The legend and the origins of rugby

The most popular hypothesis for the appearance of rugby says that the game was invented by William Webb Ellis, a school student from the town of Rugby, where, according to legend, he grabbed the ball with his hands during a football match and swept it to the opponent’s goal. It was back in 1823.

In the future, it was at his suggestion that the schoolchildren tried to play football according to the “new” rules, and they came in handy. Over time, English players began to travel the world and spread rugby primarily in their colonies. The game took root there, and now all the strongest national teams of the planet one way or another belong to the countries of the British Commonwealth.
To date, the teams of England, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Ireland are considered the strongest.

The simpler the better

Rugby, unlike American football, has very simple rules. The goal of the game is to make a productive action: it can be either a goal scored into the goal (above the central crossbar and inside the posts), or bringing the ball into the end zone.
The main thing is that the rules allow you to touch the ball with your hands: this is the main difference between rugby and football. An important point – when passing the ball with his hands, the receiving player should not be closer to the opponent’s goal line than the passer. In other words, only back passes are allowed.

The rugby field has a size of 100×70 with two end zones from 10 to 22 meters, which are adjacent to the field, just outside the goal.
Halves last 40 minutes, there are two in total. Only pure time counts. One team is attacking, the other is defending. Depending on the role, the tasks of the players are constantly changing. Each team has 15 players on the field.

Not one step back

There is a lot of power struggle in rugby, for which many people love the game. The nature of the game can be described as explosive – it seems that the players got stuck in fights a second ago and slowly moved towards someone else’s end zone, when suddenly fast breaks and numerous passes all over the field began!

A few basic elements of the game:

• Fight – appointed after minor violations. The teams very effectively stand opposite each other, three players shoulder to shoulder, and try to put pressure on the team playing the ball.
• Lineout – After the ball is in touch, it is put into play by a lineout or a quick throw-in. You have probably seen several players lift one of their teammates up, increasing the chances of getting possession of the ball. Both teams fight for the ball, while it is not allowed to carry out power moves on a raised player.
• A ruck is a situation that begins when at least two players from different teams are fighting for the ball on the ground. Other players can join them, but according to certain rules. The point is to form a ruck as quickly as possible – in this case, the players on the defensive team cannot use their hands, which makes it easier for the offensive team. The defensive team, in turn, begins an oncoming movement, and if they manage to take possession of the ball, then this is called a “turnover”.
• Maul – a situation occurs when a player with the ball is captured by opponents, but at the same time does not lose contact with his team. Next comes the movement as in “cancer”.

In rugby there is offside, which is tracked by line referees, assistants to the chief referee.

For the strong in body and spirit

Rugby is rightfully considered one of the most versatile games. Just imagine: the players must be agile, jumpy and at the same time powerful, fast and hardy, with excellent reaction and great strength training.
Professional athletes combine gym workouts with sprint workouts. In addition, players need to work hard with their heads: memorize a large number of schemes and tactics, skillfully applying them during the match.
Rugby is a contact sport with an increased risk of injury. This is partly due to the fact that there is no serious protection here, only light small devices, such as shields or pads. The uniform of the players is a T-shirt, shorts, socks and special boots. According to the rules, they can be studded, but without sharpening. Before the match, the chief referee is obliged to check the equipment of the players.
The rest of the equipment for the game is a rugby ball, 62 cm by 77 cm. Previously, by the way, it was made of genuine leather. Now these are synthetic substitutes.

Who is the best rugby player?

Leaders – New Zealand. Before the start of the match, local rugby players dance a haka dance – maybe this is the secret of success. Haka is the national ritual of the local Maori people, which is interesting, they have haki for any occasion: welcoming, militant, festive, etc. And the haka that the New Zealand team dances is not at all militant, as many people think, it is just welcoming and just looks menacing. In New Zealand, rugby is a cult, almost a religion, where people are obsessed with this sport.

Game for people of all ages

Despite the fact that rugby was originally a game of men, it is now also played by women. The age of the players ranges from the youngest to the oldest players. Rugby gave impetus to the development of several other areas – these are rugby-7 and rugby league. The basic rules are the same, they differ in the number of players and the method of scoring.
Remember, no matter what you choose – rugby is a great game for a large mobile company that is looking for new sensations!