Everything you ever wanted to know about rugby and more!

There are two types of rugby: rugby union and rugby league. Rugby league is much more like American football, where there are a set number of phases or downs before the ball is turned over to the other team. In rugby union, which is what we play, game play is nearly continuous and possession is still fought for after a player is tackled. Women's rugby is exactly the same as men's rugby - we play on the same pitch with the same rules. Rugby is as much a game of finesse and skill as it is of brute force and contact. Players learn to tackle and be tackled with impeccable form as the only protective gear worn is a mouthguard.

Although the pitch may slightly resemble that of a football field, the game play is very different. Rugby is a game of two 40-minute halves with nearly continuous action. The ball can only be moved backwards or laterally, so the only way to advance the ball is to run or kick it forward.

Points are awarded by scoring a try or kicking a field goal. A try, worth 5 points, is scored when a player successfully touches the ball to the ground with pressure in the try zone (like the endzone in football), NOT when the ball crosses the plane of the try zone. When a try is scored, a 2-point conversion kick is attempted, and, if successful, results in a 7 point play. A field goal (also called a drop goal) is scored when the ball is drop-kicked through the uprights in open play, resulting in a 3 point score.


For more information, thisnavigate through the rugby basics pages: Positions, Rugby Terms, Rugby Pitch, and Basic Rules
This BBC website also has a lot of great information about rugby union: click here