The Ins and Outs of Rugby

Rugby is one of the most popular sports in places like Australia and England! Find out more about this crazy game!

Rugby - Back in the Day

Rugby is one of the most rugged and physical team sports in the world. It's played in over 120 countries, but is most popular in Australia, New Zealand and Europe. It's a sport that has a lot of similarities to football. Rugby originated in 1823, when a young boy from England picked up the ball during a soccer game and ran with it. This gave birth to the idea of the sport. The modern version of the sport debut around the 1860's and was adopted by local colleges.

Rugby - Rule Handbook

Rugby is played with an oval-shaped ball, which is softer than a football, so that it can easily be bounced and kicked around. Two teams consisting of 15 players go against each other and try to score the most points. A match usually consists of two, 40-minute halves and is played on a field that is 109 yards in length and 75 yards in width. The aim of each team is to gain possession of the ball, take it into opposition territory by carrying, passing and kicking the ball and to place it in the end zone. Rugby is a game of continuous flow. Although the game appears complex, there are only two major rules - players may not pass the ball forward and players may not touch the ball while it is in play if it was last touched behind them by players on their own teams. A minor infringement results in a scrummage - which is like a face off in hockey.

Rugby - Getting Involved

Rugby is the contact sport of choice for many countries around the world. Playing the sport will improve your cardio, your strength and your mental toughness. Unlike sports like basketball, where you generally need to be tall in order to be good, rugby players come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Kids can generally start playing rugby around 10-11 years old. In the USA, there aren't too many leagues for the sport until you reach high school, so the best way to get involved is to attend a rugby camp. One of the best youth rugby camps in North America is the Stanford Rugby Camp - for more information, head to their official site.

Related Stories:

Jonah Lomu Biography

Quiz the Coach - Rugby Rules

Traditional Celtic Sports

More Action Sports!

Read more: Action Sports