontal line with your teammates, sliding left and right to close up any holes the opponent might try to push through. Once a teammate makes a tackle, you should either jump in the ruck if it is open or winnable or slide to either side of the teammate to make sure the other team doesn't exploit the gap while he is down from the tackle,
   • On offense, you need to spread out, forcing the other team to cover many angles. When a teammate is running, make sure you are always behind them and they have 1-2 people in passing range. If they get tackled, they may try a quick pass to you as they go down, leaving you plenty of time to run.

Setting Up a Game

1. Find a large, flat field. Rugby can be played in any large field, so long as it is relatively flat and evenly sized. The size of the field will largely depend upon how seriously you intend to play. If you wish to simply play the game with a few friends, a local park with any large field may be enough. However, if you wish to play a proper match, you will need a field with two uprights for the extra point. Contact your local Parks and Recreation department or a local rugby club to find out about proper fields in your area.
   • As long as you can mark out try-zones for each team, any rectangular patch of grass should be fine.
   • Though the dimensions are slightly different, an American football field can fill in for a rugby field in a pinch.
2. Form two even teams of players. There are three commonly played forms of rugby, where the biggest difference is in the number of players. Real games have 15, 10, or 7 players on each team, but you can play with as many players as you want if you're just with friends. Each player should have:
   • Athletic shoes, preferably with cleats in the bottom.
   • Light, breathable clothing.
   • Mouth guards and/or head protection, if desired.
   • Water.
3. Decide which forwards will play which positions in the scrum. Forwards are generally placed in position based on the scrum, and their positions does not necessarily impact where they will be during the rest of the game. What matters most is your scrum position:
   • First row. The first row contains three players: the loose head prop and the tight head prop, who grip the hooker in between them.The role of the hooker is to gain possession of the ball during scrums and usually throw the ball in at line-outs. The role of the loose and tight head props is to support the hooker during scrums, support other players during line-outs and provide strength during rucks and mauls. The props are your two biggest players.
   • Second row. The second row consists of two locks. These are the tallest players in the team and are generally used in line-outs to gain possession of the ball. They drive their shoulders into the props and are the engines of your scrums and rucks.
   • Back row. The back row of forwards consists of three players: two flankers and the eight-man. They clasp onto the two sides and back and control the direction of the scrum, as well as the ball if it squeezes out. Generally these three are your fastest forwards, as they can quickly dart off the scrum when play restarts.
4. Build up your line of backs based on speed and ball handling ability. Backs need to be good with their hands, and the best players need to be the first ones touching the ball. To visualize your back line, imagine the ball on the right side of the field. Each player will be 10-15 feet diagonally to the left of the other, starting with the scrum-half:
   • Scrum-half: They start the ball from a ruck or scrum, pulling it out and determining the first player to get the ball. They must be light, small, and have considerable endurance to reach every ruck or scrum first. Most importantly, they need to see the whole field and distribute the ball accordingly.
   • Fly-half: The quarterback for the backs. They run most of the kicking and run plays, like skipping a pass or fake passes, to try and break down the opponent's defense.
   • Centers: There are two of them, and they are good overall players who can tackle well on defense, run and pass well in the middle, and kick if need be. They get the ball often and challenge the opponent's back line.
   • Wings: Two wings that stay on each side-line, these are usually the fastest players. Your goal is to get them the ball on the outside, where they can hopefully outrun the opponents wing for massive gains.
   • Fullback: She/he sits 15 meters or so behind the line, ready to get an opponent's kick, make a last-second tackle, or sprint forward to unexpectedly join the offense and overload a team. Must be versatile, able to kick and catch, and fast.
5. Designate a referee to enforce penalties. There are several ways in which a penalty may be earned, and it is impossible to play the game and keep an eye out for every infraction. Minor infractions will likely result in a scrum being awarded to the other team. Others may cause a referee to take more serious action, giving a penalty kick, a "back ten" (when the team gets 10 meters to run the ball for free), or removing a player for some time.
   • Common offenses include incorrect tackling, collapsing a scrum or ruck by leaving your feet, holding the ball when on the ground, and entering rucks incorrectly.
   • The team awarded the penalty has several options. They can take a kick or punt, which will allow them to gain field position. They can take a penalty kick at the uprights for a chance at 3 points, or they can take a scrum, all in the location of the penalty.
6. Warm up your whole body before playing to avoid dangerous injuries. A game of rugby is physically intense, and you're incredibly prone to injury if you don't prepare. A good warm-up increases blood flow and prepares your muscles for the beating to come. A good, simple warm up to start with would include:
   • 10-minute light jog. Running is an excellent way to warm up for rigorous physical activity. Begin by walking briskly for 5 minutes, followed by 10 minutes of light jogging to prepare yourself for running.
   • Dynamic stretching. Run with high knees, kick your ankle with your heel with each step, do some lunges, jump in place, swing your arms, and skip. These exaggerated, mobile stretches loosen your muscles more effectively than static stretching.
   • Warm up rugby skills. Pass with a partner, take some kicks, and do some light rucking. Get used to rugby specific actions, even tackling at half-speed. Your forwards should do some practice scrums and lineouts, and your backs should get used to passing in a line.
   • Drink water and eat at least 2 hours before playing. Hydration is essential in physical activity. In order to combat the loss of and increased use of water during exercise, it is important to stay well hydrated throughout the day but especially right before activity. The other essential nutrients used and expelled by your body during exercise are salt and potassium, eating lean meats, fruits, vegetables, and sports drinks/food.
7. Start the game with a kickoff. This is traditionally started by a coin toss, in order to determine which team will have first possession of the ball. You can toss coins or decide who starts in some other manner. Positioned at the center of the field, the team which has first possession will then kick the ball towards the opposition.
   • Most rules state that this must be a drop-kick. It needs to go 10-meters before the ball can be played.
   • If you are on the kicking team, you cannot pass the kicker until the ball has left his foot.
   • After your team scores a try, the other team must kick it off to you again.

Tips

• Play some touch rugby-- where two hands is all you need for a tackle -- to learn the rules and basic strategy of the game before worrying about the physical contact.
• Rugby is a sport meant to be fun, and the aim of the game should not be to injure your opponents; rather, it should be to score tries and kick into the posts.

Warnings

• Rugby is a dangerous sport if you don't know what you're doing. Practice tackling, rucking, and scrumming at half-speed until you have the form down.
• Wear protective gear like gum shields or scrump caps when playing full contact rugby. It is all fun and games until somebody gets hurt.

Related Articles

• Score a Try in Rugby
• Avoid Injury at Rugby
• Condition for Rugby
• Know Positions and Basics of Rugby

Sources and Citations

See also

• Condition for Rugby
• Become a Better Rugby Player
• Know Positions and Basics of Rugby
• Rugby Tackle Everyone That Runs at You

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